Matthew 14:22-33

Introduction

English Standard Version Chapter 14

Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

This story of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee comes immediately after Jesus’ famous feeding of the 5,000. Where Jesus is teaching the crowds and healing their sick well into the late afternoon, and as evening approaches Jesus’ disciples ask him to send the crowds away into the the villages to buy food for themselves. And, instead, Jesus tell his disciples to feed them, and proceeds to miraculously feed more than 5,000 people by multiplying only five loaves and two fish.

Dismisses the crowds

Now, one detail of that story which we left out is recorded for us in the Gospel of John. In John chapter 6, starting in verse 14, it says,

English Standard Version Chapter 6

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

So when we read here in Matthew, there in verse 22, that Jesus immediately

If you’ll recall, two weeks ago, we looked at Matthew’s account of Jesus feeding more than 5,000 men, not including women and children, by miraculously multiplying only five loaves and two fish. We were also told by the Gospel writers that before feeding the crowd the disciples had asked Jesus to send the crowds away into the villages to buy food for themselves.

This week we pickup after Jesus feeds more than 5,000 men, not including women and children, by miraculously multiplying only five loaves and two fish. We were also told by the Gospel writers that before feeding the crowd the disciples had asked Jesus to send the crowds away into the villages to buy food for themselves.

Well, this week we pickup in verse 22, after Jesus had fed the crowd, and we’re told that he finally dismisses the crowds.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

we should realize why Jesus dismisses the crowds so quickly. John tells us that Jesus’ miracle has created unrest amongst the crowd. Not in a sense of an attack against Jesus but in that they intended to take him by force and make him king.

Now, on the outset, this seems like a somewhat positive response from the crowd. They finally seem to be getting it right? I mean Jesus’ whole identity is wrapped up in being the long expected king of Israel, the one who would be David’s son and David’s Lord. The king of the messianic kingdom that they were all looking forward to. But Jesus wouldn’t have anything to do with it. Why not?

Well, you see, there’s something wrong with their motives, they want to make him king for all the wrong reasons. The crowd sought to make him their king not because of who Jesus was, but because they wanted what Jesus could do for them, in this case they saw Jesus simply as a means to an endless buffet. This was why Jesus would go on to say in (which we looked at two weeks ago),

English Standard Version Chapter 6

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

The motives of this crowd were all wrong, and rather than glorifying Jesus they’re about to drive his ministry it into the ditch. They wanted to make Jesus king because of what he could do for them. So Jesus immediately makes his disciples get into the boat and dismisses the crowds. Which makes you wonder if the disciples had gotten caught up in the excitement too.

And this is always a danger that we face, even as faithful Christians today, to turn Jesus into our own cosmic vending machine, but Jesus’ ministry wasn’t designed to serve our every desire. He isn’t some kind of on-demand miracle worker, or genie in a lamp. He is our King and our Lord and we are servants and citizens of his kingdom.

Praying by himself

We’re also told in verse 23 that,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

but Matthew doesn’t dwell on this point, rather Jesus’ retreat into the hills seems to serve the purpose of explaining how Jesus comes to be so far away from his disciples when they find themselves in distress (Matthew Commentary, R.T. France, p. 569).

Disciples headed to Capernaum

So Jesus has sent his disciples back across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (which John tells us in 6:16), but when evening had come, and Jesus was praying alone we read there in verse 24 that,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

Now, their journey to Capernaum would have typically been short (only a few miles), but the prevailing winds out of the west had come up quickly and kept them from making any progress. And Matthew tells us that by this time the boat was a long way from the land, being beaten by the waves. What’s significant here, is that they normally would have just followed the shoreline to Capernaum, but Matthew tells us that they were a long way from the land. John, in his Gospel, actually tells us that they had rowed about 3-4 miles, and I suspect some of those miles were in the wrong direction.

Some of you have heard this story before, but one of the years Albert and I hiked to Makushin Volcano we used kayaks to get over to Broad Bay to start the hike. The day we left, it was nearly flat calm which made the 5 mile paddle pretty easy. And a few days later, on our return trip, the weather was still pretty good, but when we reached Devilfish Point we were greeted with a stiff wind coming out of Captain’s Bay. It probably wasn’t anymore than 20 MPH but 2’ swells were enough to break over the sides of our kayaks and make us feel like we were going to get dunked.

And for a moment I thought it was a good idea to veer left and land further down the beach to avoid fighting the wind and waves but Albert didn’t follow, so I attempted to turn back to catch him but there was no use. I couldn’t make any headway no matter how hard I tried. So I was forced to let Albert continue on his own around the corner. Now, Albert isn’t too fond of kayaks and being as tall as he is the kayak was a tight fight anyway, so I was worried that if he tipped, whether he could get out of the kayak or not. Thankfully, we both made it to shore safely but I remember the futility I felt when attempting to paddle against the wind.

So I can only imagine the storm the disciples had encountered on the Sea of Galilee. A whole boat full of grown men, many of them fishermen at that, rowing against the wind, only to be pushed out toward the middle of the lake. And on top of that, they had been doing this for hours. In verse 25 we read that it wasn’t until the fourth watch of the night that Jesus comes to them, which is essentially military time for between 3 and 6 a.m..

Rome had four night watches, or shifts, between sunset and sunrise. The first was from sunset to 9 p.m., the second from 9 to midnight, the third from midnight to 3 a.m. and the fourth from 3 to 6 a.m.. So, if we assume the disciples started their journey somewhere near 9 p.m. at the latest, and Jesus didn’t come to them until 3 a.m. at the earliest, that means they were had been rowing for at least 6 hours, if not more. No doubt, they were exhausted. In fact, in Mark’s Gospel, he says that Jesus saw them making headway painfully ().

