This is a sad narrative.  King Herod was trapped by his pride, and afraid of his wife's anger; he agreed to murder a godly man.  The king had married Herodias who was his brother's wife, while his brother was still alive.  It was a wilful act of defiance against God's law (Leviticus 20:21).  Although Herodias was thrilled to have the power of being the 'queen', John the Baptist told Herod that the relationship was not right before God.  That inflamed Herodias.  Putting John in prison protected him from the queen’s anger and also gave Herod the opportunity to continue their interesting discu

Challenges are growth points: no challenge, no growth.  Jesus was not taken by surprise that huge crowds had followed them to a deserted place without any shops, places to eat or sleep.  Towards the end of the day the disciples anticipated a great logistical problem - feeding 5,000 men and their families with no supplies (Matthew 14:21).  And besides that, the trainee apostles were exhausted from their mission trips around the towns and villages (Luke 9:10-12).  Their practical solution was to send the people away before darkness fell, hoping they could find food in the nearest town.

The day had not turned out as the disciples had expected.  They wanted some respite from their mission activities; they wanted to tell Jesus what had happened, and they were also tired.  Instead, they spent the day stewarding 5,000 families who came to hear Jesus and receive healing (Mark 6:30-34). Then, in the afternoon, Jesus set them a test to feed the crowd ... but all they could find was a boy's picnic.  However, Jesus multiplied the food so that they fed everybody and there was a lot left over for them to collect (Matthew 14:19-21).
 

It was early morning on Lake Galilee.  The disciples were tired, having rowed against the wind through the night, when they were startled by a ghostly figure walking on the water near the boat.  Their cry of alarm was more than matched by Jesus' reassurance, "It is I. Don't be afraid!" (Matthew 14:22-27).  Peter, who was quick to respond, wanted to be sure that he was hearing and seeing rightly, so he challenged the misty figure to answer back.  He asked that if it was Jesus, then he would respond to a command to walk on the water.