Thru the Bible

Host: Did you know that of all the miracles Jesus performed, only one is recorded in all four gospels? Well, welcome to through the Bible as Dr. J. Vernon McGee tells us about the importance of this miracle in this study of Matthew chapter 14.

Host: I'm Steve Schwetz, and while you turn there in your Bible, Greg is here and we've got some time to share a few of the stories that have come in recently from users of our Thru the Bible app.

Guest (Male): We are so excited about this. We love the fact that you're communicating with us through the very simple, very elegant feedback mechanism in our app.

Host: Yeah, it's super easy. Just go in and and find the feedback section and and you can actually hit the microphone on your on your phone and just kind of speak the feedback. It's that's the way I usually do it.

Guest (Male): Yes. You can even, you could take a picture and attach it. In fact, I was in Nicaragua demonstrating this to some ministry leaders and I took a picture, dictated the feedback, sent it, two days later, it showed up through our team in my inbox. So pretty cool. So please, please share your responses and here's a great one from a listener who chose not to give us their name, which is perfectly okay.

Guest (Male): Uh, it is my joy in Christ to be able to write to you. I've been traveling on the Bible bus off and on since 1991. The Road of Life has had many potholes, but God has always provided the Bible bus for the journey. I started out listening to an AM station on my way to work in LA, and now I am blessed to listen on the app. I love it. I can listen to the message over and over again, which is a true blessing since my eyesight has gotten poor. May God bless all of you dedicating yourselves to make sure Dr. McGee's message still gets out where the rubber meets the road, and always placing the cookies on the bottom shelf. God bless you all.

Host: Wow. Yeah, I love especially how this listener said, life has had many potholes.

Guest (Male): I know. That's a quotable quote.

Host: Yeah, it's very good. This is a letter from Angie who has actually a prayer request. I love this ministry. I need some Bible bus passes, please and will you pray that I'll find the right opportunities in which to pass them out. I'm feeling really desperate to get God's word out to the whole world, especially in my community. Thank you from a faithful writer.

Guest (Male): Oh, we love that. Love that energy to share through the Bible, to hand out Bible bus passes. that's fantastic.

Guest (Male): Now, Jack wrote to us again through the app and said this, We just finished our first five-year tour on the Bible bus. So many things were completed during this time. One son got married, one son finished college, one son finished high school, one daughter and her husband moved from Mississippi to Northern California. We were blessed with our first grandchild and so much more. Now let me just stop and say, we can't promise all that will happen in your life if you listen through the five years.

Host: Yeah, but it is amazing that in five years, how many things can happen and through the Bible can be really a part of that. Uh Don Henley from the Eagles in his concerts a couple years back says that that the Eagles is a is a part of the soundtrack of their lives of the lives of the listeners and really I thought that's appropriate for through the Bible. People listen consistently and it becomes the soundtrack of their lives.

Guest (Male): Yes. Yes. I've literally had people say that to me that it was the soundtrack of their childhood or what have you. Now this this letter goes on.

Guest (Male): My wife and I listened together when we could. Mostly I listened during my drive to work. At least one of our kids also completed the five-year tour. Wow. God did a great work in that son. We were blessed by this great ride and we will continue on the next tour, putting gas and new tires on the bus. Thank you Steve and Greg for your leadership in sharing of the gospel in so many languages. Praise the Lord.

Host: Wow, Jack, thank you. Thank you for sharing your testimony and being so faithful as a listener. We do appreciate it.

Guest (Male): And Steve, I just love the how invested these folks are in their journey and and what a privilege it is for us to be alongside. Now, uh Angie was asking for Bible bus passes. You want to tell people about that?

Host: Yes. Yeah, we haven't talked about that in a while and the Bible bus passes, they come in packs of 10. They're about the size of a business card. I always keep a couple in my wallet and a couple in my backpack. And as the conversation comes up and you can just share openly with somebody and say, hey, can I share something with you that's really meant a lot to me? Who's gonna say no to that?

Guest (Male): Absolutely.

Host: And so you just go, here, and it's a Bible bus pass, got a QR code. It's a great way to introduce people with low friction to through the Bible. Greg, why don't you pray for us as we begin our study.

