The disciples asked the Lord to send the crowds away so that the crowds could go to buy food for themselves (v. 15), but the Lord told the disciples to give the crowds something to eat. The disciples' concept was to ask people to do something; this is the principle of the law. But the Lord's concept is to give people something to enjoy; this is the principle of grace.

Lit., passed.

In spite of the rejection by all kinds of people, there were still a large number of people who followed the heavenly King. They did this by leaving their cities. It was not that the King came to their cities to visit them, but that they left their cultured cities to follow Him in a deserted place. Through all the centuries the true followers of Christ have left cultured spheres to follow their heavenly King outside the cultured world.

Because He had been rejected by the people in religious, cultured, and political circles, the heavenly King departed from them and withdrew to a deserted place privately. This indicates that thenceforth He would hide Himself in a deserted place, in a place without culture, away from the religious, cultured, and political circles. He did this by means of a boat, implying that He would do this through the church. Because He has been rejected by the civilized world, the Lord, through the church, has always hidden Himself in a realm without much culture, away from religious and political circles.

In Matt. 12:24 the Jewish religious leaders, representing the entire nation of the Jews, rejected the heavenly King to the uttermost. This forced Him to forsake His natural relationship with them (Matt. 12:46-50). Then in Matt. 13:53-58 He was rejected by the Galileans also. Now in ch. 14, Matthew, in his arranging of events according to doctrine, unveils to us how Gentile politics treated the King's forerunner. It was evil and full of corruption and darkness. To this point Matthew has given a full picture of the Jews', the Galileans', and the Gentiles' rejection of the ministry of the kingdom of the heavens.

I.e., are operating and are being manifested.

Peter came down from the boat and walked on the water by faith in the Lord's word (v. 29); however, when he saw the strong wind, his faith vanished. He should have walked by faith in the Lord's word, not by looking at the circumstances (i.e., by sight). In following the Lord we should walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

By looking up to heaven the heavenly King indicated that His source was His Father who is in the heavens.

This was to put the people into good order and showed the Lord's wisdom and orderliness.

Whatever we have of the Lord should be brought to the Lord that it may become a great blessing to many others. Often the Lord uses what we offer to Him to provide for the need of many others. It is in this way that He provides for His followers' need today also.

John 6:9 tells us that these five loaves were barley loaves. Barley is a type of the resurrected Christ (Lev. 23:10). Thus, the barley loaves signify Christ in resurrection as food to us. Loaves are of the vegetable life, signifying the generating aspect of Christ's life, whereas fish are of the animal life, signifying the redeeming aspect of Christ's life. For our spiritual hunger to be satisfied, we need Christ's generating life as well as His redeeming life. Both aspects are symbolized by small items — loaves and fish. This indicates that in this age the heavenly King came to His followers not as a great King to reign over them but as small pieces of food to feed them. See note John 6:9².

In this record of the miracle, the Holy Spirit's intention in His inspiration is to show that what the followers of the heavenly King actually need is the proper food to satisfy their hunger. The disciples of Christ did not know this, nor did the crowds who followed. The heavenly King knew this and did something in a miraculous way to impress them with their real need and His provision for that need. All that they needed was His resurrection life, which would satisfy their spiritual hunger, as signified in this miracle.

What the heavenly King did indicates strongly and clearly that He provides for the necessities of His followers while they follow Him in this rejecting world. This corresponds with His word in the heavenly constitution saying that the kingdom people need not be anxious about what they will eat (Matt. 6:31-33).

Whatever we bring to the Lord must be broken that it may become a blessing to others.

The loaves were from the disciples, who brought them to the Lord. After being blessed and broken by the Lord, the loaves were given back to the disciples for distribution to the crowds, to whom the loaves became a great satisfaction. This indicates that the disciples were not the source of blessing; they were only the channels used by the Lord, who is the source of the people's satisfaction.

That there were twelve handbaskets full of broken pieces indicates not only that the resurrected Christ is unlimited and inexhaustible but also that the Lord's provision for us is abundant, more than sufficient to meet all our need.

The Lord compelled the disciples to leave Him in order that He might have more time to pray privately to the Father (v. 23).

Standing in the position of man (Matt. 4:4), the heavenly King, as the beloved Son of the Father (Matt. 3:17), needed to pray privately to His Father who was in the heavens, that He might be one with the Father and have the Father with Him in whatever He did on earth for the establishing of the kingdom of the heavens. He did this not in the deserted place but on the mountain, leaving all the people, even His disciples, that He might be alone to contact the Father.

Lit., evening. The time here is later than in v. 15. Thus, the word is rendered night here.

Some ancient MSS read, was already many stadia away from the land. (A stadion is approximately 600 feet.)

The Roman guards kept four night watches, each of three hours, from sunset to sunrise. The first watch was the evening watch, the second the midnight watch, the third the cockcrowing watch, and the fourth the morning watch (Mark 13:35). The fourth watch was probably from three to six o'clock in the morning.

While His disciples were distressed by the waves, the Lord walked on the sea. This testifies that He is the Creator and the Ruler of the universe (Job 9:8).

Or, I am.

To recognize that the Lord is the Son of God is to realize that He is equal to God (John 5:18). This indicates that the disciples acknowledged the Lord's divinity (Matt. 1:23; 3:17).

See note Matt. 9:20^4b.

Lit., saved.

Since the Lord said to Peter, "Come" (v. 29), Peter should have stood on that word and should not have doubted. Hence, the Lord rebuked him. Faith comes from the Lord's word and stands on the Lord's word. As long as we have the Lord's word, we should simply believe in His word and not doubt.

This miracle testifies not only that the Lord is the Ruler of the heavens and the earth but also that He takes care of the hardships endured by His followers as they follow Him on the way. When we have the Lord in our boat, the wind ceases. The record of the two miracles in this chapter implies that during the time that Christ was being rejected by people in the religious and political circles, He and His followers were in a deserted place and on a stormy sea. Whatever the situation, He was able to provide for their need and carry them through the hardships.