The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 14 Part 5 Jesus Heals Our Broken Heart And Crushed Spirit

In our last post we learned about the miracle of Jesus walking on the water to His disciples who were in a terrible storm halfway across the Sea of Galilee.

We saw how natural elements are subject to Jesus Christ the Son of God.

We read how impetuous Peter asked if he could walk on water to the Lord and saw that he was safe as long as his eyes were on Christ.

The moment Peter was distracted by the raging waves and fierce winds, he began to sink, but Jesus saved him when he cried out "Lord, save me."

Matthew's gospel jumps to the next miracle of Jesus but John's gospel tells us what happened when they landed safely on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.

John's gospel fills in a gap of teaching from Jesus that Matthew did not record.

After calming the storm and bringing the boat to land, Jesus taught about the bread of life.

John 6:47-51  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48  I am that bread of life. 49  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51  I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

The gospel of John tells us what Jesus did from the time when the boat landed and where Matthew’s gospel resumes.

John's gospel tells us that Jesus declared "I am the bread of life...which cometh down from heaven."

Jesus compared Himself to the manna God gave Israel during forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

The Father sent fresh manna from heaven to His people six days a week for His people, just as God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ from heaven to earth to accomplish redemption and offer salvation to all who will believe.

The people were responsible to gather manna, make bread and eat it each day, and this corresponds to repentance and believing on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to receive eternal life (See John 3:16-18).

Manna was physical food to feed physical bodies but as the Bread of life from heaven, Christ offers spiritual food to feed our inner man that was created in us when we believed on Him.

The idea of eating Christ the bread of life from heaven corresponds to believing on Him.

Jesus discourse about the bread of life which came down from heaven is found in John 6:22-59.

This sermon was preached by Jesus in a synagogue at Capernaum after they left the boat and after Jesus calmed the raging storm.

John's gospel also tells us what happened next.

Many of those who followed Christ said that His teaching about "I am the bread of life which came down from heaven" was hard to understand.

Why? Because five times Jesus said you must eat His flesh and drink His blood, and both acts were forbidden by the law of God.

However this truth of Jesus is not to be taken literally.

Rather this is another word picture Jesus gave and it points to being born again.

Therefore, we must remember that eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood are directly connected with believing on the Lord Jesus for salvation.

This teaching also looks forward to communion or the Lord's table, where eating bread symbolizes His physical sufferings for us, and the wine symbolizes His blood shed for us (See 1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

Jesus compared eating the bread of life to eating his flesh and blood, and many turned away from Him.

John 6:66-69  From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. 67  Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68  Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69  And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. 

Many disciples turned away from following Jesus after His teaching about the bread of life and Jesus asked the twelve if they were going to also leave.

Peter responded swiftly saying that Jesus alone had the words of eternal life in the gospel He preached.

Then, Peter strongly declared that they all believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

As soon as they were on land, Jesus began healing those who were brought to Him.

Matthew 14:34-36  And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35  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; 36  And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

We have here an account of many more miracles which Christ worked on the other side of the water, in the land of Gennesaret. 

Wherever Christ went, He did good works that benefited multitudes of people. 

Gennesaret was a tract of land that lay between Bethsaida and Capernaum on the west side of the Sea of Galilee.

We see the noble faith of these men because when they heard that Jesus arrived they immediately called for all the sick and afflicted to be brought to Christ.  

They believed on the Lord, whereas many of the multitude fed by Jesus, turned away from following Him because of unbelief.

The unbelieving multitude wanted physical food Jesus provided but did not want to be converted to Christ.

The men of Gennesaret heard about the miracle of Jesus calming the storm and had faith in Him.

John 1:10-11  He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11  He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 

This was the condemnation of the world, that Christ was in the world, and the world knew him not. 

We might expect Gentiles not to be ready for Messiah because they did not worship the One, True God nor did they typically have the scriptures to read.

However, John tells us Jesus came to His own, the Jewish people and they in general, did not receive their Messiah.

John 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil

Luke 19:41  And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42  Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 

John's gospel tells us that those who rejected Christ are condemned because they loved the darkness of sin rather than Christ, the Light of the world.

After Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem in what us called Palm Sunday, he was greeted with loud Hosannas.

Jerusalem and the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes did not know Him when Jesus entered Jerusalem as the crowd filled the air with praises of "Blessed is the King who cometh in the name of the LORD."

They wanted Jesus to tell the multitude to be quiet, but Jesus said that the stones would then shout out praises to God.

