Matthew 14:14: Many are Healed
Hover over the references to see the Biblical text
Matthew 14:14
I just finished listening to an excellent sermon by pastor and theologian, John Piper: "Gifts of Healings and Workings of Miracles." Referencing 1 Corinthians 13, he observes the dangers we would face if would could do miracles at will but did not love. Actually, he goes further than that, saying that we need a miracle to give us love for those who in need. "Let's make love our aim," he says. "Let's ask for the great miracle of being a compassionate and loving people, so that we care more about hurting people, lost people, addicted people than we do about watching television or our own leisure plans, and once that miracle comes down on this church then the little, tiny, insignificant, lower-level, gift of healing might be given for its appropriate use."
This attitude is embodied by Jesus in Matthew 14:14. Jesus has just heard of John the Baptist, his cousin's, execution and has withdrawn to find some solitude. Exactly why Jesus sought to withdraw is not explicitly stated, but at least two different reasons have been proposed. Theologian D. A. Carson suggests Jesus was seeking to prevent Herod from coming after him because Herod believed he was somehow John brought back to life.1 Others have suggested Jesus was simply trying to get a little time away from the crowds to mourn.2 Whatever the reason, it is clear that Jesus' intent was to escape the crowds, but when the boat landed on another part of the shoreline there was already a large crowd. The text is explicit here. It uses the plural form of ὄχλος in Matthew 14:13—Jesus was followed not by one crowd, but by multiple crowds. Furthermore, immediately following verse 14 we have the feeding of the "five thousand," a number that suggests a smaller crowd than would actually have been present as, following the custom of the day, that count included neither women nor children (Matthew 14:21).
Moved by compassion, Jesus' reaction was not to set out by boat again. Rather, he responded to the needs of the sick. Evidently, this was a primary need in the masses that had followed him. His immediate response is to heal their sick, not to present more parables, teach, or even preach the kingdom. The action his compassion produced in him was specifically healing of those in the crowd who were sick. This also tells us something about the desperation of the crowd. Sick people typically do not prefer travelling long distances on foot, but Jesus appeared to be leaving, and their chance for healing was leaving with him. So, when Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved to action by deep seated emotion (this is the literal meaning of the Greek word translated as compassion), and he took action to resolve the problem.
Piper, I think, makes the point well. We are often more invested in our entertainment than we are in the needs of those around us. Love should drive us to action. Sometimes that action will be mundane and something we are quite capable of doing, but sometimes we will be faced with issues we cannot resolve—issues only God can overcome. In those situations, we will have no option but to seek the Lord in faith. What we cannot overcome, he can.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Frank Ely Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary: With the New International Version of the Holy Bible, vol. 8, Zondervan, 1991, p. 341.
2. Bruce Gordon Epperly and Katherine Gould Epperly, Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, Alban Institute, 2009, p. 111.
Matthew 14:14
I just finished listening to an excellent sermon by pastor and theologian, John Piper: "Gifts of Healings and Workings of Miracles." Referencing 1 Corinthians 13, he observes the dangers we would face if would could do miracles at will but did not love. Actually, he goes further than that, saying that we need a miracle to give us love for those who in need. "Let's make love our aim," he says. "Let's ask for the great miracle of being a compassionate and loving people, so that we care more about hurting people, lost people, addicted people than we do about watching television or our own leisure plans, and once that miracle comes down on this church then the little, tiny, insignificant, lower-level, gift of healing might be given for its appropriate use."
This attitude is embodied by Jesus in Matthew 14:14. Jesus has just heard of John the Baptist, his cousin's, execution and has withdrawn to find some solitude. Exactly why Jesus sought to withdraw is not explicitly stated, but at least two different reasons have been proposed. Theologian D. A. Carson suggests Jesus was seeking to prevent Herod from coming after him because Herod believed he was somehow John brought back to life.1 Others have suggested Jesus was simply trying to get a little time away from the crowds to mourn.2 Whatever the reason, it is clear that Jesus' intent was to escape the crowds, but when the boat landed on another part of the shoreline there was already a large crowd. The text is explicit here. It uses the plural form of ὄχλος in Matthew 14:13—Jesus was followed not by one crowd, but by multiple crowds. Furthermore, immediately following verse 14 we have the feeding of the "five thousand," a number that suggests a smaller crowd than would actually have been present as, following the custom of the day, that count included neither women nor children (Matthew 14:21).
Moved by compassion, Jesus' reaction was not to set out by boat again. Rather, he responded to the needs of the sick. Evidently, this was a primary need in the masses that had followed him. His immediate response is to heal their sick, not to present more parables, teach, or even preach the kingdom. The action his compassion produced in him was specifically healing of those in the crowd who were sick. This also tells us something about the desperation of the crowd. Sick people typically do not prefer travelling long distances on foot, but Jesus appeared to be leaving, and their chance for healing was leaving with him. So, when Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved to action by deep seated emotion (this is the literal meaning of the Greek word translated as compassion), and he took action to resolve the problem.
Piper, I think, makes the point well. We are often more invested in our entertainment than we are in the needs of those around us. Love should drive us to action. Sometimes that action will be mundane and something we are quite capable of doing, but sometimes we will be faced with issues we cannot resolve—issues only God can overcome. In those situations, we will have no option but to seek the Lord in faith. What we cannot overcome, he can.
FOOTNOTES:
1. Frank Ely Gaebelein, The Expositor's Bible Commentary: With the New International Version of the Holy Bible, vol. 8, Zondervan, 1991, p. 341.
2. Bruce Gordon Epperly and Katherine Gould Epperly, Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry, Alban Institute, 2009, p. 111.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm looking forward to reading what you wrote!