The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 14 Part 3 Daily Self Denial, Following Jesus, Taking Up Our Cross

Matthew chapter fourteen contains the account of John the Baptist's execution by wicked King Herod Antipas.

This was followed by the record of Jesus feeding 5,000 men in addition to women and children.

All four gospels record this miracle of Christ.

It helps to look at the context provided by John, Luke and Mark as it relates to Jesus feeding the 5,000.

Before feeding the 5,000 Jesus' disciples returned from preaching the gospel.

Mark 6:30-33  And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. 31  And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. 32  And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. 33  And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and outwent them, and came together unto him. 

Mark's gospel tells us that John the Baptist's murder took place after Jesus' disciples were sent out to preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven (See Matthew 10).

Right after learning about John's death, Christ's disciples returned to give a report to Jesus of their ministry activities.

Jesus instructed them come with Him to a desert place so that they might eat, rest and be refreshed.

This is where Matthew's account begins, with Jesus and His disciples traveling by boat to a remote location, where a multitude of people followed them and were fed.

John tells us that feeding the 5,000 was very near the time of Passover observance.

John 6:1-4  After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. 2  And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. 3  And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. 4  And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. 

John tells us that the vast multitude who followed Jesus to the other side of the Sea of Galilee did so because they witnessed the many miracles Christ did on those who were sick, deformed or demon possessed.

John also gave us one more important detail. Feeding the 5,000 took place near the time of Passover, the most high and holy day on the Jewish religious calendar.

Luke tells us that the people followed Jesus because of His miracles.

Luke 9:11-12  And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing. 12  And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place. 

Luke's gospel adds something that Matthew was not guided to record.

Luke tells us that even though Jesus knew His disciples were weary and needed to eat and rest, He still received the multitude who followed them on foot.

Jesus healed all who were ill and afflicted but Luke also tells us Jesus preached about the kingdom of God to the multitude.

Bringing the various gospel details together helps us see what a mighty miracle this was and it helps set the stage for another remarkable miracle of Jesus.

After feeding the 5,000 Jesus sent the multitude away and went up into a mountain to pray.

Matthew 14:22-23  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. 23  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. 

As soon as the twelve baskets of leftover food was gathered up, Jesus insisted that His disciples get into a boat and return to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and to wait for Him there.

Jesus sent the multitude away, back to their homes, having preached the Word to them and having fed them with bread and fish.

This is a beautiful picture of the inner man feasting on the Word of God and the physical body being fed with physical food.

Matthew tells us that Jesus went up into the mountain to pray and that He was alone when evening came.

John tells us that the multitude was ready to take Jesus and make Him king by force.

John 6:14 -15 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15  When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. 

John's gospel tells us that the multitude was convinced that Jesus was the prophet foretold by Moses (See Deuteronomy 18:15; John 5:46).

At that point, the multitude was ready to take Jesus and make Him king by any means necessary.

Four times in John's gospel Jesus said that "My hour is not yet come" or "My time is not yet fully come" when people wanted Him to do miracles or when authorities sought to arrest Him.

This shows that Jesus operated in accord with His Father's timetable

There was a set time when Jesus would be taken, arrested, tried, suffer and be crucified.

There is a set time when Jesus shall return and rule as King of kings and Lord of lords.

This is another example of the multitude wanting to make Jesus king be force, but the timing was not synchronized with the Father's timing.

Thus, Jesus dismissed the vast throng of people.

However, there is a conversation Luke records that shows Jesus' disciples accompanied Him up on the mountain when He prayed, before they left in a boat.

The eternal question each person must settle in their mind: "Whom say ye that I am?"

Luke 9:18-22  And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am? 19  They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again. 20  He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. 21  And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing; 22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. 

Therefore Luke's gospel tells us that when Jesus was alone praying, His disciples came to Him and He asked them a very important question.

Jesus asked "Whom say the people that I am?"

The disciples answered and said that some people believed that Jesus was the prophet Elijah while others said that one of the old prophets had risen.

This answer mirrors the world which says that Jesus was a good man, a good moral teacher, but it is the wrong view because it denies the deity of Christ.

However, Jesus asked His disciples "Whom say ye that I am?"

