Matthew 14:24  We must always seek to allow scripture to give us an accurate picture of what is going on in any situation. If we pay close attention to this verse, we will realize that the disciples had been attempting to cross the lake all evening. For experienced sailors this was not only a little…

Matthew 14:23   Prayer was very important in Jesus’ life here on earth. He takes the opportunity to pray after this amazing miracle. It seems that Jesus may have done this for several reasons. One of these may have been that he wanted to focus upon the task at hand, the goal of his coming. He…

Matthew 14:22   This verse is full of unexpected things. All of the Jews, the disciples included, failed to understand the goal of the first advent of Christ. They thought, especially after this miracle, that Jesus was surely the Messiah, and that he would be breaking the yoke of the Romans and setting up his kingdom.…

Matthew 14:21   This was quite a multitude! The low estimate for the total population of the crowd is in the neighborhood of eight thousand. The high estimate is as much as twenty thousand. It really depends upon how many of the men had wives with them, and how many children were present. Given Jesus’ popularity…

Matthew 14:20   This miracle is, for many reasons, one of the most difficult for people to believe. Think of it. You have bread and fish instantly being produced out of thin air. There is no way to prove that there was some illusion to this. Indeed, many have claimed that the people had food with…

Matthew 14:19   There have been those in the past who have found it rather artificial or awkward to pray with one’s eyes closed. Indeed, some say that this only draws attention to oneself in public places. Although our prayers should never be designed with the purpose of drawing the wrong kind of attention, there is…

Matthew 14:18   Whatever we may have in our hand we must bring it to Christ. This is the lesson for us in this passage. It is easier for us today maybe to see that the disciples should have had more faith. But yet, today we tend to have confidence in ourselves. We do not always…

Matthew 14:17   The disciples decide to let the facts settle in. They give the Master the true reality of the situation. They stated the problem in its raw form. They thought he would surely see things their way if the told him how much food they had. But, Jesus already knew, of course.   We have…

Matthew 14:16   This is one of those beautiful teachable moments we find in the life of Jesus. He finds a circumstance in which to teach the disciples a great lesson. He challenges their doubt. He questions their perception of reality. He calls their thinking into a new direction entirely. He brings them to consider the…

Matthew 14:15   The time for eating was come and gone. There were no apparent sources of food in this desert place. The disciples did not have enough food to feed so many. Towns where food might be bought were available, but had to be reached by some travel. The disciples had not the money to…