Guest (Male): Father, what a joy to see your word changing lives as people go down the road of life, and we pray that even today as we face all of the challenges of our own lives that your word will speak to us in Jesus' name. Amen.

Host: Now turn to Matthew 14 as we go through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Our study today brings us to the 14th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew and we continue to see the opposition against the Lord Jesus that keeps mounting. It's finally going to break like a mighty crescendo upon his head, and he'll be arrested and taken to the cross. But in the Gospel of Matthew, it's quite evident that he's in charge of all the circumstances and that'll become even more evident as we get closer to the cross.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now we find here this incident that actually pertains to John the Baptist and also his trip on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. However, they started out alone and he came to them. Now we want to read again verse one. "At that time, Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he's risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You see, he didn't question the mighty works. An old Herod was as superstitious as he possibly could be. This incident that's being recorded here is a playback, a flashback of what had happened previously to this. And it was the way in which he had killed John the Baptist. Now he associates and identifies the Lord Jesus with him. He thinks it's John risen from the dead.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You say, well that's superstitious. It certainly is. Here's one of the most superstitious men that you've ever met, brutal, a murderer, and he's a murderer of the forerunner of Christ, and he's prepared to murder the Lord Jesus himself. Actually, Herod was a weakling. He was a debased, depraved, and drunken sot. When he heard of the preaching of Jesus, immediately he's filled with superstition. He was a superstitious man and his fear would change to frenzy because he wanted to eliminate John altogether.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Somebody says, well, of course, today we're not superstitious like that. Aren't we? You go down to your 5 and 10 cent store and see how they're doing with these astrology charts. The month that you're born in. My people are falling for that today. And the pagan religions of the Orient are having a tremendous influence with young people today. The human race is superstitious, friends, and the minute you get away from the Word of God, you become superstitious. That is the thing that characterizes man today. A great many call themselves atheistic, and yet they're turning by the scores into these different cults and isms that are just about as pagan as anything possibly could be.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And you actually wonder how intelligent people could become involved in it. You'll remember that the Word of God said, again and again the Lord Jesus himself said that though they would reject him, if another came in his own name, why, they'd receive him. That, of course, is Antichrist who's yet to come, but they will take on any leader today that promises anything. I don't think human nature's really changed much. We think we're civilized because we have transistor radios, but that doesn't mean we're civilized by any means. Now, you will notice that Herod here is the one who put John to death, and these are the circumstances which had happened previously to this incident.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now let me read it. "For Herod had laid hold on John," that was in the past, "and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife." Now notice how this man is influenced by others. Here it'll be for her sake. Later on, it'll be for their sake. Everything he did, he was motivated like a politician. It's just to get votes, the approval of the others. Now will you notice, "For John said unto him, It's not lawful for thee to have her."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: John the Baptist, you see, had spoken out. He wasn't a very good politician. "And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet." Now he's afraid of the crowd, you see. This man Herod, he's a rascal. Verse six, "But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod." He's a lascivious, lustful, old creature, living with his brother's wife at the time, and John the Baptist had condemned him. The dancing of this young girl had really won him over.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: "Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask." And he expected she'd ask for some material thing and something in reason, by the way. "And she being before instructed of her mother said, Give me John Baptist' head in a charger." This woman hated John because he, of course, condemned her. "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."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, imagine a man motivated by that. He was afraid of what the others there might think of him, having promised something and then not make good. "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." Isn't this a sadistic, sad, sorted, sorry account of what took place in that day? And it reveals the type of society that existed then. I don't think, again, human nature's changed, has it? You look at our contemporary culture. I tell you, murder and lust, all of these things, of course, today, why, we call evil good and good evil. This is described in other language, but the Bible still describes it as this.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: "And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus." Now, this caused the Lord Jesus to withdraw because the fear of this man Herod would break out into a frenzy. And he would do something quite dastardly. The Lord Jesus, of course, knew this man, and he withdrew because this hour had not yet come. Verse 13, "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." He went by ship across the Sea of Galilee, but the crowd went around the shore walking. It reveals how popular he was with the crowd. "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now notice that again. They had brought the sick out to him. Literally, there were thousands of people he had healed in that day. Interesting, again, I call attention to it, not in an ugly way, but I can't find the results of all of this healing that's going on today. You wouldn't have had any problem in the day when our Lord was here. And I think it's blasphemous to compare with what he did. It casts a reflection on him because what he did, my friend, was up and above board. And it is altogether different than the healing cult of the present time.