Our text is Matthew 14, verses 22-33: “And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” Jesus walking on the water in the gospels is one of my favorite passages of scripture in the New Testament. It truly is an endless source of wisdom to be applied. As I read these passages recently after talking to a co-worker, I began to meditate on a point my co-worker made. “Why is he walking in the direction he’s going? Why is he going that way?”
Matthew 14:22-33 Commentary
If we truly believe in the inerrant and plenary nature of the Word of God, then doesn’t every detail matter? Does not it all mean something to those who earnestly contend for the faith?
According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, constrained means: to compel or force with irresistible power. Jesus sent the disciples to go before him. Those of us who live by faith know that God has a plan. He does not do anything randomly. Every word, every action, has a purpose and meaning as deep as the sea. He does not need you to choose Him (you should) to act in this world, as God is sovereign. He is Redeemer and Creator. He can turn any heart at any time to do his will, to fulfill His purpose.
We have free will for the simple reason that when a soul is saved, God is glorified. When a saved soul chooses to begin the disciple journey (these verses can give us a picture of that), God is glorified. Why? Because you made the willful, on purpose choice to choose Him. First, for salvation by believing the Gospel, and second, for sanctification.
If we see the sea as the world and the boat as our journey through life, we begin to see a few things by this application. God compels us to come to Him; we get born again, and then the journey seen here can begin. He sends his disciples ahead as He later sends them out to preach the Gospel to the whole world.
Often, we keep our children from the world until they are ready for it, when we should be preparing them for it. As I tell my children in the simplest of tribulations in their lives, so they do it when they are older, “Chin up, shoulders back, Cross in front of you, world behind you.” Life in the world is a storm, as we live in a fallen world. I think we could all agree it is better to willingly go through life in God’s hands through the muck than on our own.
The feeding of the five thousand had just occurred. This is a picture of God feeding the Israelites in the wilderness; meeting physical needs, wooing them to spiritual reconciliation. During prayer and study for this article, I found this quote: “He fed them out of compassion, reflecting God’s care for all, but many followed Him for what He could do, not for who He was. John 6 makes that distinction clear: after the feeding, Jesus confronts their motives, and many walk away when He speaks of deeper spiritual truths.”
The Bible says the Spirit of the Lord does not strive with man forever. He created all, He provides for all, He pities, He provided a way of reconciliation for all, but sooner or later, He sends away the multitudes to deal with His children. Some simply never choose God’s simple plan of salvation.
Jesus then goes to pray. He prayed a long time, well into the evening. He prayed alone, as He was alone before His crucifixion, until the evening came. Christ is our example in all things. He prayed long and earnestly here and in Gethsemane. He sought the Father’s will, and so should we. The evening comes for us all in life when we must face the storm. Sometimes it’s to grow spiritually, sometimes it’s just because of a fallen world.
It’s going to storm no matter what you do, so how will you face the storm? We are always in the middle of a storm; struggles in a fallen world. It’s always raining on us, then the waves come to overwhelm us in life’s boat, and the winds start to knock us down. It rains and it pours. There is always a heavy weight and mental woe, as it never seems the wind blows our way. The weight presses down, and you feel like you are going to suffocate.
The 4th watch of the night is the last part of the night in literal time keeping, right before dawn, in the Roman system. 3 AM to 6 AM. In spiritual tradition, it is a time of breakthrough because of earnest prayer and a watchman’s vigilance. This is the time, often, we awake under conviction and in tumultuousness to fear or to pray.
When the wind howls and the waves crash upon us. When we think the boat is about to break up, and all is lost. Jesus then rises from prayer to do His Father’s will; to go to His children. This is when Jesus comes, oh what a precious Savior is He. Jesus always comes when all seems lost. He walks toward us because he loves us. He is not an absentee or a faraway God.
The miracle of walking on the water is His showing Himself as God. It’s, “Lazarus, come forth,” It’s, “Fear ye not, standstill, and see the salvation of the LORD,” It’s, “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”
When we see God working in our lives, we doubt it’s him. It should bother us to question His power. If we do, our pride justifies our sin. Holy Spirit conviction guides us if we choose to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. When the waves crash down around us and we think the boat is about to sink, we need to have faith over fear.
God always speaks to us, and even in the storm. We should be joyous to hear His voice and not troubled in the storm. In every storm, we can have joy, peace, strength, and confirmation. Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. Straightaway, he doesn’t wait to come to you. Are we listening? Do you know that He is always right there, always on time? How did Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego have confirmation in their storm when they were in the fire? We can have the same assurance.
Everyone wants a sign, but faith is different. Many received signs from Jesus but did not believe on Him, and then they left Him. For those who saw and believed, this is faith. This is the difference between a disciple of Christ and a member of the multitude.
Peter said, “If it be thou…”. Trust Him, and amazing things happen. He invites us, and we step out. Amazing things happen when we trust and walk with God. Water was the test of Peter’s faith, and this was special to Peter’s life. He was a fisherman; he grew up on the water. In this moment, liquid becomes solid while appearing liquid to everyone else because of faith. Because of faith, the structure of reality changed because Jesus was God. He is God to show Peter what’s possible because of his faith.
Peter took his eyes off Jesus, looked at the storm (storm of life), and began to sink. We all cry out for God when things go bad. The price of the power of the air will blow that wind, rock that boat, because he knows his time is running out. But all power and all authority were given to our Emmanuel. Bless His name.
See Isaiah 14:27: “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” If He stretches forth His hand, who can cancel it? When we take His hand, He gets glory because of who He is. He has the power to save, to sanctify. To give Victory and to help us keep it. What is the storm to Him who allows it and to Him who made the world?
When Jesus is with us in the boat of life, calm arrives as does peace. The wind ceases because the Master has arrived at His children; the wind ceases because Jesus Christ has dominion over the earthly and heavenly realm. The prince of the power of the air can’t blow when the Master says no.
Jesus seemingly sets up a situation that never ends, that always acts in a person’s life, waiting for them to choose obedience because He has a purpose and He’s always there waiting for faith to save and for sanctification. The faith and the grace of the Son of God. Stewardship: He requires us to be faithful and drives us on.
Even when the journey is over, He is waiting on the other side. He constrains us to move forward. As we move through the storm of life, He is always with us. When the storm blows and the lightning explodes, it casts shadows everywhere, making us doubt. But when the disciples called for Him and looked up, He was there. Though the shadows cast and the lightning strikes, let us always remember Jesus Christ is there. He was always there.
An old-time evangelist once said, “There is no danger in the will of God and there’s no protection outside the will of God.”
Though the tempest driveth in our lives, He is still the Master of the Sea.
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