Study Desk

John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife."

for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him.

Herodias's chance finally came on Herod's birthday. He gave a party for his high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee.

Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. "Ask me for anything you like," the king said to the girl, "and I will give it to you."

She went out and asked her mother, "What should I ask for?" Her mother told her, "Ask for the head of John the Baptist!"

So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

But Jesus said, "You feed them." "With what?" they asked. "We'd have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people!"

Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share.

for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

Jesus replied, "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.'

For you ignore God's law and substitute your own tradition."

For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,' and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.'

But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.'

For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder,

"Good answer!" he said. "Now go home, for the demon has left your daughter."

"I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat.

If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance."

So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.

As he talked about this openly with his disciples, Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things.