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now, verse 15, "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." He actually asked his disciples really what he should do. And their advice was, better send them into the villages. "But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat." Now this miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four gospels. It's the one miracle that is recorded. And for that reason alone, it's an important miracle, as you can see. These apostles now point themselves on the board of directors to tell him what to do.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And the Lord Jesus now says to them, "They need not depart, you give them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes." That's the sad state of the church today. Right now people are saying we need to send the multitude away. They're natural ways of doing this. Well, my friend, we have spiritual bread to offer folk. And unfortunately, the church doesn't have but five loaves and two fishes, but the thing that's lacking is the power of the Lord Jesus. If we only had that power, you wouldn't need to send the multitudes away. But we feel that they must be sent away and that the psychiatrist can help them probably. And they need to be sent to the government for relief. The solutions are not in God today. They're in government and in human machinations.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: That's the way it's being done. No wonder the church is powerless. Now, he said, "Bring them hither to me." I love that. He's the king, friends. And he says here, "Bring what you've got to me." I don't know what you've gotten away of five loaves and two little fishes. Now don't get the impression these are great big loaves of bread. Actually, there were little buns. They were 5,000 out there and five little buns. This little boy had brought them. It was his lunch. He could have eaten every bit of it. And the fish was in there, five little sandwiches. And he said, "Bring them hither to me." And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And actually, they sat down according to families. Someone has called attention to this, which I'm sure most of us would have passed it by. Out there on that green grass, and these people wore colorful clothes. Here would be one group. They'd have on red, another brown, another blue, another orange, and purple. And a great deal of purple, I imagine. The dye was in that area. What a sight it would have been to been over on the other hill, and to looked over on this hillside to see that. Look like one of these old-fashioned quilts, I imagine. What a picture we have. Now he has them sit down on the grass in order. Our Lord did things orderly. "And he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: These fellows that had appointed themselves on the board of directors to tell him what to do, they find themselves now waiters, waiting on the crowd. And that is really the particular ministry of apostles, disciples, ministers, evangelists, and Christians today. We are to feed the multitude, not tell him how to do it. There are too many people in the church that want to tell how it should be done. They're so few that are willing to do it. As one preacher said to me, he said, "In my church, everybody wants to be ahead of something, on a committee, doing something, places of leadership." What we need, friends, we don't need more of that today. Need these waiters to give out the bread of life. And that bread is the Word of God. That's our business. We're just waiters passing it out. And we need more people today to help in passing it out.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: "And they did all eat, and were filled, and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full." Now when they took up fragments, I formerly thought that it meant somebody bit into a sandwich, maybe saw a bigger one and put that down, and the fragments was that. Here 12 baskets of sandwiches that weren't even touched. What a lesson is here. It's hard for us who live in the midst of supermarkets to understand that most of the people of the world went to bed hungry last night. And these people, this is the first meal many of them had ever had when their tummies were really full. The 12 baskets of fragments indicate everybody had enough. I have a notion some had too much. "And they that were eaten were five thousand men, beside women and children."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Well, wouldn't you be willing to put one woman and one child with each man? If that's true, then he fed 15,000 there that day, and I think that's the minimum. Now we have this wonderful incident of our Lord walking on the water on the Sea of Galilee. "And straightway." And that's a word of urgency and swift movement. "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitude away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray. 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."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: The picture that's before us, he's up yonder in the mountain in the place of prayer. They're down on the Sea of Galilee in a storm and in darkness and they are in the place of peril. That's a picture of today. He is gone on to the Father, to the Father's right hand and we're down here today on a storm-tossed sea in the place of peril. I love though this next one here, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." In the fourth watch he came to them. Now, that's the morning watch, that is from 3:00 in the morning until daylight. And that's the watch. He's coming at the sunrise.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Before he comes, he's the Bright Morning Star for the church and he'll take the church out of the world. I don't know, I can't say specifically. I know there are men that seem to know a great deal more than I know. And that, of course, is not unusual. But they seem to know when he's coming. I don't know. All I know is I believe we're in the fourth watch of the night. Now, verse 26, "And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It's a spirit for they cried out for fear." This is the picture. He's up there and he saw them as Mark says, toiling and rowing. We're going to come to this in the other gospels and I'll go into a little more detail there, but the important thing here is that he saw them, but he came to them in the fourth watch. And when they saw him, they said, "It's a spirit," and they cried out for fear.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Somebody's going to say, "Well, they are superstitious." Well, I think there's a certain amount of superstition in them. But what would you think? A fellow many years ago from Tennessee. He said, "I didn't believe in ghosts either until I saw one." And that's the position of these folk here. They'd never seen a spirit before, but they're seeing what they think is one now. "But straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it's I, be not afraid." And the incident that is recorded here, that I want to emphasize, I'll come back to this in the other gospels, but notice, "Straightway Jesus spoke unto them, saying, Be of good cheer, it's I, be not afraid."

