Matthew 14 Devotional0

Matthew 14:1-2

• What is odd about Herod’s response to “reports about Jesus” and what does this reveal about what is going on in his heart about what he did to John?
• Why would Herod have been “haunted” by thoughts of John?
• What regrets come back to me repeatedly, and what have I done about it?

Matthew 14:3-5

• What was Herod’s response to John’s message?
• What has been my response to truths that point out something I am doing wrong, or truths that challenge me to give up a cherished idol or activity?
• What relationship is there between the shame felt about some sin, and the degree of hostility and anger felt toward someone who points it out?
• What can I do to ensure I do not respond this way?

Matthew 14:5-11

“Like most weak men, Herod feared to be thought weak (Plumptre). His oath should neither have been made nor kept. Decapitation (v. 10) though sanctioned by Greeks and Romans was contrary to Jewish law, which also forbade execution without trial.”^[1]

• Notice the words in the text that point out the contrast between the appearance of Herod as a self-assured man fully in control, and the things that really control him.  In what ways does this irony aptly capture the condition of man apart from God?
• How did events snowball as they did?  Where were the different points at which Herod could have stopped events from ending up the way they did?
• Am I in the middle of a snowballing process of becoming hardened regarding some sin, pushed along by shame, fear, and pride, like Herod?

Additional Questions:

Matthew 14:13-15

• What does Jesus do after hearing the sad news of what had happened to John the Baptist?
• What happens to Jesus’ plan to have some private, solitary time and what are his and the disciples’ reactions to this?
• How does Jesus’ example challenge me regarding how I typically respond to interruptions to my plans, or the intrusion of the needs of others?

Matthew 14:15-17

• Reflect on Jesus’ statement: “You give them something to eat.”  How would the disciples have felt upon hearing this?  How often do I feel like how the disciples may have felt?
• What was the difference between the way Jesus saw the situation and the way the disciples did?
• In what ways is God saying, “You give them,” and my response is “we have here only”?

Matthew 14:18-21

• Is there something in my life about which God is saying “Bring them here to me”?
• What is the significance of Jesus giving the food to the disciples, and the disciples, in turn, giving it to the people?
• What can I learn about God’s character and his heart from the fact that “[they] all ate and were satisfied”?
• What is the role of the disciples in this miraculous feeding of the multitudes, and how does this raise the stakes involved in my obedient or disobedient response to Jesus’ commands “You feed them” and “bring them here to me”?

Matthew 14:22-23

• After a long exhausting day, Jesus still prioritized his solitude with God and made it a point to spend time in prayer.  What priority does prayer hold in my life?
• Jesus sought out the solitary time of prayer upon hearing about John’s execution (vv. 12-13).  How do I typically process personal difficulties, grief, or other emotional distress?

Matthew 14:25-33

• Contrast Peter’s response to the other disciples.  What can I learn from Peter’s request to go to Jesus?
• Although Jesus called Peter to come, what did Peter have to do first in order to go to Jesus?
• What are the areas of my life that I cling to, from which I am unwilling to venture out in faith?
• What are the “winds” in my life that cause me to sink and stumble in my relationship with Jesus?
• Even though Peter “fails” and begins to sink, Jesus reaches out and catches him.   In what ways does this give me confidence to venture out and take risks for God?