Herod's Opinion of Jesus
Around this time, Herod the tetrarch heard all the reports that were spreading about Jesus. When he learned what Jesus was doing, he turned to his servants and declared, "This must be John the Baptist—he has come back from the dead! That's why he has such incredible power to perform miracles."
The Death of John the Baptist
Herod had arrested John the Baptist and chained him up in prison because of Herodias, who was the wife of Herod's brother Philip. John had been boldly telling Herod, "It is wrong for you to be married to her." Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of what the people would do, because they believed John was a prophet sent by God. When Herod's birthday came, Herodias's daughter danced in front of all the guests at the celebration. Her dancing delighted Herod so much that he made a solemn promise, swearing an oath in front of everyone that he would give her anything she asked for, no matter what it was. The girl's mother had coached her beforehand, so she said, "I want you to bring me the head of John the Baptist on a serving plate, right here, right now." The king was deeply troubled and upset by this request, but he had made his promise in front of all his important guests, and he felt trapped by his own words. So he gave the order for her wish to be carried out. Herod sent his executioner to the prison, and John was beheaded there. John's head was brought back on a platter and given to the girl, who then took it to her mother. When John's followers heard what had happened, they came and took his body away and buried it properly. Then they went to find Jesus and told him the terrible news.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
When Jesus received word about John's death, he took a boat and went away by himself to a quiet, empty place. But the crowds learned where he had gone and followed him on foot from their towns and villages. As Jesus came ashore, he saw the enormous crowd that had gathered. His heart was moved with deep compassion for them, and he began healing those who were sick. As evening approached, his disciples came to him with a concern. "This place is completely isolated," they said, "and it's getting late. You should send these people away so they can go to the nearby villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus replied, "They don't need to leave. You give them something to eat." The disciples looked at him in amazement. "All we have with us are five small loaves of bread and two fish," they told him. Jesus simply said, "Bring them to me." Then Jesus instructed the entire crowd to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish in his hands and looked up toward heaven. He spoke a prayer of blessing over the food. Then he began breaking the loaves into pieces and handed them to his disciples, who distributed the food throughout the crowd. Everyone ate until they were completely full and satisfied. Afterward, the disciples gathered up the leftover pieces and filled twelve baskets with the broken fragments that remained. The number of people who had been fed was about five thousand men, not counting the women and children who were also there.
Jesus Walks on Water
Right after this, Jesus told his disciples to get in their boat and sail ahead of him to the other side of the lake while he sent the crowds home. Once everyone had gone, Jesus climbed up the mountainside by himself to pray. When evening fell, he was still there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was already a long way from shore, getting pounded by the waves because strong winds were blowing against it. Between three and six o'clock in the morning, Jesus came out to them, walking on top of the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were absolutely terrified. "It's a ghost!" they shouted in fear. But Jesus immediately called out to them, "Be brave! It's me. Don't be afraid." Peter answered back, "Lord, if that's really you, let me walk on the water and come to you." "Come on," Jesus said. So Peter climbed out of the boat and walked on the water, heading straight toward Jesus. But when Peter noticed how fierce the wind was, fear took hold of him. As he started to sink, he yelled out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus instantly reached out and grabbed Peter's hand. "Your faith is so small," he said to him. "Why did you start doubting?" As soon as both of them climbed into the boat, the wind stopped blowing. Everyone in the boat fell down and worshiped Jesus, saying, "You really are the Son of God!"
Healing at Gennesaret
After they crossed the lake, they came to shore at Gennesaret. When the people there recognized who Jesus was, they quickly sent messengers throughout the entire area with the news. Soon people were bringing all their sick friends and family members to Jesus. They pleaded with him to let the sick ones just touch the edge of his robe. Everyone who touched him was completely healed.