Matthew 14:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.

NIV: When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.

NASB: Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard about this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

CSB: When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns.

NLT: As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns.

KJV: When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

NKJV: When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

What did Jesus hear that prompted Him to withdraw to a desolate place? Merely starting at the previous verse might suggest He was responding to the death of John the Baptist, as reported by John's disciples. However, Matthew began this chapter with Herod's remarks on Jesus' fame and power, which he associated with John the Baptist. What follows was the backstory about John's death. Now Matthew seems to pick up where verse 2 left off. In short, the "this" which Jesus is hearing about seems to be Herod's notice, not the death of John.

Jesus lived and ministered in the territory under the rule of Herod Antipas, who had been manipulated into killing John (Matthew 14:3–12). It was probably Herod's attention which motivated Jesus to move away from busy Capernaum to a sparsely populated area. The disciples remained with Jesus; He was by Himself in the sense that He was away from the crowds of people that constantly followed Him. He wouldn't be away from them for long, however.

We know from the same account in Luke that the lonely place Jesus headed for was Bethsaida (Luke 9:10). It was on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. The crowds of people, though, figured out where Jesus and the disciples were headed. As they travelled by boat, the crowds ran along the shore of the lake from Capernaum up and over the Jordan river and down to Bethsaida. When Jesus arrived for some alone time with the disciples, He found the crowds waiting for Him.

Matthew 14:13–21 begins with Jesus and His disciples leaving behind the crowds to escape by boat to desolate place. Instead, they find the crowds waiting there for them. Jesus heals people and eventually tells the disciples to feed everyone. The disciples have no food beyond five loaves and two fish. Jesus miraculously feeds more than 5,000 from that simple meal. Twelve baskets full of leftovers remain after everyone has eaten as much as they want. This miracle is recorded in all the four Gospels (Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–14).

Matthew 14 begins with a backstory about the arrest and execution of John the Baptist by Herod the tetrarch, the Jewish ruler of the region. Jesus and the disciples take a boat to a desolate place only to find crowds waiting. Jesus heals many and then feeds as many as twenty thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Later, the disciples row against a strong wind until Jesus walks on the water to meet them and calm the wind. Peter walks on water briefly and then doubts and begins to sink. The disciples worship Jesus. On the other side of the lake, Jesus continues to heal the sick.

Matthew 13 included more of Jesus' parables and an unfortunate incident where His own hometown rejected His ministry. Chapter 14 begins with news that Herod the tetrarch—the man who killed John the Baptist—is aware of Jesus' fame and power. Jesus and the disciples intend to withdraw to somewhere desolate, but a crowd is waiting for them. Jesus heals people, miraculously feeds thousands, and walks on water. When they reach the other side, Jesus heals more people. Chapter 15 sees Jesus once again debating with His critics and performing more healings.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.