Matthew – Page 14 – Be Still…

Matthew 14:13-21 – More Than Enough

This story never gets old for me. This is Matthew’s version. All the other gospels include an account of this day as well. ( Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; and John 6:1-15.) I am not going to spend time today comparing the stories. I have written devotionals on all of them, so you can feel free to read through the others. I’ve given you clickable links. I welcome any comments or observations.

Today’s reading starts with Jesus just wanting to be alone. He had heard of his friend’s death in the preceding verses. He needed time to process that. I’m sure we can all identify with wanting to be alone when we’re dealing with sorrow and loss. But Jesus couldn’t go anywhere without attracting a crowd, and today was no different. Did Jesus rebuke them and send them away because he wanted to be alone?

Matthew 14:1-12 – John’s Death

Read Matthew 14:1-12

This is an interesting story to pop up in an account that has been focusing mostly on Jesus and his ministry. What does it say to us? It certainly gives us the picture that nobody is safe from evil, even and especially prophets. Notice the flashback. John was already dead, but we learn how and why it happened after the fact.

Some may say that John was a martyr but not actually in the true sense. He did not play an active role in his death. It happened on the whim of a young girl wanting to please her mother. John had allegedly been vocal about the wrong Herod had done in marrying his brother’s divorced wife, Herodias. He had to divorce his own wife to marry her. That would have been behavior contrary to the incest laws of the Pentateuch.

Matthew 13:53-58 – Rejected!

Read Matthew 13:53-58

Have you ever known someone from your hometown that has gone on to make it big? If you live in a small town, there can even be more hype around it. I remember a couple of people over the years. One became a movie star, one a star NFL quarterback, and another an American Idol winner. Now I never knew these individuals personally, but I knew from where they came.

In the scheme of things, these people are just people like you and me. We went to school together or shopped at the same store, or worshipped at the same church. They were just “normal” people–until they became famous. Then they were just famous normal people. But Jesus was not “normal” was he?

Matthew 13:44-52 – Get Caught in the Net

Read Matthew 13:44-52

Have you ever saved and saved for something you really wanted? I remember as a child, I would save my allowance because I wanted to buy a horse. I had my horse fund. When it didn’t look probable that I’d ever have the horse of my dreams, the fund became my bike fund. A little more realistic. To me, those things were treasures. They were something I really wanted.

The first of our two stories today speaks of finding first a treasure and then a pearl, both of great value. There was urgency as well as desire. The merchant couldn’t wait for the time it would take to save his money. In both cases, he sold everything he had to have the item he wanted. He sacrificed all for one. Have you ever done that? Cashed in all you had for one thing?

Matthew 13:24-43 – More Weeds & Seeds

Read Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus gives us a couple more examples to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. It seems to be a complex thing to convey so he uses different pictures or parables to help us understand. It’s not clear if the people listening understood. We know the disciples asked for clarification. Jesus wants us to think through it, too. The beauty of a parable should be rich and memorable.

So what do we know from these readings about the Kingdom of Heaven? That it is like a field of good seed being sown, that it is like a mustard seed, and like yeast. Now if that doesn’t make it clear as mud, I don’t know what else to say! If you have insights I haven’t thought of, please share in the comments! Let’s break each of them down just a little bit.