22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
28 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, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 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.”
Matthew 14:22-33 is the story of the miracle of Jesus walking on the sea. The source is Mark 6:45-52, and appears in John 6:16-21 as well, but verses 28-31 are unique to Matthew. In Matthew, the story follows the rejection of Jesus at his hometown of Nazareth (13:54-58), the death of John the Baptist (14:1-12), and the feeding of the five thousand (14:13-21). It precedes the account of his healing of the sick at Gennesaret (14:34-36) and a confrontation with the Jewish authorities on the nature of tradition (15:1-9). In addition to being a collection of miracle stories (feeding, walking, healing), the stories also form a complex of narratives which, when taken together, speak about those who recognized in Jesus the One promised by Israel’s religious tradition and those whose doubts or vested interests blinded them to the miraculous power in their midst.
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat, as also mentioned in 14:13, and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. In this miracle story, Jesus will show his leadership and authority by dismissing the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, Jesus will show his personal need to spend time alone with his heavenly Father. Granted, Jesus may need separation from the crowds. Granted, he may feel the need to isolate himself from the murderous designs of Herod Antipas. However, the key point is that Jesus nourished his relationship with the Father by this time alone in prayer. We assume this time of prayer in the account of the temptation in the wilderness in 4:1-11, along with the explicit statements in Mark 1:35 and Luke 5:16. Of course, Jesus on the night after his last supper with the disciples will have time alone in prayer in Matthew 26:39-44. Although such references are rare, we can assume it was his custom to do so. Jesus experienced the immediacy of the filial relation to his Father. Those who follow Jesus share in this immediacy and filial relation. Paul suggests this familial relation in Romans 8:15, where, as adopted children of God we have the privilege of the immediacy of the presence of the Spirit who inspires us to call out, “Abba, Father.” In I Corinthians 14:15-16, he refers to praying with the spirit and mind. Part of following Jesus will always deal with the quiet prayer of individuals alone with God.[1]
Yet, the most important part of the miracle story is its clear Christological focus. 24 But by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. The sea is consistently used in Near Eastern narratives as a symbol of chaos, evil and demonic power. The power to still the sea is an attribute reserved for God, where God calmed the sea (Job 26:12), stirred up the sea (Isaiah 51:15), and the Lord calmed the sea after sailors through Jonah into it (Jonah 1:15). In all near-Eastern mythologies, the sea plays a significant role, identified often as both a god and serpent. Understanding the Old Testament images of raging waters is important. This passage draws on traditional imagery used by the Israelites to speak of God's divine power over nature. The power to control the seas and subdue storms belongs to God, we see in Psalm 89:8-9, where the Lord God rules the sea, and in Psalm 93:3-4, where the Lord is mightier than the raging sea. Such power reminds us of the passing of the Hebrew people through the Red Sea, commanding the Sea to dry up like a desert in Psalm 106:9. Storms are also metaphors for evil forces active in the world, evil forces from which only God can save. Thus, we see in Psalm 69:1-2, 14-15 that the waters threaten to overwhelm the writer like a flood, where he is sinking into the deep water and mud. Thus, the stormy sea is much more than an uncontrollable, unpredictable action of nature. The sea is a malevolent expression of the power of a destructive force that stalks the created world. The sea is a force of chaos that moves against the divine will. We see this in Genesis 1:1-2, where the Spirit or wind from God hovers over the deep waters of chaos (tehom, etymologically related to Tiamat, the mythical dragon of the Babylonian creation myth, whose slaying was necessary to bring forth creation), where God walks calmly on the waves of the sea in Job 9:8, and where God made a road through the raging waters in Psalm 77:19. Quite likely, Israel historicized this myth in the story of the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. The chaos creates a problem for the disciples in the boat, but the walk of Jesus on the water shows he has authority even over the chaos. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them as in the resurrection appearances, on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him, as in the appearances of the risen Lord, walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. Despite this, the disciples are fearful. They wonder if they are seeing a ghost. Did the disciples ask this question when they saw him alive after his crucifixion? Clearly, the disciples have difficulty recognizing Jesus. They do not know who walks along on top of the roaring waves and toward their boat. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” The words from Jesus are an echo of Exodus 3:14, the revelation of Yahweh as “I am.” The presence of Jesus in the chaos is to give the disciples confidence and help them overcome their fear.
