Last night I slept so well I can’t remember any particular dreams. This happens from time to time so the Lord gave me an idea. Awhile back He told me that if I will be faithful He will teach me to understand Matthew 12-15. So I’m going to use this time to try and develop more understanding in Matthew 14. I’ve been working with 12 and 13 a lot more than the rest. One of my goals in life is to be able to interpret anything by the Holy Spirit and that takes some practice and some scripture to explain how and a lot of experience with truth. Today, I guess let’s try to experience something true but no obvious out of the life of Jesus.
One principle that is important to me about understanding scripture is that all scripture points to Jesus. I get that from Jesus so I feel it’s trustworthy. I’ve learned to spot Jesus in the Old Testament which is how Jesus and the apostles taught in the very beginning. However, Peter affirms the writings of Paul and the other apostles as scripture too and the gospels are scripture, we have this entire New Testament. True it reveals the historical, actual events of Jesus and the early church. But I wonder if, like the Old Testament, it reveals an entire allegory of Jesus and the rest of the story!
Here we start out talking about Herod hearing of the fame of Jesus and being afraid. I’ve heard some people teach about a ‘Herod’ spirit but I feel like more than a spirit, there is a Herod historical cycle. Historical cycles are bound up with territorial spirits and so the same spirit that was at work through Herod may well be a ‘Herod’ spirit but not exactly. It’s just the ruling spirit that the people had come into agreement with in the time of Herod and there are more than one. There are layers of ruling spirits over nations and cities and territories that people come into agreement with and thus give them power. This is how the gods operate to this very day.
Herod was the leader in the natural world and we see that he worshipped the gods in several passages. In this one we see that Herod like John the Baptist because he saw God in him. He could tell there was just something different about this guy and he wanted to know more. But he loved his own lust and pride more. He killed a man he didn’t actually want to kill because he was too proud to stand up for what was right. It was right in the eyes of the people around him, but he knew it was wrong and his own weakness haunted him just like his gods did.
So when he heard about Jesus he wasn’t excited to hear more about God, he was terrified! He recognized the Spirit of God moving just like it had moved in John and it made him afraid. He only saw through his own lens and he assumed that if you kill someone, they will want to kill you back! He was afraid that John had been raised from the dead and was going to come after him for revenge.
When Jesus heard about the death of John, He went to be alone. Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. And when Jesus mourned for His cousin, crowds came to Him in the desolate place. He healed them and fed them and loved them. He did something amazing that here that people still today read as only a historical event. He used 5 loaves and 2 fish and fed thousands. As He gave thanks for it and broke it and handed it out it just kept coming.
Let’s look at this from the standpoint of an allegory and see if there’s something hidden in there that we just don’t see upon first glance. Start with the bread, we know that bread represents the flesh of Jesus in several places. He was the manna from heaven, providing life for all who would have Him. We know that fish are the people who God reaches out and snatches out of the nations of the earth into His Kingdom. So we see the simplest allegory for Jesus feeding thousands of people with 5 loaves and 2 fish is a story of 2 Christ followers spreading His word to thousands of people.
I don’t fully understand this yet but I pray that I will be able to catch the vision out of this one day. I can see that this has to do with a great revival that gathers many people into the Kingdom. And it is all brought about by a beheading which makes you wonder if it’s not multiple events that will play out over the next couple of thousand years or so. God’s word and prophecy play out over and over again to counter those ruling spirits in historical and future events. All of the events of the world come through words but the Word of God always settles the matter.
Jesus revealed the mystery of scripture and of God’s plans. I pray that we can see the revealed mystery with open eyes! I pray that we will learn to interpret all of the earth through and all of our lives through Jesus who is The Word. I pray that our eyes would be opened to see the greatness of God and all that He is doing on earth and in heaven that we may work with Him in His purposes for our lives! May you gain understanding through this incomplete message today. May you see more clearly and gain knowledge of God’s plan for your life. May you grow to new heights in walking with God, flying in this world and spreading the bread of life to all the ends of the earth and may God bless all y’all.
Practice Outlaw 