This was military time for 3-6 a.m.

Jesus coming to them

But then we read there in verse 25 that Jesus

the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Mt 14:24). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

he came to them, walking on the sea.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

came to them, walking on the sea.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

The disciples are in distress, and so what does Jesus do? He comes to them, walking on the sea.

The disciples are in distress, and so what does Jesus do? He comes to them, walking on the sea. Now as Christians I suspect we’re prone to read over this text without much surprise. We’ve heard the story before, we believe it, and we move on, but I think it’s important for us to realize just how incredible this would have been to the disciples. What Jesus is doing is flat out impossible, so when they see what looks like a man walking on the water behind them they’re terrified! In verse 26 we read,

The disciples are in distress, and so what does Jesus do? He comes to them, walking on the sea.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

If they weren’t already in distress over the storm, now they have a ghost following them out on the water!

English Standard Version Chapter 14

27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

So Jesus, knowing their fear, says to them, “Don’t worry, it’s me.”

Peter on the water

And before the disciples even have a chance to respond, Peter asks him there in verse 28,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

Now, this part of the account isn’t recorded in any of the other Gospels, only here, so it appears that Matthew intends for us to focus in on this aspect of the story with Peter.

So when Peter realizes that it’s Jesus walking on the water he asks to come out on the water with him, and Jesus simply says, “Come.” Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk toward Jesus on the water. Jesus not only upholds himself but he upholds Peter as well.

English Standard Version Chapter 14

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

Peter doubts

Countless sermons have been preached on this text. I can recall, even now, hearing at least 2-3 sermons myself from others over the years, and the application is still the same. Keep your eyes on Jesus, don’t look to the right or to the left, but following him without wavering, wholeheartedly, and trust him in every circumstance. You see, the moment Peter took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink. The moment he saw only the wind he was afraid.

When Peter looks away from Jesus at the wind he becomes afraid and begins to doubt. He sees only the impossibility of his circumstances, he forgets who it is that said ‘come’. And how often are we like Peter? “Our faith is firm until adversity shows up” (R.C. Sproul, Matt. Commentary). How easy is it to profess faith, until hard circumstances and trials come our way, and we recoil, we forget the Jesus in whom we first believed, the Jesus who not only commands the wind and the waves, but who tramples them underfoot. In the OT this was how God was described.

When Job spoke of God he said in chapter 9, verse 8, that it is God alone who stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea. In , when the writer speaks of God’s power he recalls the parting of the Red Sea and says in verse 16,

English Standard Version Psalm 77

16  When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

In the OT this was how God was described. When Job speaks of God he says in chapter 9, verse 8,

English Standard Version Chapter 9

8  who alone stretched out the heavens

and trampled the waves of the sea;

and in verse 19,

English Standard Version Psalm 77

19  Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

20  You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Jesus’ miracle of walking on the water demonstrates his power and his dominion over all created things. As Paul says in Colossians Jesus is the one by whom all thing hold together, he sustains everything, therefore it is a small thing to uphold Peter upon the water. But Peter forgets this, he’s instead still prone to be tossed to and fro by his threatening earthly circumstances. The wind and the waves have caused him to doubt.

Not blind faith

I so often I hear people speak of following Jesus as blind faith, but Christianity is not at all a blind faith. As his disciples, when we follow Jesus we know that we can depend upon him without reservation. How? By the many divine proofs he’s given us. Jesus has already demonstrated that he’s a powerful savior, we do not need to know how he will keep us from sinking to know that he can and that he will keep us from sinking. The strength of one’s faith is not determined by a person’s strength of will, but by the object of that person’s faith.

Back in chapter 8 Jesus is asleep in the boat with his disciples during a similar storm, and when he stands up he rebukes the winds and sea, but now Jesus is defying the very laws that govern the natural world, he’s walking on the water.

Not strength of will

And Jesus’ power is not dependent upon our strength of will to believe. That’s not what what Matthew intends for us to glean from this text. Jesus could have kept Peter from sinking had he wanted to, however, Jesus intended to teach his disciples to trust him, to trust the one who commands the winds and the waves, and tramples them underfoot.

Holds us up

And even when we find ourselves overwhelmed with doubt we can be comforted by what we read here, because when Peter begins to sink and cries out, “Lord, save me!” what does Jesus do? In verse 31,

English Standard Version Chapter 14

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Jesus holds onto Peter, he grabs hold of his hand and pulls him up. Jesus does not leave Peter to sink because of his unbelief. says,

English Standard Version Psalm 94

18  When I thought, “My foot slips,”

your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.

And I can’t help but be reminded of the song we often sing He Will Hold Me Fast,

I can’t help but be reminded of the song He Will Hold Me Fast,

When I fear my faith will fail,

Christ will hold me fast;

When the tempter would prevail,

He will hold me fast.

I could never keep my hold

Through life’s fearful path;

For my love is often cold;

He must hold me fast.

Truly, you are the Son of God

English Standard Version Chapter 14

32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Back in when Jesus was asleep while the wind and waves swamped the disciple’s boat, Jesus stood up, rebuked the winds and the waves, and caused a great calm on the sea. And we’re told that the disciples marveled at him, saying,

English Standard Version Chapter 8

“What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Now, here in chapter 14, the disciples say, “Truly you are the Son of God.” They’re finally beginning to realize what sort of man this is, and as they do it causes them to worship him. My hope is that this text would cause us to do the same.

Prayer