Seeds for 09/28/2023 - Matthew 14:22-29
Scripture: Immediately 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. Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
Observation: Jesus finally got the solitude and time alone with God the Father that He had sought. Now, unhurried, Jesus sets out to reunite with the disciples in the boat. The One in whom all things were made and hold together has no trouble traversing the surface of the water, choppy though it is. But how could they imagine it? Their shock and fright is understandable.
Jesus identifies Himself and tells them not to be afraid. But Peter wants some particular reassurance, so he says, “Lord, if it’s you tell me to come to you on the water.”
Before we go any further with this famous story, let’s pause to really see what’s happening here.
Peter asked to join in what marvelous thing Jesus was doing.
Joining Jesus in what He was doing was not unprecedented. In Matthew 10, we read how Jesus gave the twelve disciples “authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.” Jesus’ purpose for the disciples was for them to join Him in ministries of healing, restoring, teaching, and preaching.
This time, however, Peter isn’t summoned and instructed by Jesus. He witnesses Jesus doing something miraculous, something only Jesus seems able to do—something only possible because of the special relationship Jesus has with God. Then Peter proceeds to ask for an invitation.
This story is paradigmatic for the daring, thrill, and challenge of walking by faith and not by fear. That’s certainly true. This is a great story about walking by faith.
Within this story, let’s not miss that in this instance, it wasn’t Jesus who initiated Peter’s water-walking faith. It was Peter who had a desire to experience the same walk that Jesus had, as it were. Peter glimpsed the marvelous nature of Jesus in this curious display of power and couldn’t stay in the boat. He wanted a personal encounter.
Application:
What magnanimous or mundane thing have you seen Jesus do that you’d like to join Him in? What would your first step look like?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, give me such daring that I might seek to join in some great work you are doing. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
If you liked this post from Seeds of Faith, why not share it and/or subscribe?
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™