MatthewChapter 14

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¹At that time Herod the ruler of that region heard the news about Jesus.a ²He said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist! He has risen from the dead! That is why he has the power to do miracles." ³Herod had arrested John earlier. He had tied him up and put him in prison. He did this because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. ⁴This was because John had kept telling Herod, "It is against the law for you to have her." ⁵Herod wanted to kill John. But he was afraid of the people, because they believed John was a prophet. ⁶Then came Herod's birthday. The daughter of Herodias danced for the guests. She pleased Herod ⁷so much that he made a promise with an oath. He would give her anything she asked for. ⁸Her mother told her what to say. So she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a plate." ⁹The king was upset. But he had made oaths, and his guests were there. So he ordered that she be given what she asked for. ¹⁰He sent men to cut off John's head in the prison. ¹¹John's head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl. She carried it to her mother. ¹²Then John's disciples came and took his body. They buried it. Then they went and told Jesus. ¹³When Jesus heard about John, he left by boat. He went by himself to a quiet place. But the crowds heard about it. They followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴Jesus stepped out on the shore and saw a large crowd. He felt deep pity for them, and he healed their sick. ¹⁵When evening came, the disciples came to him. They said, "This is a lonely place, and it's already late. Send the crowds away. Then they can go to the villages and buy some food." ¹⁶"They don't need to go away," Jesus answered. "You give them something to eat." ¹⁷"All we have here are five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. ¹⁸"Bring them here to me," Jesus said. ¹⁹He told the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰They all ate as much as they wanted. Then the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of leftover pieces. ²¹About five thousand men were fed. Women and children were fed too. ²²Right away Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. He sent them ahead of him to the other side. Meanwhile he sent the crowds away. ²³After he sent them away, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. ²⁴By now the boat was far from land. The waves were beating against it, because the wind was blowing against it. ²⁵Between three and six in the morning, Jesus went out to them. He was walking on the sea.b ²⁶The disciples saw him walking on the sea, and they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said. They cried out in fear. ²⁷But Jesus spoke to them right away. "Be brave! It is I. Don't be afraid." ²⁸"Lord, if it's you," Peter answered, "tell me to come to you on the water." ²⁹"Come," Jesus said. So Peter got down out of the boat. He walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But then Peter saw how strong the wind was. He was afraid and began to sink. He cried out, "Lord, save me!" ³¹Right away Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter. "Your faith is so small," he said. "Why did you doubt?" ³²They climbed back into the boat, and the wind died down. ³³Then those in the boat worshiped him. They said, "You really are the Son of God!" ³⁴They crossed over the lake and landed at Gennesaret. ³⁵The men of that place knew who Jesus was. So they sent word all through the area around them. People brought all their sick to him. ³⁶They begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak. And all who touched him were healed.