They ate and were filled – Matthew 14:20
They
all ate and were
filled. This statement is saying much more than simply that there was plenty of food (with twelve basketfuls left over). The idea that God's people would be fed and would be satisfied occurs several times in the Psalms (Ps. 22:26; 81:16; 107:9), is one of the promises of the Beatitude of hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt. 5:6), and hints at the future Messianic banquet (Isa. 25:6; Matt. 8:11).
The fourth watch – Matthew 14:25
Fourth watch of the
night. In this way of reckoning time, the fourth watch is from 3-6 A.M.
Walking on the sea - Matthew 14:25
Walking on the
sea. Jesus has already performed many miracles that show his power and authority (Matt. 8:1–9:34), including the ability to control nature (Matt. 8:26). Walking on water strongly indicates Jesus divine nature (Job 9:8).
It is I – Matthew 14:27
It
is I! Do
not be
afraid. The Greek phrase for "It is I" (
egōeimi) has a double meaning because it is also the way God often speaks of himself in the Scriptures, including the revelation of the divine name to Moses at the burning bush (Exod. 3:1-17). The Gospel of John uses this language as a major theme to describe Jesus as God (John 6:20; 8:24, 28, 58; 18:5). In addition to revealing himself as divine, Jesus also spoke peace to his people; God's presence means his people have nothing to fear.
Peter walked on the water – Matthew 14:29
Peter …
walked on the
water. This divine power inherent in Jesus is transferred to his disciples by faith. Peter's ability to walk on the water while focused on Jesus is a picture of the new humanity in the new creation that Jesus is bringing in to being through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. This ability is dependent on Peter faithfully looking to Jesus. When he looked instead to his circumstances his faith wavered and he began to sink (Matt. 14:30). Jesus then calls his disciples to believe in him wholly by calling them "
little faith" (Matt. 14:31; cf. 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; 17:20).
Son of God – Matthew 14:33
Truly you are the
Son of
God. This response, along with worship, is the proper faith-filled reaction to seeing Jesus' power. Matthew describes Jesus as the Son of God eight times at very important places in the story (4:3,6; 8:29; 14:33; 26:63; 27:40,43,54).
Healing – Matthew 14:36
touch the
edge of his
garment …
healed. This may be a reference to Malachi 4:2 where those who revere God experience healing from as the sun of righteousness rises "
with healing in its
wings" (or "edge of garments"). In Acts 5:15 this healing power is transferred to Peter whose shadow brings healing to those who believe.
Unwashed hands - Matthew 15:2
They do not
wash their
hands when they
eat. The Jewish people of this time period had developed many traditions about purity that were rooted in God's law but often added other requirements and prohibitions (Matt. 23:25-28). Some of these concerned what foods to eat and the importance of washing one's hands for ritual purity. This statement from the Pharisees stands in sharp contrast to Jesus's compassionate feeding of the multitudes in need (Matt. 14:13-21) – Jesus cares for people out of compassion; the Pharisees and scribes were only concerned about following the traditions about hand washing. See further on 15:11.
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