Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus Demonstrates His Mastery Of The Sea And Is Recognised As ‘The Son of God' (14:22-33).

This is the second consecutive miracle in which Jesus take the initiative in order to demonstrate to the disciples Who He is and What He has come to do, and it results in their recognition that He is ‘the Son of God'. In context this concept goes well beyond Messiahship. He is Lord of wind and waves, a particularly awesome thing to Israelites who feared and respected the sea.

Jesus has just demonstrated that He can feed men and women and meet their most basic needs, now He demonstrates that He can protect His disciples in all the contrary winds of life. If the disciples are finally to feed the people both lessons are essential. But the lessons go farther than that, for both demonstrate that He is the Lord of creation, and thus truly the Son of God. Both are therefore a necessary build up towards Peter's confession in Matthew 16:16 and to His declaration of the founding of the new ‘congregation' of Israel in Matthew 16:18.

Analysis.

a And immediately He constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before Him to the other side, until He should send the crowds away (Matthew 14:22).

b And after He had sent the crowds away, He went up into the mountain apart to pray, and when evening was come, He was there alone (Matthew 14:23).

c But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, distressed by the waves, for the wind was contrary (Matthew 14:24).

d And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea (Matthew 14:25).

e And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost,” and they cried out for fear (Matthew 14:26).

f But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer; it is I; don't be afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

g And Peter answered him and said, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the waters” (Matthew 14:28).

f And he said, “Come.” And Peter went down from the boat, and walked on the waters to come to Jesus (Matthew 14:29).

e But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).

d And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and says to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).

c And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased (Matthew 14:32).

b And those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Of a truth you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).

a And when they had crossed over, they came to the land, to Gennesaret (Matthew 14:34).

Note that in ‘a' He sends the disciples before Him to the other side, and in the parallel they arrive in Gennesaret. In ‘b' He spends much time alone praying in the mountain and in the parallel recognition comes to the disciples that He is the Son of God. In ‘c' the wind was contrary, and in the parallel the wind ceased. In ‘d' Jesus comes to them walking on the sea in total confidence, and in the parallel is the contrast of the one who has little faith and fails. In ‘e' the disciples are afraid thinking that they are seeing a ghost, and in the parallel Peter is afraid, seeing the wind. In ‘f' Jesus encourages the disciples, and in the parallel He encourages Peter. Centrally in ‘g' comes Peter's request that Jesus bid him come to Him on the waters.