The report of John's death is found in all three Synoptics, but in much briefer form in Luke.  Luke, in fact, gives none of the details described in Matthew and Mark.  Luke does, however, connect the event to the association of John the Baptist with Elijah's expected return.  Matthew will in Matt 16:14, connect Jesus with the return of John the Baptist.  The return of John the Baptist had eschatological implications.

In the Markan narrative form, which Mathew seems to be following, Mark (Mk 6:7-13) includes the sending out of the twelve, which Matthew has included earlier.

This is a retroactive reflection on the death of John which had in fact occurred earlier.  The point here is the eschatological connection made by Herod with the possible return of John the Baptist.  It was a common perception that some of the prophets would return to introduce the eschaton (end of the age), hence the connection in Luke with the return of Elijah.

In addition with this fascinating eschatological connection, this pericope also contains some interesting and puzzling possibilities!  We are fairly certain that this Herod was the son of Herod.  He is identified by Matthew as "the tetrarch," and by Mark as "the King."

The Herodian Dynasty

Herod Antipas
The Tetrarch over Galilee and Perea.  Matthew records had married his brother Philip's wife, Salome.  There is some uncertainty concerning the exact nature of the problem in that we are uncertain as to which Philip this actually was!  However, it seems that he had married her under "unlawful" conditions and John the Baptist had repeatedly warned him of his sin.  Under the Leverite law (Lev 18:16; 20:21; Deut 24, 25) marriage to ones brother's wife was unlawful unless the Leverite law was involved which applied only if the widow had no children.  In this case Herodias had a daughter.  Herod's sin involved both the adulterous marriage and the Leverite legality.  The Greek imperfect tense of "John said  to him" implies a continual saying or warning.  Herod frustrated with John and in order to silence him had cast him into the prison fortress of Machaerus. 

Summary Theological Explanation:
The core of Herod's fear was that Jesus in some manner represented the eschatological return of  John the Baptist.  
Matthew mentions this for two reasons:

Feeding the Five Thousand (Matt 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Lk 9:10-17; John 6:1-13)
This miracle is the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels!

This pericope begins a series of situations in which the focus is on the need for faith and the failure of the disciples and others to have adequate faith.

Matthew opens this narrative with the intriguing statement, "Now when Jesus heard this...."  as awkward as this might be to chronological concerns since the death of John had occurred previously, Jesus went away into a quiet place, possibly to pray or meditate over the death of John.  But the crowds followed and Jesus moved by Messianic concerns for the people, had compassion on them.

The narrative of the miracle of the feeding of more than five thousand has more than historical or narrative significance.  It drives home the point that Jesus, as the Messiah, can take care of his people.   The feeding of the five thousand has obvious connection to God feeding the children of Israel with manna in the wilderness as they left Egypt.  It also has insights into the messianic banquet at the end of time when God's redeemed will sit at God's banquet table and be sustained.

The miracle itself was simple, although some question the historicity of the miracle.  To question God's or Jesus' ability to perform such a miracle is tantamount to denying the story of the Old Testament, for repeatedly God had performed miracles involving natural phenomena.  Taking five loaves and two fish and multiplying them into food enough for more than five thousand is no test to Jesus' or God's sovereign power.

The power of this miracle lies in two points:

The spiritual significance of this miracle would be extremely important to Matthew's community who needed to understand that the Messiah can take care of their spirtual needs apart from Jerusalem and the Temple.

Jesus Walks on the Sea (Matt 14:22-36; Mk 6:45-52; John 6:15-21)
This is one for two miracles common to the Gospel of John and the Synoptics, the other being the feeding of the five thousand.

Several items stand out in this striking pericope.
First, there is the sea, to the Hebrew mind the sea was sinister and a symbol of evil.
Second, is Jesus' power over the sea and nature.  Jesus had previously calmed the tempestuous sea (Matt 8:23ff.)
Third, the distress and lack of faith in the disciples.
Fourth, the recognition of those in the boat that Jesus is the Son of God.

This miracle is not so much about the natural elements other than Jesus has power over them, but is really about peter and the disciples faith.

The situation surrounding Jesus' ministry at this time was such that Jesus needed time to himself for prayer and spiritual strength.  He "made" his disciples (the Greek reads that he compelled them) get in a boat and set out to sea.  A storm arose, and the disciples in the middle of the night (the fourth watch, between 3:00 am and 6:00 am) they were struggling with the waves.  They were about a mile out at sea (a stadia being about 200 yards).  They saw Jesus walking on the sea (waters, a Semitism for sea).  They thought he was a ghost, for normal people do not walk on water!  But Jesus is not normal!

Jesus called out to them to have no fear (an expression found 8 times in Matthew, indicating that having faith in Jesus drives away fear) and to take heart, for "it is I" (ego eimi ego eimi, the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew name for God).  In the context of a Jewish Gospel and a Jewish community, this certainly would carry the significance of an theophany symbolizing the presence of God in Jesus!  The recognition of the disciples that Jesus was the Son of God supports this thought.

