Matthew 14:24-15:28 – The Sea, A Garment, Traditions, and Crumbs

When we last saw the disciples, they were getting into a boat, most likely carrying 12 baskets of food, and heading out to sea while on shore, 5,000 people were relaxing in an after-meal bliss and Jesus was seeking a desolate place where he could pray to the Father. We aren’t sure what happened to the crowds after this but we know what Matthew wrote about Jesus and the disciples.

When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land,

Matthew 14:23b-24a

Jesus was alone and the disciples were out to sea. Since they each had probably taken a basket of food with them, it is likely they were also resting in a post-miracle bliss, and probably not paying very close attention to the weather. Matthew continues,

beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

Matthew 14:24b

This is not the first time the disciples had found themselves in a boat surrounded by a storm. Back in Matthew 8:23-27, Jesus was sleeping in a boat while the disciples were frightened by the raging sea. They woke him, but he said, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” He then calmed the storm and they questioned, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?” You might think the disciples would have recalled this, but apparently, it didn’t come to mind. Matthew further describes their time on the sea when he writes,

25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:25-33

The disciples had not only forgotten Jesus’s power over the sea from a few chapters ago, but they had also seemingly forgotten the miraculous meal they and the 5,000 people on shore had just eaten. The storm and the unknown apparition gliding across the water produced fear, not faith. I’m not sure whether Peter speaks up out of faith or foolish boldness, but he seems to be the only one with enough chutzpah to actually address the ghost claiming to be Jesus. When Jesus told him to come, Peter followed his command, and for this, we should praise Peter. But his faith did not last very long. When he saw the wind and, most likely, the raging sea, Peter, along with his faith sank into the depths. If nothing else, this recap should help you see that this story is about faith, or more specifically, a lack of faith. When all was said and done, however, notice that they finally arrived at the proper conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God.

Remember, however, this story is also about praying for our daily bread. The disciples were fed from the 12 remaining baskets, but that was not enough to sustain their faith for their next trial on the sea. They needed more bread than what they had just eaten. While this story does teach us that Jesus is the Son of God, it also exposes us as being the faithless people we are. We are not very committed people; our faith usually doesn’t survive life’s little storms. We may have seen Jesus perform great deeds, but our present faith can’t coast on the highs of past moments. We need Jesus every day. We need the Father’s bread every day.

How long does it take for our faith to turn to doubt? I suspect it doesn’t take much more than a few hours of sleep before we wake up and think we can handle the coming day on our own. Even if the previous day held a glorious feast of God’s provision — as the disciples experienced with the miraculous bread — when the next storm arrives our previous day’s measure of faith quickly sinks into the depths of life’s tumult.

When we pray for daily bread, we are praying that the Father would supply us with a day’s measure of fresh faith. Our faith must rest in the daily provision of the Father and the Son, not in their deeds of the past. This in no way diminishes the fond recollection and strength we might receive by recalling God’s great works from days gone by, but those events don’t provide faith, they are only reminders of the one in whom our faith rests. If we are not seeking the Father’s daily bread of faith, then we are eating moldy crusts of distant memories.

In contrast to the disciples and their quick loss of faith, Matthew tells of a people surprised by Jesus’s presence when their boat reached the far shore.

34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent around to all that region and brought to him all who were sick 36 and implored him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Matthew 14:34-36

Sometimes faith has to be renewed many days before it sees any fruit. The disciples who saw Jesus on a daily basis lost their faith when troubled times came upon them, but the sick in this region, and more specifically, the healthy men of this region, seemed to have a daily and expectant faith for when Jesus came to their shores, they sprung into action. This short story about some nameless people indicates that faith must be renewed daily even though we might not see results for quite some time. I don’t know how long it was since Jesus had been to this area, perhaps never, but the people there knew about Jesus and when he arrived, they brought their sick to him and asked if they could touch his clothing and be healed.

Praying for our daily bread is not a prayer for daily miracles, it is a prayer for daily faith. We do not know how long it will take for the Father to respond, but that isn’t the point. The point in praying for the Father’s daily bread is that we, like the birds of the air, need to daily place our trust in our heavenly Father. He may or may not supply our needs or desires each day, but that shouldn’t stop us from placing our trust in him each time the sun rises.

I think about an episode in Daniel’s life when he had been praying daily for quite some time but it wasn’t until twenty-one days had passed before he got his answer. Surprisingly, his answer came with these words,

“Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. 13 The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, 14 and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days.

