Severed Heads & Hungry Crowds - Gospel of Matthew Part 22
Oct 1, 2018
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This podcast episode explores the juxtaposition of two stories in Matthew chapter 14 - the beheading of John the Baptist and Jesus providing food for hungry people. It delves into the scandalous political soap opera surrounding the family of King Herod, the increasing threat to Jesus, and Jesus' selfless compassion despite personal tragedy.
Jesus shows deep compassion for the hurting and broken, continuing to love and provide for those in need despite his own grief and pain.
The disciples' involvement in feeding the hungry crowd foreshadows Jesus' sacrificial death and emphasizes the importance of noticing and caring for the needs of others as disciples of Jesus.
Deep dives
Jesus' compassion for the hurting and broken
In this episode, Jesus is shown to have deep compassion for the hurting and broken people. Despite his own grief and pain over the death of his cousin John the Baptist, Jesus does not turn away but continues to love and provide for those in need.
The disciples' involvement in the kingdom movement
The disciples play a significant role in the kingdom movement. When they bring up the need for food for the hungry crowd, Jesus challenges them to be the ones to provide for the people. Despite their initial doubts and lack of resources, Jesus takes what little they have, blesses it, and multiplies it to feed the multitude.
The paradox of Jesus' brokenness becoming life for others
The story of feeding the crowd parallels Jesus' Last Supper, where he also took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Matthew portrays the disciples' involvement in feeding the crowd as a foreshadowing of Jesus' sacrificial death and the profound meaning it holds for bringing life and forgiveness to others.
The call for disciples to follow Jesus in self-sacrifice
This story serves as a reminder of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. It involves noticing and caring for the needs of others, even when faced with personal limitations. Jesus challenges his followers to give up everything and bring it to him, trusting that he can use their meager resources to accomplish great things in his kingdom.
We’re looking at Matthew Chapter 14. I consider two stories alongside each other in this teaching. One is the story of John the Baptist getting beheaded by the royal family. It is followed by another story of Jesus providing food for hungry people in the wilderness that interrupts his cousin’s death.
The character of Jesus shines brightly in this episode.
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