Matthew 14:22 ¶ 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. 23 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. 24 But the ship was now in
the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus
went unto them, walking on the sea. 26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled,
saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them,
saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it
be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. 29
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he
walked on the water, to go to Jesus. 30
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. 31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him,
and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? 32 And when they were come into the ship, the
wind ceased. 33 Then they that were in
the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Immediately, the meaning of straightway, Jesus ordered His
disciples to get into a boat and sail to the other side of the sea. See Matthew
13:1 for the general location of where they were as the seaside. He finally got
His alone time to commune with God the Father. Between 3am and 6am in the
morning while a storm was battering His disciples Jesus went to them, walking
on the rough seas.
It is here that always questioning Peter asks that if the
apparition is really Christ that Peter, too, can walk on the wind-tossed waves.
He does, but with his faith wavering, he begins to sink. This is the way it is
with our weak faith. We call upon God, if He is real, to save us, and then we
doubt, no matter what miracles we’ve seen in our lives, and we begin to sink.
But Christ will lift us up.
The declaration in verse 33 reminds me of verses in Psalms.
Psalm 89:9 Thou rulest the
raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Psalm 107:29 He maketh the
storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
Matthew 14:34 ¶ And when
they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place had knowledge
of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him
all that were diseased; 36 And besought
him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched
were made perfectly whole.
The land of Gennesaret is said by most sources to be on the
northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here, in this quiet and brief passage,
it is noted that Jesus healed many sick people. In such a small statement is
great power especially if you lived in a part of the world today where common
sicknesses that are curable in modern countries can strike you down. I just
can’t imagine what these people thought and felt as this man could just touch
them or they might only touch a piece of His clothing and were healed.
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