When Jesus left Jerusalem later that evening, He looked upon the city and wept because they did not know Him and the significance of His coming to them.

In contrast, these men of Gennesaret "had knowledge of him" and they responded with faith.

They knew Him again when He returned. 

The people in Gennesaret had previously heard of or seen His miracles and they readily brought all the diseased people so that many lives could be healed by Christ.

This healing work of Jesus pictures a sinner being converted to Christ, and bringing others to Christ by sharing the gospel with them.

We see how they brought others to Christ, by giving notice to their neighbors that Jesus came into those parts. 

This reminds us that those who have the knowledge of Christ by being born again, should do all we can to bring others to Christ. 

We must be partakers of salvation and lovers of the gospel there is in Christ  but then, our Lord commands us to make disciples of others, that we share the gospel seeking to save the lost, as Jesus did (See Matthew 28:18-20).

When we have opportunities of sharing Christ with others then we should seek to lead others into the kingdom of God. 

The best testimony of loving God and loving others is when we promote and propagate the knowledge of Christ where we live. 

The woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus garment and was healed of her affliction.

Matthew 9:19-22  And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20  And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: 21  For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. 22  But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 

The men of Gennesaret believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and knew that if they could just touch the hem of His robe, they would be healed.

The woman's healing from an issue of blood happened earlier in Jesus' ministry. 

On His way to heal a certain ruler's daughter, and while surrounded by a vast multitude, a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years, drew near to Christ.

She also thought that if she could just touch His garment she would be healed, and she was healed!

Loving God as our life priority also means loving others enough to share the gospel with them.

Matthew 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

As Jesus said, loving God is our first and highest duty, but equally important is that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. 

Thus, Jesus healed all the sick and suffering who were brought to Him.

Mark tells us that all sick and afflicted people who touched Him were healed. 

There were so many sick people that they laid them in the streets where Jesus passed by (See Mark 6:53-56).

In the sight of God, our soul has more value than our body. Since Jesus brought healing in His wings, He also brings healing to our soul by offering eternal life to all who repent and believe.

Let a man first repent and come to Jesus, and he shall be saved. 

Afterwards, let him bring all his friends and family to Jesus Christ so that they shall also find mercy.

Christ's salvation brings forgiveness, restoration, redemption, and healing of our soul.

Psalm 103:1-5  A Psalm of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3  Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4  Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5  Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. 

Let us soak up in the beauty and comfort from the Psalms.

Let us bless our LORD with all our heart, soul and mind.

Let us always strive to remember His benefits and all spiritual blessings we receive from the Father  when we are born again and "in Christ" (See Ephesians 1:3).

God has given those who trust Him a full forgiveness for our sins. 

The Hebrew word most often translated "forgiven" literally means to lift up and carry away. 

It is a strong verb with the action of shooting an arrow up into the air.

Christ healing all our diseases in Matthew’s gospel pictures the regenerating work of God's Spirit in reconciling us to God. 

It is noteworthy to remember that the disease of leprosy is a picture of the disease of sin that we all are born with. 

Yes, we ask our Lord for physical healing when we are ill or suffering a health crisis, but what is most needful is the healing of our soul from the deadly disease of sin.

This spiritual healing comes only to those who repent of their sins and put their trust in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

Jehovah redeems our life from destruction. 

Remember the two gates Jesus spoke of? (See Matthew 7:12-14). 

Every person is born as a sinner and enters life through that wide gate which leads to a broad road whose final destination is eternal damnation.

Salvation through repentant faith in Christ means that we enter a straight or restricted gate and begin walking in newness of life on a narrow path that leads to eternal life.

Thus, God uses our response of individual repentance and faith in the gospel of Christ to redeem our life from destruction.

He crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies.

God adopts us as His children when we call on Jesus to save us from our sins.

He sends His own Spirit to regenerate our heart, giving us a new heart and a new spirit.

He causes our old way of life to pass away as He makes us a new creation in Christ (See 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Psalm 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. 

Deuteronomy 33:27  The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Psalm 61:4  I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

This is what Jesus does for those who trust Him.

He heals our broken hearts and carefully binds up our wounded soul with the ointment of His Word.

He reconciles us to His Father and is preparing a home in heaven for us to enjoy when He calls us home.

May these truths be used of God to settle our heart and calm our spirits when all around is is falling apart.

May we lean upon Christ's everlasting arms and take refuge under His protective wings.

May we glorify God with our response to His word today.

Bob