Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Matthew
Chapter 14: Of a Truth Thou Art the Son of God
Matthew 14 opens in shadow, with the brutal execution of John the Baptist by a weak king trapped by his own oath. When Jesus hears, He withdraws, yet is 'moved with compassion' by the crowds who follow, healing their sick and then feeding five thousand men from five loaves and two fishes, the one miracle told in all four Gospels. That night He sends the disciples across the sea and comes to them 'in the fourth watch of the night, walking on the sea.' To their terror He speaks the words of God Himself, 'Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.' Peter walks to Him on the water, and sinking, cries, 'Lord, save me,' and the outstretched hand of Christ catches him. When the wind ceases, the disciples worship: 'Of a truth thou art the Son of God.' The chapter reveals the King as compassionate provider and Lord over the sea, the very works of God, drawing worship from His own.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Matthew chapter 14. For each section you will find the KJV text, word studies that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here John the Baptist is martyred, Jesus feeds the multitude, and He walks on the sea, revealing Himself as Lord. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
John Beheaded
A weak king, trapped by a rash oath, silences the prophet who told him the truth.
Five Loaves, Five Thousand
Moved with compassion, Jesus feeds the multitude from a boy's small lunch.
It Is I; Be Not Afraid
Jesus walks on the sea and speaks the words of God to the terrified disciples.
The Son of God
Peter is caught by the saving hand, and the disciples worship the Lord of the storm.
It Is Not Lawful for Thee (Matthew 14:1-12)
Herod, guilty and superstitious, is haunted by the prophet he silenced to keep a reckless oath.
He Sent, and Beheaded John in the Prison
"At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask. And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her. And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus."
Word Study
"the king was sorry," Greek lupetheis (λυπηθείς). Herod was "grieved," inwardly reluctant, yet he killed John anyway, "for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him." His sorrow was real but powerless, overruled by pride and the fear of looking weak before his guests. It is the tragic portrait of a man who knows the right, feels the pang of conscience, and still does the wrong because he fears men more than God. A troubled conscience is not the same as repentance.
Explanation
Matthew interrupts the ministry of Jesus to tell the grim story of John's beheading, and the placement is deliberate: the forerunner's death foreshadows the fate of the One he announced. Herod, whose guilty conscience imagines Jesus is John raised from the dead, is a study in weak wickedness -- moved by a rash oath and the fear of his guests to murder a man he secretly revered. The prophet who prepared the way for Christ also goes before Him into a martyr's death, and the kingdom's messengers learn early that the road of faithful witness may end on a executioner's block.
Gospel Focus
The death of John the Baptist is a study in weak, guilty power. Herod knew John was "a prophet," even feared and respected him, yet he had imprisoned him for telling the truth: "It is not lawful for thee to have" your brother's wife. John would not soften God's law to flatter a king, and it cost him his life. When a rash oath and a scheming woman cornered him, Herod, "sorry" but proud, chose to murder a righteous man rather than lose face at a party. Here is the anatomy of sin's slavery: lust (Herodias), pride (the oath), the fear of man (his guests), and a conscience that grieves but does not obey. And notice how guilt haunts him, when he hears of Jesus' works he cries, "This is John... he is risen from the dead." A silenced conscience does not stay silent. For the faithful, John's death is sobering and steadying: God's servants may pay dearly for speaking truth to power, and the world may seem to win. Yet John finished his course faithful, and the King he pointed to could not be stopped. When telling the truth costs you, remember the forerunner who lost his head but not his integrity, and the God who honors those who fear Him more than men.
Give Ye Them to Eat (Matthew 14:13-21)
Moved with compassion, Jesus multiplies a small lunch to feed thousands, with baskets to spare.
They Did All Eat, and Were Filled
"When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them hither to me. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children."
Word Study
"moved with compassion," Greek esplanchnisthe (ἐσπλαγχνίσθη). The word comes from the splanchna, the inward parts, the "bowels" of mercy; it means to be moved to the depths, gut-wrenched with pity. Even in His own grief over John, and seeking solitude, Jesus is "moved with compassion" toward the needy crowd. It is the tenderness of God in the flesh, a compassion so deep it cannot turn the hungry away but must heal and feed them.
Explanation
Withdrawing to grieve, Jesus is met by the crowds and, "moved with compassion," heals and then feeds them. To the disciples' helpless arithmetic -- five loaves, two fishes -- He answers, "give ye them to eat," and multiplies the little placed in His hands until twelve baskets remain. The echoes are unmistakable: as Moses gave manna in the wilderness, the greater Moses spreads a table in a desert place, and the abundance leftover proclaims that the God who fed Israel now feeds them in person. Christ still takes what is offered, blesses it, breaks it, and makes it more than enough.
Gospel Focus
The feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels, and it reveals the heart and power of Christ. Grieving over John, seeking a "desert place apart," Jesus is met by crowds who will not leave Him alone, and instead of resentment He is "moved with compassion." He heals their sick, and when evening comes and the disciples want to "send the multitude away," He says, "They need not depart; give ye them to eat." From "five loaves, and two fishes", a boy's small lunch, He feeds thousands, with "twelve baskets full" left over. Notice the pattern: He takes what little is offered, "looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave," and multiplies it through the hands of His disciples. Christ still works this way. He does not despise our small offerings; He takes the little we place in His hands, blesses it, and makes it enough and more. The One who provides is the same LORD who fed Israel with manna and who is Himself "the bread of life" (John 6:35). If you feel you have too little to give, bring your five loaves to Him; the compassionate King multiplies what is surrendered to Him, and there is always more than enough.
