WHEN JESUS HAD finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.”
58And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
14:1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus, 2and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 4for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
6On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much 7that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. 8Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” 9The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted 10and had John beheaded in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 12John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29“Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Original Meaning
TO SIGNAL THE conclusion of the Parabolic Discourse and the transition to the continuing narrative description of Jesus’ ministry, Matthew uses the formulaic expression that concludes each of the discourses in his Gospel (“when Jesus had finished,” 13:53; cf. 7:28; 11:1; 19:1; 26:1). From the conclusion of the Parabolic Discourse in chapter 13 until the Community Discourse in chapter 18, Matthew narrates a major new emphasis in Jesus’ earthly ministry. Jesus gives increasing clarification to his disciples of his identity as Messiah, culminating in Peter’s confession (16:15–19) and the Transfiguration (17:1–8). But he also begins to prophesy of his impending suffering sacrifice (16:21–28; 17:22–23; 20:17–19).
The amazing popularity of Jesus’ Galilean ministry continues with the feeding of the five thousand (14:13–21), but the mood turns somber as Jesus increasingly sets his face toward Jerusalem and the final fateful encounter on the cross. This somberness begins with two incidents of prophets of God who are given no honor by their people—Jesus at his own hometown of Nazareth (13:54–58) and John the Baptist at the fortress of Machaerus (14:1–12). Yet in a dramatically different manner, Jesus is given the honor that is his due as his disciples fall down to worship him as the Son of God after he stills the storm (14:33).
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth (13:54–58)
JESUS RETURNS TO his hometown, Nazareth, the village of his family and the place where he spent his childhood (see comments on 2:23). Matthew does not give the reason for this return except to say that “he began teaching the people in their synagogue.” Luke records a preaching scene in the synagogue at Nazareth at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, at which time the townspeople were incensed at his inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s salvation-historical outreach program and attempted to kill him (Luke 4:16–30).
Many scholars see Matthew’s account as a thematic abridgment of the one recorded in Luke.1 It is possible, however, that this is a later return to Galilee for a second visit (see also Mark 6:1–6). Note the reference to “wisdom and . . . miraculous powers,” which were not a significant part of Jesus’ ministry until after the visit to Nazareth as recorded in Luke. If so, the antagonism of the earlier visit is now somewhat mitigated because of Jesus’ increasing popularity throughout Galilee as a result of his teaching, preaching, and his miracle-working ministry. The allusion to “leaving Nazareth” in Matthew 4:13 is more likely parallel to events in Luke.2
The return to Nazareth is somewhat surprising because, prior to the beginning of the Parabolic Discourse, Jesus’ mother and brothers attempted to make contact with him, and Jesus seemingly rebuffs their visit (see comments on 12:46–50). Perhaps as he returns to Nazareth, he is acceding to the request from his mother and brothers to return home. A similar pattern may be discerned in Jesus’ reaction to Mary’s comment, made at a wedding in Cana, about no wine, where he appears to rebuff Mary but eventually assents to her request (cf. John 2:1–10). Jesus will not allow himself to be deterred from his ministry, but he refrains from rejecting his family outright.
The four brothers (James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas) apparently did not accept Jesus’ authority before the resurrection (cf. Mark 3:21; John 7:5). The risen Jesus appeared to James (1 Cor. 15:7), and three years after Paul’s conversion James was known as one of the pillars of the Jerusalem church (Gal. 1:19; 2:9). After King Herod Agrippa I of Judea beheaded the apostle James son of Zebedee, and Peter escaped from Jerusalem (Acts 12:1–17; c. A.D. 44), James assumed an even more significant leadership role. He was the chief spokesperson for the Jerusalem church at the pivotal Jerusalem Council regarding Paul’s mission to the Gentiles (Acts 15:13) and during Paul’s final visit to Jerusalem (Acts 21:18). Later tradition notes his moral and godly behavior. James is most likely the author of the book that bears his name.
Another brother of Jesus, Judas (= Jude), is the traditional author of the letter of Jude. Nothing of any substantial historical value is known of Jesus’ other brothers or his sisters. On the theories as to how these “brothers” and “sisters” are related to Jesus, see comments on 12:46–50.
