Thought to Guide Your Reading
John was executed because of the pride of a powerful ruler.Summary in 100 Words or Less
Herod imprisoned John the Baptizer and later executed him to save face before a crowd of important dignitaries.Jesus was rejected by His hometown.
He sent His Apostles to teach with orders to keep a simple life and keep a low-profile—even if rejected.
Herod believed Jesus was John reincarnated.
Jesus taught the crowds. He fed the entire group using a few loaves and fish.
Jesus sent the Apostles across the lake while He prayed alone. He joined them, walking on the water. Peter walked on the water but sank when he became afraid.
At Gennesaret, many people were healed.
How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right
John provides a warning to all people who publically call out people for immoral acts.
John lost his life because he was unwilling to compromise God's Truth and approve of Herod's relationship with Herodias. Although John did nothing wrong, his life shows one warning—when publically calling out a person's immorality, prepare for blowback.Christians need to straddle the fence between silence and public condemnation. Jesus did not come to condemn the world; however He did come to call the spiritually sick to set their relationships right. We should not go out of our way to call people sinners publically or privately and we should not fail to give the plain Truth when asked about sin. It is an important balance we should keep.
Jesus fed the thousands because He wanted more time to teach them how to set things right.
Jesus said that teaching was His nourishment. In this case, He taught right up until dinner time. His Apostles asked Him to send the people home or they would be hungry (and grumpy!). Instead, Jesus did something unexpected—He fed them all with a few loaves of bread and fish. What an awesome God!Jesus went to pray alone.
I mentioned this earlier. A friendly reminder.Peter's fear outweighed his faith.
A few days ago I mentioned that Jesus' Mission is only hindered by those whose fears outweigh their trust in God. Peter walking on the water provides a case study in this principle. Peter was fine until he looked down and fear gripped him. When we fear something more than our trust in God, we fall.Do you let fear control your faith?
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