This question must be answered by any sinner who hears or reads the gospel of Christ. 

It is of vital importance and the eternal fate of each person hinges upon their answer.

This question was important because these men were going to be used of the LORD to build His church.

They needed to know what the words and works of Jesus communicated to them about God and His Word.

Peter often spoke impetuously without engaging his mind, but in this case, God's Spirit moved Peter to speak truth.

Peter emphatically answered the Lord's question saying "Thou art the Christ of God!"

This is one of the earliest declarations by Jesus that Messiah was going to be arrested, suffer many things and be crucified.

Jesus then taught more truth to His disciples before they left in a boat as He instructed them to do.

Daily denial of selfish desires and daily taking up our cross to live for God's glory.

Luke 9:23-27  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 25  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 27  But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. 

In these verses, Jesus is speaking with His disciples about  great things that pertained to the kingdom of God.

We notice that Christ was alone praying, and His disciples with him, when He entered into this discourse.

Though Christ had much public work to do, yet He found time to be alone in private, to pray and commune with his Father, and with His disciples. 

Jesus example is good for us to remember that when we are alone praying, we are not alone because the indwelling Spirit of God connects us with Christ and our Father. 

When Jesus was alone praying, His disciples were with him, to join with Him in prayer.

Jesus time of prayer shows that we must place an emphasis upon family prayer time.

Next, Jesus said His disciples must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Him.

What is the cross Jesus speaks of?

In that culture, the cross always meant a public execution.

Therefore, taking up the cross means denying our fleshly lusts that make us subject to sin. 

It also means being willing to surrender to our Lord's will each day. 

Last, taking up the cross means having a willingness to die for Christ and His gospel if need be.

We must prepare ourselves to endure all manner of self-denial with patience. 

We must live a life of self-denial, mortifying the members of our flesh, and resisting being conformed to the world.

It may be that we are daily subject to affliction, and we must accept the will of God in it, and learn to endure hardship. 

The idea of those who save their life actually losing it and those who lose their life in order to save it connect with some of the word pictures Jesus gave us.

There are two gates and we must choose which one we enter.

One gate is very large and it leads to a wide road whose destination is eternal damnation.

Those who seek to save their life are like those who enter through the wide gate and walk on the broad way of destruction.

The other gate is straight, or restricted to one person at a time.

This gate leads to a narrow road to walk that leads to eternal life.

Those who lose their life with repentant faith in Christ are those who enter the straight gate and walk that narrow way to eternal life (See Matthew 7:12-14). 

Another example are those who build their home on shifting sands are those who seek to save their earthly life but end up losing eternal life with God in heaven.

Those who repent and trust Christ are those who lose their life through faith in Christ and they build on a foundation of solid rock and enjoy eternal life with Christ in heaven (See Matthew 7:24-27).

This is why Paul could say "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (See Philippians 1:21).

Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes would be those who seek to save their own life by their works even though God says the very best works a man can do are as filthy rags in His sight (See Isaiah 64:6).

Even if one man had all the world's wealth, all the riches cannot save him.

Luke 9:25-26  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 26  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 

Many people seek to become wealthy, to have so much money that they can buy bigger houses, more land, more vehicles and more stuff.

Jesus said there is no advantage to a person if it were possible for them to acquire all the world's wealth, because they will find themselves cast away at judgment day.

All those who hear the gospel and are ashamed of Jesus and His Words will be judged by Christ and suffer eternal condemnation.

This material fills in gaps between Jesus dismissing the multitude, going up to pray alone and His disciples leaving on a boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

We must spend more time alone with the Father in prayer as Jesus did because it is good for our soul.

We must daily deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Christ.  

Most important, we must know the right answer to the question "Whom say ye that I am?"

As Jesus told the religious leader named Nicodemus: "Ye must be born again." 

Pastors and church leaders, preach the gospel of Christ because it contains the words of eternal life.

Live your life in accord with the gospel so that you model Christ in us, the hope of glory.

Parents and grandparents, let us give our heart to Christ and let us live in accord with gospel teaching.

Let us ask the Lord to help us be His witnesses to our family and community and places of work or education.

Let us draw closer to God and ask Him to make us more like Christ every day.

Bob