As Jesus begins to teach in the synagogue, the people of his hometown are amazed and ask, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” At the beginning of his ministry (Luke 4:16–30), the townspeople were incensed by his inclusion of Gentiles in God’s plan of salvation, but now they are incredulous at the reports of the wisdom and miracles that he has demonstrated throughout Galilee. Like the Pharisees in Capernaum (12:24), they question the source of his mighty powers. Is he operating from God’s authority or from some other source?
They already have their answers in mind as they pose a number of questions. Since they know his human roots, with the town carpenter as father, the well-known Mary as mother, and his equally well-known brothers and sisters, he cannot obviously be anything special. He is a hometown son who is trying to be more than he possibly can claim. Thus, the townspeople conclude that since Jesus had no other training than that of a carpenter,3 he cannot be a proper source of wisdom, nor can he lay claim to supernatural powers.
So instead of allowing Jesus’ wisdom and miracles to testify to his divine origin, the townspeople “took offense at him” (skandalizo; 13:57), an expression in Matthew that indicates an obstacle to faith (5:29; 11:6). Like the crowd in Capernaum who has rejected his true identity and messianic mission (13:10–17), the people of his own hometown cannot rise above their provincialism. Jesus responds: “Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” In what was likely a proverbial saying, Jesus uses the title of prophet to refer to himself.
Jesus, in other words, aligns himself with the Old Testament prophets who revealed God’s will for the nation, which was not always palatable.4 Those messengers had consistently been rejected by the people of Israel. Jesus is likewise rejected. No prophet had spoken in Israel for hundreds of years, but even now in Jesus’ hometown, the people harden themselves against his ministry of declaring God’s truth. Moreover, the puppet-leadership of Israel, represented by Herod Antipas, will put John the Baptist, the other prophet, to death. It is a sad day in Israel.
Because of the hardness of their hearts, they are not open to Jesus’ ministry. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.” While Jesus could apparently heal people elsewhere whose faith was not a significant factor in the miracle,5 hard-heartedness and rejection prevent the ministry of the Spirit’s healing, even as it prevents the forgiveness of sin (12:31–32).
John the Baptist Beheaded by Herod Antipas (14:1–12)
MATTHEW NOW GIVES an account of Herod Antipas’s execution of John the Baptist that fits the developing story line. Not only is Jesus Messiah a prophet without honor in his hometown (13:57), but the prophet John the Baptist is dishonored with execution. John had been imprisoned about a year and a half prior to this, and he had heard reports about Jesus’ activities. Jesus replied to John through his disciples with a full accounting of what he had accomplished (cf. comments on 11:2–6). John may have been executed some months prior to the events of chapter 14. Matthew’s narrative about the execution is likely a historical flashback.
Nearing the end of his nearly two-year ministry in Galilee, Jesus’ teaching and miracle-working powers have drawn the notice of the highest-level ruler in the region, Herod Antipas (14:1). After his father, Herod the Great (see comments on ch. 2), died, the kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Herod Antipas became tetrarch of Galilee and Perea for many years (4 B.C.–A.D. 39). His chief infamy in the New Testament comes from his execution of John the Baptist and from his interview of Jesus prior to his crucifixion (cf. Luke 23:6–12).
Herod Antipas’s capital city, Tiberias, was only eight and a half miles down the coast of the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum, the base of Jesus’ ministry. Somehow Jesus’ widespread popularity among the masses of people throughout Israel, Perea, and the Decapolis reaches the ears of Herod. Herod’s reaction reveals a curious blend of emotion, theology, and superstition: “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.” Herod’s guilty fear for having executed John combines with a confused notion of resurrection, probably based in part on Pharisaic beliefs along with semi-pagan superstitious ideas of returning spirits.
