Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus Walks on the Sea
“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
FINALLY! Finally, Jesus is going to be able to pray by himself and hear from his Heavenly Father as to why John had to die and receive comfort from his Heavenly Father. Even while the disciples are still marveling over the miraculous feeding of thousands of people, Jesus urges them to get into the boat and begin the journey across the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus climbs up on a mountain overlooking the sea to pray and listen to God. But as Jesus is praying, he can feel the wind picking up from the east and he can hear the waves beginning to crash on the shore. The Sea of Galilee is long and narrow, and the mountains on either side form natural wind tunnels that funnel wind right onto the water, creating enormous waves that can easily swamp a small boat.
The Romans have divided the night into 3-hour long watches so that soldiers won’t fall asleep. The fourth watch is from 3 AM to 6 AM, and now the wind has really picked up and the waves are crashing over the disciples’ boat. If the winds had been favorable, the disciples would have reached the other shore by now, but they are stuck in the middle of the storm. Jesus realizes that he will have to do something to save these poor men who are only obeying his orders.
Jesus has wanted to be by himself to deal with his reaction to the death of John the Baptist. First, the crowds have made praying impossible and so Jesus has waited until night when everyone else is sleeping. Needing to be alone with God, Jesus has sent the disciples on ahead of him. But in the middle of Jesus’ prayers, he realizes that the disciples are in trouble. At this point, Jesus has a choice: continue praying or save the disciples. But if Jesus chooses to keep praying, what good are those prayers? God the Father is merciful, and Jesus must also merciful, so Jesus must decide that he has prayed enough and leave that mountain.
Jesus comes to the men by walking on the water, frightening them and inspiring awe. Peter impulsively jumps out of the boat and then has a lapse of faith, but Jesus takes his hand and lifts him back up. As soon as Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the storm ceases. Only at this point do the disciples worship Jesus, proclaiming, “Truly, you are the Son of God!”
Crises don’t neatly schedule themselves, nor do they have the slightest regard for our sleep schedules. Times without number, I have hauled myself out of bed to operate on patients. In the years before we had a stand-by generator at the hospital, we might have to send our own small petrol generator to the hospital so we would have light in the theater (OR). As long as I am in Ghana, I can receive calls from any of the wards asking for orders or for advice. How can a disciple cope with such uncertainty? Ask God for strength and endurance. Through the years, I have prayed all kinds of “God! HELP!!!” prayers, and He has always answered and given me strength.
One aspect that is sometimes neglected by disciples is physical exercise. You cannot minister to people effectively if you don’t exercise regularly, chiefly because you won’t feel good enough to give of your best. Exercise also helps drain off the stress and results in endorphins that can boost your spirits. Periods of rest are also important. Sabbath rests allow us to recharge so that we can minister more effectively. When we are rested and refreshed, we can also respond more positively to emergencies, and for disciples of any kind, there are always emergencies. If you don’t take time to regenerate, you will feel as if “you are a Coca-Cola and everybody has a straw,” to quote one missionary’s grandfather.
In the story, Jesus gave the disciples enough time to reach the other shore on their own before going to them at the third watch. It’s important to allow people to help themselves if they can, but it’s also important to intervene when necessary. Jesus could have given all kinds of excuses and remained on the mountain; however, he knew his Heavenly Father would not approve and therefore further prayers would be worthless. May God help us so that we can strike a balance between private devotions and public ministry!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to love You better each day. Help us to respond to those in need of our help, realizing that ministry is also a form of active prayer. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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