Readings in the New Testament - Matthew Chapter 14
We now go on to read in Matthew Chapter 14.
We start with the account of the death of John the Baptist (1-112). This same story is in both Mark and Luke.
John was undoubtedly a nuisance so far as Herod was concerned. He told things as they were, not something that people who are very conscious of their position in life are always happy with. Herod had done many awful things, but the most embarrassing was probably the one referred to. Herod had seduced his brother’s wife, Herodias, and then divorced his own so that he could marry Herodias. Never mind the morality of this man, by doing what he did he had broken the Jewish laws which specifically included the divorced wife of a brother in the list of those one could not marry.
Additionally, Herodias seems to have been something of a female tyrant. You can imagine how she would make Herod’s life a misery, ‘You are supposed to be king aren’t you? You let this scruffy man say these awful things against us and do nothing about it. You are useless!’
We are used to a country where freedom of speech prevails and often we hear of disparaging remarks about royalty and politicians. There are countries where this would result in punishment, such as Thailand, Belarus, Russia and China. What happened to John would not be a surprise to people in these sort of countries.
A situation arose where Herod decided to show off. His wife’s daughter, whom everyone now knows as Salome, even though she is not named here, dances for him. He is captivated by her and decides to show off by offering her whatever she wants.
The girl knows where the power really lies and asks her mother what to ask for. Herodias says that she should ask for the head of John the Baptist.
Herod is weak, he cannot lose face. He has made the promise, now he must fulfil it and John is killed.
Here is that dreadful combination of ruthless terror and personal weakness combined in one man, Herod, a recipe for disaster. We must never let ourselves be pressured into doing wrong to save face, but on the contrary must be strong when needed.
13-21 is one of the few stories that is in all four Gospels. It is a fascinating tale of a miracle, the feeding of a vast crowd with a miniscule amount of food.
There is a choice of interpretations, each miraculous in a different way.
The straight forward, which many will prefer, is as told in the account. Five loaves and two fish, the packing up of a small boy, is used to feed 5000 and there is plenty left over.
The second is more mundane, but no less miraculous. The honest generosity of the small boy was demonstrated to the crowd and they were persuaded to share what they had with all present.
Each tells us something about the power that God can exert on our thinking.
The first reminds us that God does not place great store by the rich trappings of life, but tells us to be satisfied with just what we need. In the Lord’s Prayer there is only one short personal item, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. We should limit our expectations of |God to that and then concentrate on the greater things that the prayer refers to.
The second interpretation reminds us that the way that we use the world’s riches is grossly unfair. Those with the most take from those with the least. The concept of really sharing is far from our minds. There even evidence to indicate that this selfishness applies to greed between different generations. Short term use of the world’s resources for a quick gain is how many businesses behave. There is no thought or concern for future generations. We can see this in many approaches to pollution and Global Warming.
Thus we have two lessons and we can accept both at the same time. Place our trust in God and his bounty and at the same time show our gratitude for what we have in our lives by sharing with those who are in need.
David Battye