Jesus' walk out to the disciples' boat has a purpose. Scholars have suggested several reasons. Jesus walks across the water to save his disciples from the stormy seas that threaten their boat. However, unlike the incident in 8:23ff., the text says nothing about Jesus himself ordering the seas to calm. And while this text admits the disciples' boat is making little headway in its journey, it does not claim their lives are endangered by the stormy conditions. The purpose Matthew seems to have for Jesus' walk on the wild side has more to do with building up the disciples' life of faith than bailing out their swamped boat.
In the material unique to Matthew, the focus turns to Peter. We might think of this as an Easter narrative that expresses something of what the appearance to Peter meant. 28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you command me to come to you on the water.” Peter asks the one who conquers chaos to command him to walk on the chaotic waters. 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” We learn an important aspect of discipleship here. When Peter trusted and obeyed the word or command of Jesus to join him on the chaotic waters, he provided an example for us. The call to discipleship binds us to the Christ who calls us. Discipleship will not exist without obedience and trust.[2] Peter is an example of the stumbling around nature of following Jesus as well, occasioned by his doubt in the leadership and authority of Jesus amid chaos. We can identify with Peter's panic attack, for the fear of falling‑‑of sinking‑‑has hit everyone at one time or another. Yet, in his doubting condition, he is aware enough to know Jesus could save him. Further, despite the failure of Peter to trust, Jesus does not give up on Peter. 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” He lifts Peter out of the chaotic waters. 32 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.” When they enter the boat, the disciples worship him and offer a corporate confession of faith that he is the Son of God, replacing the conclusion in Mark that focuses upon their remaining doubt. In the synoptic gospels, this is the only occasion when the disciples, as distinct from crowds, opponents or demons, acclaim Jesus as Son of God. At Jesus’ baptism, according to Matthew (3:13-17) the heavens were opened, and the Spirit/Breath/Wind of God descended upon him and a voice from heaven declared Jesus “my Son, the Beloved” (3:17). In Jesus’ baptism, water has been completely transformed, through the Spirit/Breath/Wind of God, into the instrument of Jesus’ new (public) identity: He is God’s Son, exactly as he is declared to be by the disciples when the Spirit/Breath/Wind of God transforms the water across which he walks into an occasion of revelation. Such a confession of faith by the disciples becomes a model for an event that has occurred countless times in the lives of people throughout history. We as readers have an invitation to allow such a transforming event occur in our lives as well. If we do, such a moment will be the defining event in our lives. Such a statement reflects the post-Easter affirmation of the church. With this addition by Matthew, a story in Mark that ended with the doubt of the disciples ends with a confession of faith in Jesus. We might best think of the story as Matthew tells it as something like a post-Easter appearance of the risen Lord and the coming to faith of the disciples, with special attention to Peter.
Fear always sinks a person. It ruins plans and stops all progress. Phobia is the scientific name for an unreasonable fear. A person who has a phobia has a fear of a thing, person, or situation. The word "phobia" comes from the Greek word Phobeo, meaning "to terrify, to frighten, to fear." When combined with loanwords from the Greek we get specific phobias, such as claustrophobia, (the fear of small and enclosed places, like an elevator or a phone booth); hydrophobia (fear of water); agoraphobia (fear of open spaces, where people fear leaving home or fear being in crowds); and acrophobia, (fear of heights, the fear of falling). More than 100 phobias have been listed.