The narrative  indicates that initially, Peter stepped out in faith, but that his faith wavered, resulting in his sinking into the sea.  But Jesus saved him.  Even in a wavering faith, Peter still recognized that Jesus could save!

It is easy to find fault in Peter for his wavering faith, but where were the other disciples?  Still in the boat!

Jesus gently rebukes the disciples for being "men of little faith"!

the striking thing about this event, following immediately after the feeding of the five thousand was that the disciples still had a lot to learn about faith and trusting Jesus.  Faith is something that must be given time and occasion to develop.

Ceremonial and Real Defilement - washing hands (Matt 15:1-20; Mk 7:1-23)
Once again, the Pharisees and Scribes accused Jesus of desecrating the Jewish tradition of the elders, this time because his disciples do not wash their hands before eating.  The Pharisees were experts in interpreting the tradition of the elders, namely, the Halakah, the rabbinic interpretation of the legal requirements of the Torah).

We learn a secondary lesson from this controversy pericope, the interpretation of the elders was not the same as the Torah itself!  Translating this into contemporary contexts, human interpretations are opinions, and not the law or doctrine itself!  Traditions are in themselves good, but when they are put on the same level as law and doctrine we have set our opinions on the same level as God's word!

In this instance, the Pharisees had put their interpretation on the level of God's Torah, and in fact in a parallel instance had put one of their traditions above God's Torah!  Jesus focuses his answer on this.  The problem was their interpretation of Korban or Qorban (Mark 7:11, Corban).  Korban was a vow permitted by a righteous Jew to maintain a sacred offering to fund the temple.  Korban was not a command of god, but a sacred vow.  There was nothing inherently wrong with Korban, but when Korban was set against a direct command of God, then this was sin.  In this case, the Pharisees were "saying"  ("But you say...." The "you" here is emphatic) that one could be excused from supporting their parents by using the money for Korban.  To honor parents included to supporting them should this be necessary.  The Pharisees were setting their tradition above the direct command of God to honor parents (Ex 20:12).

Furthermore, in the charge that the disciples were transgressing the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating, they were applying instructions relating to the ceremonial purity of the priests in carrying out their priestly work of sacrifice to the normal household matters of eating, which were not addressed in the priestly ceremonial purity cleansings (see Ex 30:17-21; Lev 15:11).

Jesus condemnation of the Pharisees was scathing!  "You hypocrites..."  He then likened them to the Jews in Isaiah's day who honored God with their lips, but whose hearts were far from God! (Isa 29:13).  The Jews in Isaiah's day had taught their own opinion and thoughts on an equal with the Torah of God!  

The Pharisees were blind guides leading blind men, resulting in all falling into a pit!  It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what proceeds out of his heart and mouth that defile man.  Harsh words because they were directed at the practice and teaching of the Pharisees!

The disciples indicated that the Pharisees were offended by Jesus scathing condemnation, but this did not change Jesus attitude toward those who set their opinion on the level as God's Word (Torah).

The Canaanite Woman and Tyre and Sidon (Matt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30)
The following pericope continues the story of the need for faith and the lack of faith on the part of the Jewish leaders.
Jesus left Capernaum and traveled west into the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon where he was met by a Canaanite woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon.  In her plea to Jesus she acknowledged that Jesus was the Lord and Messianic king, crying our "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David."  Being a Gentile the disciples would have sent her away, but Jesus remarked that his Messianic ministry was to the Jews, not he Gentiles.  She was persistent, so Jesus in a proverbial statement that his ministry was not for the unclean (dogs), but for the children of God.  Her response indicated that she understood his remark, but observed that even dogs eat food from the masters table.  Jesus commended her for her great faith and healed her daughter.
The point of this narrative was that whereas the Jews who should have accepted Jesus and believed in him, did not, this Gentile woman who had no reason to believe in Jesus did.  Jesus found great faith where one would not expect it, but no faith where one would expect it!

The lesson for Matthew's community was that they too should not ignore the Gentiles among whom they now lived, for one can find faith also among the Gentiles!

The Feeding of the Four Thousand (Matt 15:29-39; Mk7:31-8:9)
Jesus returned from the region of Tyre and Sidon to the sea of Galilee, and sitting with a large crowd on the mountainside, Jesus performed many miracles.  Again, Jesus was moved by compassion for the crowd who had now spent three days with him on the mountain, and wanted to feed the crowd.  The disciples, seemingly with a short memory, asked where they could get enough food to feed the crowd.  Jesus asked how many loaves they had, the disciples responded "Seven and a few small fish."  Jesus took the loaves and fish and after giving thanks fed the more than four thousand people present.  There was more than seven baskets of food left over!

The point of this narrative is again that Jesus can take care of the needs of his people, no matter how little they have and how great the need.  A secondary lesson is that the disciples faith still needs much maturing!  Strong faith takes nurturing and time to develop, but often difficult times build faith stronger.

The location of Magadan (and in Mark's account, Dalmanutha) is unknown as in both cases, this is the only mention of Magadan and Dalmanutha in ancient literature.

Click here to go to Assignment #12

Click here to go to the second part of this lesson, Matt 16, 17.