"Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

Matthew 14:22~36

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him

36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

I. Message:

Content:

1. Following the miracle of five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, the town of Gennesaret, while he dismissed the crowd (v. 22)
2. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone (v. 23)
3. The boat was buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. (v. 24~25)
4. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they thought they were seeing ghost. Jesus made it clear to them who He was. (v. 26~27)
5. Peter walked on the water. (v. 28~31)
6. And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (v. 32~33)
7. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. Jesus healed many sick. (v. 34~36)

Theme:

1. "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
2. Jesus said: "Come"
3. “Lord, save me!”
4. You of little faith
5. Healed by faith.

II. Who is God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit?

1. Jesus prays in solitary (v. 23)
2. Jesus actively cares for His disciples (v. 25)
3. Jesus revealed His divinity (v. 25)
4. Jesus listens to prayers (v. 30~31)
5. Jesus calms the sea (v. 32)
6. Jesus is the Son of God (v. 33)
7. Jesus has the authority in healing (v. 36)

III. What does the passage teach us (about commands, promises, examples, exhortations and warnings)?

1. Jesus went up on a mountainside by himself to pray

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

The previous passage mentioned that Jesus planned to pray in a solitary place following John Baptist’s murder by Herod Antipas. However the crowds found Him and followed from Him from every city. Though the crowds hindered His plan, Jesus, full of love and compassion, delayed His prayer time and kept on going in His ministry of healing as He was moved with compassion when He saw people’s needs. He performed a miracle to feed five thousand men.

Following the feeding of five thousand, “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray” as He continued in His prayer plan. He stayed there praying until evening.

Reflections: Jesus is the Son of God and He pays so much attention to a life of prayer. How about me as a servant of the Lord?

2. Jesus actively cares for His disciples

24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

The disciples were already far from the shore. While their boat was buffeted by the waves, giving them a hard time to scull, Jesus came to them. This means that Jesus knew what trouble they were facing and decided to go near them to help them out.

Reflections: Can I feel Jesus’ care for me? Can I actively care for others as Jesus did?

3. Jesus revealed His divinity

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.

26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.

Jesus is fully human and is also fully God. Since He is fully human, He gets hungry, thirsty and emotional to the point of weeping. Since He is fully God, He can heal the sick, cast out demons and perform all kinds of miracles. Jesus walked on the lake in this passage, showing His supernatural ability. He revealed His divinity.

Reflections: How much do I know about Jesus, His humanity and His divinity? Have I experienced His divinity?

4. Peter’s unique experience

28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."

29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

We can notice through descriptions in the Bible that Peter possesses the following characters: impulsive, weak willed, hasty, and thoughtless; courageous, full of Spirit, loving, and faithful. In the current situation, his impulsiveness and thoughtlessness drove him to jump out of the boat. If Abraham, thoughtful and meticulous was facing the challenge, he would not have jumped. However, thanks to his impulsive character, Peter had an experience that no other disciple had.

Reflections: Did I have some unique experiences in life and faith journey?

5. Look upon the Lord vs. look around

29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

When Peter looked at Jesus, he was walking on the water safely. However, as he looked around and saw wind and waves battering hard, he got scared and started to sink. This is noteworthy. The key in walking on water or drowning is in the focus: look upon the Lord or look around.

Reflections: Do I look upon the Lord more often or do I usually look around in my life?

6. Jesus listens to prayers

30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

When Peter got scared and started to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately, Jesus reached out and caught him. We can learn two lessons from this encounter: first, quick and short prayer. Peter’s prayer was quick and there’s no way to make it shorter. Therefore, there is no need to pray for too long but it’s imperative to pray honestly; second, prayers get answered. As Peter cried out, Jesus caught him immediately and saved him from drowning. His prayer was answered immediately.

Reflections: Do I pray often? Do I pray earnestly? Do I pray truthfully? Did my prayers get answered?

7. Jesus calms the storm

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Since Jesus is the everlasting God, He did not simply create this nature but also holds authority over it, wind and waves included.

Reflections: How deeply do know about Jesus? Do I believe His authority over the creation? Did I ever pray to Him about calming storms?

8. Getting to know Jesus gradually

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Through the description in this passage, we can deduce that the disciples did not consider Jesus as the Son of God until this point. They worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God,” after they saw Jesus calming the sea. It’s clear that they got to know Jesus little by little. They knew Him better after each event.

Reflections: How deeply do I know about Jesus? To what level do I know about Him?

9. Healed by faith

34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him

36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

Jesus and His disciples crossed the lake safely despites some rough seas and landed at Gennesaret. The locals realized Jesus was there, they brought all the sick in the area to Him. They requested for permission to touch the edge of His cloak to get healing. Actually, “touching the edge of His cloak to get healing” is an idea of human origin and can be considered inappropriate but they were still healed. This shows that key in getting healed is not determined by the method but by the measure of faith. It is not the method that get one person healed but the faith in Jesus.

Reflections: How much faith do I have in Jesus? Have I received healing following prayers about it?