Be of Good Cheer; It Is I (Matthew 14:22-36)
Jesus comes to the storm-tossed disciples walking on the water, catches sinking Peter, and receives their worship as the Son of God.
Lord, Save Me
"And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole."
Word Study
"it is I," Greek ego eimi (ἐγώ εἰμι). Literally "I am." As Jesus walks on the sea, the very thing Scripture says God alone does, "which... treadeth upon the waves of the sea" (Job 9:8), He speaks the words "ego eimi," "I am." This is the divine self-designation, the name God revealed to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM" (Exodus 3:14), the phrase Jesus uses repeatedly in John's Gospel to claim deity. Walking on the water and saying "I am; be not afraid," Jesus reveals Himself as the LORD, God in the flesh, and the disciples respond rightly, they "worshipped him."
Explanation
In the fourth watch Jesus comes walking on the sea, and to the terrified disciples He says, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." The words "it is I" render the Greek ego eimi -- "I AM" -- the divine name from the burning bush, and the act interprets it: only the LORD "treadeth upon the waves of the sea" (Job 9:8). Peter walks while he looks to Christ and sinks when he looks at the wind, a parable of faith in one man. When Jesus climbs into the boat and the wind ceases, the disciples worship, saying, "of a truth thou art the Son of God" -- the only right response to the great I AM in human flesh.
Gospel Focus
Having sent the crowds away, Jesus goes up "apart to pray," while the disciples struggle against a "contrary" wind. Then, "in the fourth watch of the night", the darkest, coldest hours, He comes to them "walking on the sea." Scripture says God alone "treadeth upon the waves of the sea," so when Jesus does it and says "it is I" (ego eimi, "I am"), He is revealing His deity, the LORD Himself come to His storm-tossed people. "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." These are the words of God to the frightened. Peter's bold request, "bid me come unto thee on the water," and his walking and then sinking, is every disciple in miniature: as long as he looked to Christ he did the impossible; when he "saw the wind boisterous," he sank. Yet his cry is the shortest, truest prayer, "Lord, save me," and "immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him." Christ does not let His own drown. His gentle rebuke, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?", is the correction of a Saviour who holds you even as He teaches you. When the wind ceased, the disciples worshiped, "Of a truth thou art the Son of God." This is the fitting response to Jesus: not admiration only, but worship. He is Lord over the storm and the sea, the great "I am," and even the hem of His garment heals. Fix your eyes on Him, and when you sink, cry "Lord, save me", His hand is always near enough to catch you.
Chapter 14 in Review
Matthew 14 moves from a martyr's death to the majesty of the Lord. John the Baptist is beheaded by a weak, guilty Herod, "sorry" yet enslaved by pride and the fear of men. When Jesus hears, He withdraws, but is "moved with compassion" toward the crowds, healing their sick and feeding five thousand from "five loaves, and two fishes," with twelve baskets left over. That night He comes to His storm-tossed disciples "walking on the sea," speaking the words of God, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid." Peter walks to Him, sinks, and cries, "Lord, save me," and Christ's hand catches him at once. When the wind ceases, the disciples worship: "Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter reveals who Jesus is through His works. He is the compassionate provider who multiplies the little we surrender, the true bread come down from heaven. And He is the Lord over the sea, doing what Scripture says God alone does, walking on the waves and declaring "I am," the divine name, so that His people rightly fall down and worship Him as the Son of God. The chapter also holds a tender lesson for every wavering believer: keep your eyes on Christ and you will do the impossible; look at the storm and you will sink; but cry "Lord, save me," and His outstretched hand will not fail. John lost his head but kept his faith; Peter nearly drowned but was caught; and over it all stands the Lord of the storm, worthy of worship, near enough to save.
- A troubled conscience is not repentance; Herod grieved yet murdered John (14:9).
- God's servants may pay dearly for truth, yet keep their integrity (14:4, 12).
- Christ is "moved with compassion" and multiplies the little we surrender (14:14, 19).
- Jesus walking on the sea and saying "it is I" (ego eimi) reveals His deity (14:25-27; Job 9:8; Exodus 3:14).
- Keep your eyes on Christ; when you sink, cry "Lord, save me," and His hand catches you (14:30-31).
- The right response to Jesus is worship: "Of a truth thou art the Son of God" (14:33).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you fear God more than men, as John did, even when truth is costly?
- What "five loaves" is Christ asking you to bring Him to bless and multiply?
- Where are you looking at "the wind boisterous" instead of at Christ?
- Does your response to Jesus rise to worship, "thou art the Son of God"?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. The feeding of the five thousand in all four Gospels: Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14. God treading the waves and the "I am": Job 9:8; Psalm 77:19; Exodus 3:14; John 6:20; 8:58. Jesus the bread of life: John 6:35. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The martyrdom of John the Baptist: Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 3:19-20.
- The feeding of the five thousand: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14.
- Jesus walking on the sea and the worship of the disciples: Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:15-21.