This chapter in Matthew is filled with many emotions of sadness, fear, compassion, and so many other things we can glean from this text. More than anything, what I want you to see is the person of Christ. We can never get enough of Him and going on this journey through Matthew helps us to see the person of Christ more clearly. Here are three ways we see him.

 Jesus Sadness & Dependency

John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He was the forerunner to the Messiah that we see in this chapter. John was not only the last prophet, but he was also related to Jesus. In Luke 1 we are told that Elizabeth (the mother of John) was related to Mary (the mother of Jesus). The bible does not tell us how they were related but it seems like they share the same bloodline, which means that John and Jesus both were relatives. The bible does not make mention of a close relationship between the two except for the instance when John baptizes Jesus, but Jesus probably knew they were related. When news that John had been killed came to Jesus, I do believe that it caused Jesus much sadness. Verse 13 says “Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.” I believe this is a reference to Jesus probably mourning and crying for his relative and forerunner because why else would someone go to a place to be alone so no one would see them? Friends, this goes to show, Jesus knew what loss felt like. He knew what it was like to lose someone whom you have loved. That is why in Hebrews 4 when it speaks of Jesus as the High Priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses, it’s because he experienced all those emotions himself. But what is more important is that Jesus himself took all his emotions to the father. In verse 23 it says that Jesus “went up on a mountain by himself to pray,” this goes to show the deep dependency Jesus had on the Father. Jesus did not try to muster up the strength on his own but instead with all humility (He himself being God) prays and depends on the grace of the Father. If Jesus (THE SON OF GOD) prayed and depended on God the Father, who do we think we are not to pray and depend on God? Are we greater than Christ?

 Jesus Compassion & Action

Even though Jesus had gone to be by Himself to mourn John the Baptist, the people followed Him. Instead of Jesus being cranky and telling the people that He needed space to mourn, His heart turns with compassion to see a crowd of people without a shepherd. Jesus could have easily grown annoyed with the people especially after experiencing loss, but even in this matter we see that He did not sin. Jesus' heart filled with love is moved by these people and instead of casting them away He invited them in. Jesus is not only moved by compassion, but He is led in action by caring first for their spiritual needs, secondly for their physical needs. Instead of saying “okay I’ve done enough for you, go home, get some food, and get some rest,” He asks His disciples to give them something to eat. Jesus doing his thing, is able to feed five thousand plus people and shows that He has a genuine heart toward those who are lost. Friends, Jesus cared for those people and He also cares for us. Jesus is moved with compassion when He takes a look at us and sees a people who need to be shepherded and is moved in action. Even though we might not always see His hand working, He is always caring for us.

 Jesus Rescuer and Redeemer

From verses 22-33 we see the scene of Jesus walking on the water. This is a very popular portion of scripture being that even unbelievers know about this. People talk about this passage as if people walking on water, is a common thing. If someone came to me walking on water, my reaction would not be “yo help me to do this too,” it would be “what kind of drugs were in my food,” because that is not possible unless you are God. When Peter asks Jesus to help him walk on water, as soon as Peter sees the waves, the wind, and nothing underneath him he panics, he starts to drown. He starts to cry out to Jesus and Jesus calmly grabs his hand and takes him to safety. The phrase “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” must have cut right through the heart of Peter. This story as miraculous as it is, has a deeper significance to it. That is, Jesus the Son of God is ready and able to rescue those who cry out to him and is able to redeem them even when they take their eyes off Him. Through this scene the people on the boat witness the laws of physics being defied, and if Jesus can walk on water, how can He not save someone's soul? That is why after seeing all of this the people say, “Truly you are the Son of God.” I hope this helps you to see more of the person of Christ and His heart for sinners.