Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:22-32)

Matthew 14:22-32

We know from John’s account of these stories that after this miraculous feeding, the people were ready to crown Jesus as king right there on the spot (John 6:14–15). Of course, Jesus knew that that was not the Father’s plan, and therefore He and the disciples needed to get away as quickly as possible.

The story of Jesus walking on water reveals several truths about His character and His sustaining power on behalf of His people. These are glorious truths for all disciples in all times, particularly in difficult times. Even if you’re not facing difficult trials right now, these truths are important to remember because we are living in this sinful world. There are at least four truths illustrated in this story.

First, Jesus is sovereign over you. Jesus is the One who sent the disciples off into the boat, probably sometime around seven to nine o’clock at night. Later, the text tells us that Jesus came out to them on the sea in the fourth watch of the night, which is anywhere between three and six o’clock in the morning. This means that the disciples were in the boat by themselves for at least six hours, if not more, while Jesus was over on the mountainside. During this time a windstorm arose, and we know from Matthew 8:23–27 that Jesus had control over such things. This entire episode was His design. During the time that these disciples were battling this wind, Jesus was holding both the disciples and the wind in His hands.

We too need to remember these truths as we walk through difficult circumstances. Jesus is not unaware of what we’re going through. He is familiar with our weaknesses (Heb 4:15; 2 Cor 12:9), and He is working for our good in all things (Rom 8:28). He is sovereign over our lives and our trials.

The second way to have faith in the face of fear is to realize that Jesus is interceding for you. While the disciples were being tossed around in the middle of the sea, there on the mountainside Jesus was on His knees in prayer. You can look at your trials differently when you know that the very Son of God is at the right hand of the Father, at this moment, interceding for you. He is ready to give you strength and sustenance through His Spirit at every single moment you need it. Remember, You are not alone.

Third Jesus is present with you. When Jesus came out to His disciples walking on the water, they were understandably frightened, thinking He was a ghost. Jesus responded by saying, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (v. 27). The language Jesus uses directly echoes God’s revelation of Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14, when God revealed Himself as the Lord, as “I AM.” Jesus not only still storms, but He also uses storms as a pathway to a greater revelation of Himself. He is with us; therefore, we have no reason to fear.

Fourth, you can face fear confidently because Jesus is the strength in you.When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he decided he wanted to be with the Lord. Peter trusted that he could join Jesus on the water in light of the Lord’s power and authority. How comforting to know that when you face trials, you may not have strength, but Jesus does, and as you trust in Him, you experience His strength in you. The key is that we must trust Him. When Peter stepped out of the boat and saw the wind he began to sink. He cried out, “Lord, save me!” (v. 30). Jesus then reached out His hand and saved Peter, saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (v. 31). If we are not careful, we will hear Jesus’ criticism of “little faith” here and miss the point of this story. We will begin to think that we need to muster up more faith, and if we do, the result will be healing or some other immediate benefit. But that is not the point of what Jesus was saying. what matters most is not the measure of your faith. Even when Jesus referred to Peter’s faith as “little” (v. 31), He was not primarily referring to faith as something subjective that we must create. Instead, what matters most is always the object of your faith. Peter’s faith was little because he took his eyes off of Jesus, the object of his faith. This is what caused Peter to sink. The point, then, is clear: your faith is strong only when the object of your faith is strong. As long as your faith is in your circumstances, or as long as your faith is focused on anyone or anything apart from Christ, then it won’t matter how much faith you have. You will fall sooner or later.

when your eyes are on Christ, the all-sovereign, gracious, loving, and merciful Savior and King of creation, you can always rest secure. Your faith will be constant because Christ is constant. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to be “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

Conclusion

My beloved brothers and sisters, instead of trying to be stronger by our strength, let us trust in Jesus’ strength. Because we know when we are weak, He is strong. Let us fix our eyes on Christ alone so that we will not fall into sin. He is the only One able to bring peace in the middle of the storm. The day will come when He will bring total and complete peace to His people.