Some of these fears seem to appear in Peter's attempt to walk on water. Peter, being an angler, probably did not have an unreasonable fear of water, but he certainly had a touch of hydrophobia when he ventured away from the boat. He must have experienced some acrophobia when he began to sink beneath the surface of Galilee. Peter became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Fear is a powerful emotion. The crash in 1985 of the JAL (Japan Air Lines) 747 jet killed 520 people. In among the wreckage of the plane was a tattered pocket calendar with seven pages of notes that were hurriedly scribbled while the plane careened out of control for five minutes before plunging to earth. Hirotsugu Kawaguchi described his thoughts as he was going down to his death: "I'm very sad because I am sure I won't make it. I don't know the reason," he wrote to his wife and three children. To his son he wrote, "I am counting on you." "To think something like this would happen," he wrote to his wife. "It's too bad, goodbye. Please take good care of the children." "The plane is rolling around and descending rapidly," he continued. Then he penned his 17th and last sentence: "I am grateful for the truly happy life I have enjoyed until now." Remarkable last words of a man falling to his death.
Albert Camus wrote a story about that once, called "The Fall," where a young attorney watched a young woman jump from a bridge in Paris and he did nothing to stop her or attempt to rescue her. For the rest of his days he was in torment, and at last cried out in agony, "Oh, young woman, would that you would jump again so that I might save you."
We can identify with Peter's panic attack, for the fear of falling‑‑of sinking‑‑has hit everyone at one time or another. The fear of "going down" is ever‑present, from a new‑born baby who must be held with a sense of security to overcome that infant's fear of falling, to an oldster's declining years on the down‑slope of life and the disquieting thoughts of going down into the grave. Falling has moral overtones. Adam's original sin is known as "The Fall." A woman of ill‑repute is known as a "fallen woman." And a man who has done disgraceful, dishonest deeds has fallen from respect‑ability. Just as Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught his sinking disciple, so we, as modern‑day disciples can reach out to Him who is able to keep you from falling (Jude 3:24).
We have a story in this scripture that the disciples have difficulty recognizing Jesus. They do not know who walks along on top of the roaring waves and toward their boat. They think it might be a ghost. Then Jesus spoke to them. “Take heart, it is I; don’t be afraid.” Presumably, even when Jesus spoke to them, they still were not sure it was Jesus. For it was then that Peter said something strange. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” If it is you. Peter seems to have doubt. Do you not find it strange that Peter was uncertain that the voice from the waves was the voice of Jesus until, unless, that voice commanded him, “Come on out, the water’s fine”?
I confess that I like images of Jesus as a comforter and healer. One legitimate way to understand this story is that Jesus comforts people in the times when the storms of life rage around us and threaten to overwhelm us. However, something about this story has made me move another direction today. This story makes me a little uncomfortable. It challenges me because I am a fearful person.
I find the story suggesting that one of the ways we recognize Jesus is in the voice of risk. Our fears often control our thoughts and our behavior. We look at the reasons not to take steps of faith and risk. We let those reasons control us. The same attitude can take over a church, can become secure and safe in what it has known. It can also hear the voice of Jesus, our Lord, in the call to take risks.
Jesus is the one who extravagantly, recklessly commands us to leave the safety of the boat, to step into the sea, and test the waters. That is Jesus.
So, just how will we climb out of the comfort of our boat, and into the wind and the waves that whip around us? How will we follow Jesus in faith, trusting him to keep our heads above water?
If we dare to make such a move, we will discover that Jesus is way out ahead of us. He is anxious to release us from the restrictions of outmoded rules and regulations. He is thrilled to feed our deep spiritual hunger with food that will last forever. He is hoping to connect us with people who may never hear his story unless it comes to them through our words and our deeds.
All this begins with our response to his invitation, “Come.” All this comes to life as we tap into God’s power, and trust Jesus to lead us across the deep blue sea.
“Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me,” we once sang the old gospel song. Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling you to risk your life, throw caution to the wind, step out of the boat and defy death?
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