Matthew: Murder and Miracles

Listen along as we look at Matthew 14 and see the deception of sin and satisfaction of the Savior.

Notes/Quotes:

Text: Matthew 14
Title: Murder & Miracles

Reading: Matthew 14

“The miracles Jesus performs…do not compel faith; but those with faith will perceive their significance.” (D.A. Carson)

“He translates his sorrow over John, and perhaps his sorrow over himself, into sorrow for them. Before the outward and visible works of power, healing the sick, comes the inward and invisible work of power, in which Jesus transforms his own feelings into love for those in need.” (N.T. Wright)

“Think through how it happened. Being close to Jesus has turned into the thought of service; Jesus takes the thought, turns it inside out (making it more costly, of course), and gives it back to you as a challenge. In puzzled response to the challenge, you offer what you've got, knowing it's quite inadequate (but again costly), and the same thing happens. He takes it, blesses it, and breaks it (there is the cost, yet again), and he gives it to you and your job now is to give it to everybody else. This is how it works whenever someone is close enough to Jesus to catch a glimpse of what he's doing and how they could help. We blunder in with our ideas. We offer, uncomprehending, what little we have. Jesus takes ideas, loaves and fishes, money, a sense of humor, time, energy, talents, love, artistic gifts, skill with words, quickness of eye or fingers, whatever we have to offer. He holds them before his father with prayer and blessing. Then, breaking them so they are ready for use he gives them back to us to give to those who need them. And now they are both ours and not ours. They are both what we had in mind and not what we had in mind. Something greater and different, more powerful and mysterious, yet also our own. It is part of genuine Christian service, at whatever level, that we look on in amazement to see what God has done with the bits and pieces we dug out of our meager resources to offer to him.” (N.T. Wright)

“and there, shimmering on the water, is a strange figure, walking toward us. Much of our world knows at least a little about Jesus; but he seems a ghostly image, a mirage or fantasy, unrelated to us and our problems. Some find him frightening. Others wish he'd go away and leave us alone. Even those who believe in him, as the disciples already did, don't know what to expect of him. But he seems to be doing the impossible, and sometimes people get the idea that it would be good to copy him, if only we could. Some people set off with the aim of doing just that: to bring the love and power, his peace and hope, to the needy world.” (N.T. Wright)

Question: Do we have the faith to perceive the significance of these miracles this morning?