Feeding of the Five Thousand: Jesus was not the only prophet who was rejected by his own (cf. 13:53–58). John the Baptist had been treated the same way by Herod, ruler of Galilee and Perea. Matthew tells of Herod’s concern that Jesus might be John the Baptist returned from the dead (v. 2). This in turn caused Jesus to withdraw from a public to a secluded area (v. 13). Verses 3–12 record the death of John the Baptist, which had taken place earlier but is brought into the narrative at this point by Matthew.

It is often pointed out that Matthew has shortened Mark’s account and that this has led to inconsistencies. The main problem seems to be that in Mark it is Herodias who wants to kill John (Mark 6:19), whereas in Matthew, Herod is the one who wishes to put him to death (Matt. 14:5). Yet Her…