All of the above should not blur the distinction between the "office" of prophet, which has a time and place in
history; and the gift of prophecy, which we are told to seek after:
―Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.‖ (1 Cor 14:1)
The "flow" or "gushing forth" of the will of YHWH through a person was promised by Y‘shua:
―He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.‖ (John
7:38)
The ancient historian Josephus tells us that Herod imprisoned Yochanan the Immerser because he feared
Yochanan‘s political power with the masses, just as verse 5 says: ―And when he would have put him to
death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet‖:
―Now some of the Jews thought that it was God who had destroyed Herod‘s army, and that it was a very just
punishment to avenge John, surnamed the Baptist. John had been put to death by Herod, although he was a
good man, who exhorted the Jews to practice virtue, to be just one to another and pious towards God and to
come together by baptism. Baptism, he taught, was acceptable to God provided that they underwent it not to
procure remission of certain sins but for the purification of the body, if the soul had already been purified by
righteousness. When the others gathered round John, greatly stirred as they listened to his words, Herod
was afraid that his great persuasive power over men might lead to a rising, for they seemed ready to follow
his counsel in everything. Accordingly he thought the best course was to arrest him and put him to death
before he caused a riot, rather than wait until a revolt broke out and then have to repent of permitting such
trouble to arise. Because of this suspicion on Herod‘s part, John was sent in chains to the fortress of
Machaerus ... and there put to death. The Jews therefore thought that the destruction of Herod‘s army was
the punishment deliberately sent upon him by God to avenge John.‖ (Josephus, Antiquities, xviii, pp. 116-
119, as quoted by F. F. Bruce, in New Testament History (Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company,
1971), pp.152-153.)
Yochanan "was brought in chains to Machaerus [Antipas‘ fortress on the eastern side of the Dead Sea]
...and put to death there" (Antiq. 18:119). Mark 6:17-29 provides additional details of Yochanan‘s execution.
Salome
Salome is famous for the part she played in the execution of Yochanan the Immerser. Her name does not
appear in the Gospels. We know her name from Josephus‘ account of the story (Antiq. 18:136-137) and from
the coin that bears her portrait – incidentally, hers is the only portrait of a person mentioned in the Gospels.
14:13 By ship into a desert place apart
―When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had
heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities‖.
The Shem-Tov Hebrew Matthew says ―... into the wilderness of Judea." This would make sense, as the
origins of both Yochanan and Y‘shua's ministries are in this area.
14:14-18 We have here but five loaves, and two fishes............................................
―(14) And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and
he healed their sick. (15) And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place,
and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves
victuals. (16) But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. (17) And they say unto
him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. (18) He said, Bring them hither to me‖
Y‘shua "replicates" a miracle by the great prophet Elisha, only to a far greater magnitude:
(42) And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty
loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may
eat.
(43) And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the
people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
(44) So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.‖
(2 Kings 4:42-44)