Matthew 14:22 – Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.
24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”
27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!” 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. (NLT)
This week we continue in Matthew 14. Remember, Jesus had heard of the death of his friend John. He then tries to go to a remote place to be alone. He found a large crowd and spends time healing their sick. Then, when they became hungry, he challenged the disciples to feed them. They bring to Jesus what they had, and when Jesus blesses the meager meal, they then have more than enough to feed the multitude.
So, consider that day from the disciples point of view. They witness Jesus healing many people. That’s pretty amazing! They witness Jesus blessing five loaves of bread and two fish, which then feeds thousands! That’s even more amazing! Now in this passage, Jesus sends the disciples back across the lake while he remains behind. Sometime later, when the disciples were caught in a storm on the lake, Jesus comes walking towards them on the water. What an amazing day it had been!
Now consider Peter. He had seen so much that day, and now he sees Jesus walking on the water towards him. He is not sure of what he is seeing, so he asks Jesus to ask him to walk to Jesus on the water. Jesus does. Peter does. When Peter realizes what it was he said, and what it was he was doing, he starts to sink beneath the waves.
Have you ever felt like Peter? We get excited about Jesus. We get excited about a ministry. We jump in and get involved. Then, we see some wind and waves (criticism, financial obstacles, etc.), and we ask ourselves, “Why did I ever jump into this?” This happens when we, like Peter, take our eyes off of Jesus. If we involve ourselves in the ministry of Jesus, we have to maintain focus on Jesus. If we really want to feed them (last week’s post), then we have to stay focused on the one who calls us to feed others.
Today, let us not only involve ourselves in the ministry of Jesus, but let us also stay focused on Jesus. Jesus will see us through!
Posted by Ramón Torres
I can really relate to this one and it is kind of a continuation of last weeks post. During the years I have served in the food pantry, there have been problems and obstacles to overcome. I took me awhile to learn to give those things to Jesus and not try to fix them myself because all I would do was make things worse! When I would give it to Jesus, He would either show me what to do or it would be like the problem fixed itself. The main thing is to go to Him first!