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: "And Peter answered him, and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water." This man has certainly been criticized for this. Well, I think that I'd rather admire the man. They say he shouldn't have asked this. Well, it was John Wesley who said, "Expect great things of God." And I'm afraid many of us are satisfied with little things. Notice, "And he said, Come." Our Lord didn't rebuke him for it. He told him to come. "And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus." And I hear people say, "Well, this man failed." That's not the way my Bible has it here. It says, "He walked on the water to go to Jesus." He walked on the water. It says it here. I'm reading it. He did walk on the water. This is amazing. This man asked this tremendous thing. No wonder God could use him in such a wonderful way afterward. No wonder he was chosen to preach the sermon on the day of Pentecost.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: Now notice verse 30. "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid, beginning to sink, he cried, Lord, save me." You see that he got his eyes off of Jesus, but he walked on the water. "And when he did, he began to sink, and he cried out, Lord, save me." That is the shortest prayer in the Bible. Well, as someone has said, "Simon Peter prayed this prayer like some of us preachers pray, 'Lord, thou who art the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent one.'" He'd have been 20 feet underwater before he'd have got to what he wanted. He got right down to business, and I think this is the type of praying we need today. "Lord, save me." Now notice again. "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: You see, his problem was he took his eyes off Jesus, got his eyes on those waves rolling. You and I today are in a world where we see the waves rolling, and this is the time when we need to keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. It is that today that's all important. "When they were come into the ship, the wind ceased." Verse 33, "Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth, thou art the Son of God." Now he performed this miracle for his own that they might be brought into the place of faith. And when you see even Simon Peter, who was audacious enough to say, "Lord, bid me come to you on the water." Yet when he began to walk, that should have encouraged him, but he got his eyes off Jesus on that water.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: And I don't want to criticize him because that's been my problem, maybe it's been your problem. I've stepped out many times by faith and then take my eyes off of him. That's the tragedy of the hour for us. But this was done that they might worship him and know that he's the Son of God. And this is the time they need to know it. "When they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. When the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out unto all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased. And besought him that he might only touch the hem of his garment, and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Again, I must call your attention now and closing is, look at the multitudes he healed in that day. We have a record of only very few. Matthew makes it very clear, there were multitudes in that day. How impressive this should be to us today. Until next time, may God richly bless you, my beloved.

Host: The power Jesus used to heal the people, to calm the wind and waves, or to rescue Peter from the storm, is the same power available to us through the Holy Spirit today. If you're overwhelmed and maybe you feel that the storms of life are about to sink your boat, then turn to him. For more on God's power and grace, visit our library of resources in our app or at ttb.org or call 1-800-65 Bible. And then be sure to join us next time, won't you? As we continue to make our way through the Bible.

Host: Today's study is always available free to stream or download thanks to the generous and faithful investments from your fellow Bible bus travelers. Just go to ttb.org or download our app to listen again anytime. As always, we'd love to know what's God teaching you.