Daniel 10:12-14

We may never know what is going on behind the scenes, but we do know that God blesses the faithful. Daniel was faithful in praying even though “the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood” the angel sent to deliver the Father’s message. Spiritual warfare is a reality of our lives, but we often cannot see it. This shouldn’t, however, cancel out our daily faithfulness in praying for the Father’s daily bread. Like Daniel, and like those nameless people in Israel so many years ago, daily prayer for the Father’s daily bread is what will keep us alert to the moment when the Father does choose to reward our petition.

However, simple actions often seem too simple for us, so we make things more difficult than they have to be. Take for instance this next story where Matthew writes,

1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
9  in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

Matthew 15:1-9

It is probably good hygiene to wash your hands before you eat, but that’s not the point. The point is that the Pharisees had replaced the words of God with their own doctrines and commandments. I realize, however, they may have had good reasons for doing so. If you recall, the Israelites had gone so far away from God’s law that God eventually sent them away into exile. When they returned to Israel, the religious leaders began building “fences” around the law so as to keep people from really offending God. These “fences” — the sets of commandments they made to protect the law — over time became more important than the actual law. They had become people who had forgotten about real sins and were more focused on fake sins: sins against the “fences.” In other words, these Pharisees found strength, support, and faith in the rules produced by man, not from the hand and mouth of God. In other words, the Pharisees were no longer seeking their daily bread from the Father, they sought it from the “fences” they had constructed so many years ago.

There is nothing, however, inherently wrong with fences. We still build them. We still need them. But we get in trouble when we rely on them more than the hand and word of God. Some of the fences that we build come in the form of adherence to specific takes on Christianity. What I mean is we often place more importance on the words of man than the words of God. We do this, at least in one way, when we become enamored with particular religious writers or speakers of the past or the present. For instance, I’m a fan of C. S. Lewis, Frederich Beuchner, and Henri Nouwen, but if I read them and meditate on them more than I do the word of God, then I may begin finding my daily bread from them and not from the Father. They are only men. Their writings are derivative. They may help us understand some aspect of scripture or nuance of being a believer, but it won’t be long before I become like the Pharisees if I find my daily bread in their writings and not in the word of God. While I might not construct draconian rules and impose them upon others, I will find my hope and faith being filtered through and sourced from them, not the revelation of God. Jesus explains it this way,

10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Matthew 15:10-20

Jesus tells his disciples that the traditions and commandments of men can do nothing for the filth residing in the human heart. Human constructs, and in this case, eating without having washed your hands, can do nothing to cleanse the soul. Furthermore, authors of the human constructs are blind guides and, having lost sight of that which is truly important, they will lead others into the same pit. Jesus wants his disciples to know more than cleanliness guidelines. Jesus wants his disciples to know that the defilement within their hearts requires the daily word of the Father, the blood of the Son, and the work of the Spirit. Human constructs can only lead us into a pit of despair. This is why we pray for our daily bread. Jesus, the bread of heaven, has come down to feed us, but we must take what is given us each day for that day, and then, when the new morning breaks, we must go out of our tents and collect the next day’s gift of the Father’s daily bread.

In contrast to the Pharisees — those with a rich religious heritage who should have known to ask their heavenly Father for their daily bread — Matthew provides this next story to show that the bread of heaven comes even to those who may be in a place of exile. Matthew writes,

21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Matthew 15:21-28

The Father’s daily bread is not solely for the chosen nation of Israel; of course, we all know that, right? But take a second look at this episode before we move on. The woman who came to Jesus was a Canaanite, a descendant of Ham who saw Noah’s nakedness resulting in a curse upon Canaan (Gen. 9:20-27). The Canaanites occupied the Promised Land when God made his covenant with Abraham, but God he would not give him the Promised Land until the iniquity of those in the land, the Canaanites, was complete (Gen. 15:16). Many years later, after coming out of Egypt, God devoted these same Canaanites to destruction by the hand of Joshua (Josh. 10-11). This woman, a Canaanite, was the citizen of a cursed nation, yet, Jesus, because of her faith, overlooked her heritage and healed her daughter.

We must not think that the Father’s daily bread is only for those people with pristine religious heritages. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came so that the sick might be healed. He sought out the demon-possessed, the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and all other sorts of riff-raff. Jesus came to give them their daily bread. Sometimes Jesus wants to use us to provide actual daily bread for these same sorts of people so that through us, the daily bread of faith can be supplied to them as well.

Our Father who is in heaven has a hallowed name because, as he brings his kingdom to earth and accomplishes his will here in the way he would in heaven, he also provides, through many different ways, his daily bread to anyone who has faith, to anyone who reaches out and asks for even the crumbs that fall from his table.

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