Herod Antipas had married the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea, probably a political marriage arranged by Emperor Augustus to keep peace in the region. The marriage lasted over fifteen years, until Antipas fell in love with Herodias,6 the wife of his half-brother Herod Philip I. This man was a private citizen who lived in Rome with his wife. On a trip to Rome, Antipas stayed at their house and fell in love with Herodias. They determined to marry, but Herodias demanded that Antipas first divorce his wife.7 Some years later (A.D. 36), King Aretas IV attacked and conquered Antipas’s military forces, at least in part to seek revenge for repudiating his daughter.8
When Antipas married Herodias, the highly popular John the Baptist publicly condemned him for marrying his half-brother’s wife, who was also his half-niece. John stated categorically, “It is not lawful for you to have her” (14:4). Such a marriage would have been considered an incestuous affront to God’s law (Lev. 18:16; 20:21). Both Josephus and the Gospel writers agree that Herod Antipas had John arrested and executed because of his influence with the people. Beyond that, they give helpful different perspectives on the underlying motivation for arresting John. According to Matthew, “Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.” Josephus surmises that God judged Herod for his treatment of John.9
On Herod’s birthday a great celebration was held in his honor at the palace at Machaerus, where John was imprisoned.10 On this fateful occasion, Herodias’s daughter (named Salome, according to Josephus) performs a dance for Antipas. The girl is probably only twelve to fourteen years old, but in this degraded, deceptive setting she dances what is likely a highly sensual dance, for she “pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.”
Herodias steps in immediately to orchestrate the elimination of another threat to her husband’s reign. She prompts Salome to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, because she wants to eliminate his accusing voice. This was a relatively common practice among ruthless leaders. Herod the Great, for example, had his own wives and children put to death out of his paranoid fear of anyone usurping his throne. Herod Antipas knows that John is a prophet, popular with the people, and does not want to execute him. But he does not want to lose face in front of his guests, so “he ordered that her request be granted and had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.”
John’s disciples have remained loyal to the prophet throughout his imprisonment, and now they perform the duties of loyal followers, since John’s family is likely deceased by this time. They take his body and give it a proper burial. Then they come to Jesus in Galilee again, bearing the tragic news of John’s death (14:12). We hear of other disciples of John throughout the next few decades, although they were increasingly separated from his true message (Acts 19:1–7). The natural transition should have been for them to follow Jesus.11
Compassionate Healer and Supplier (14:13–21)
JESUS HAS BY this time returned to Capernaum from Nazareth. The rejection of Jesus by his hometown people (13:53–58) and the execution of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas (14:1–12) signal an escalation of the opposition to the establishment of God’s kingdom. But in the teeth of this gathering storm, Jesus resolutely presses on with his own agenda.
Beginning withdrawal from Galilee (14:13–14). Matthew’s narrative comment strikes a melancholy note: “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” The implication may be that Jesus hears about the death of John and withdraws for a period of personal contemplation and mourning.12 But since John was most likely executed some months prior to this, others suggest that Jesus’ withdrawal is connected to Herod Antipas’s reaction to Jesus’ ministry (14:1–2).13
But perhaps Matthew intends to link these two factors. The beginning of Jesus’ ministry was prompted by a withdrawal to Galilee when he heard that John had been imprisoned by Herod Antipas (4:12). That was not a fearful flight from Herod but an intentional initiation of his ministry after seeing the momentous turn of events. Likewise, here Jesus is not fleeing from Herod, but after seeing the rising opposition initiated by John’s death and Antipas’s paranoiac response, Jesus purposefully commences a new phase of his ministry. Herod’s cowardly execution of John symbolically demonstrates that Galilee will not repent, so Jesus begins his withdrawal. Galilee has been the primary place of his ministry (see comments on 4:12–17). However, the opposition from Herod Antipas, the misguided enthusiasm of the crowd, the gathering hostility of the religious leaders, the increasing focus on training the Twelve for their apostolic role in the age to come, and Jesus’ resolute will to face the cross in Jerusalem require that he withdraw from Galilee.
Twice in this narrative Jesus goes off alone (14:13, 23), which he often did at a momentous time in his ministry. He used these occasions to prepare himself for upcoming, significant events, where he needed to have all of the spiritual strength possible that accrued from time spent alone with his heavenly Father (cf. Matt. 4:1–2; 26:36–46; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; 6:12). A key to his ministry was the way he listened to and then obeyed his Father’s will, which often took place through the discipline of solitude. With his impending withdrawal from Galilee in order to make the final destined trip to Jerusalem and the cross, Jesus seeks the fellowship, solace, and guidance of his Father.
Thus, Jesus crosses the sea of Galilee to go “to a solitary place.” However, his popularity with the people has not diminished. Word spreads that he is on the move, and many from the surrounding towns follow him on foot along the shore. When he lands, a large crowd is there to meet him. Even though the crowd is a fickle lot (cf. 13:10–17), Jesus has compassion for them. They have carried the sick to him from out of the towns, so Jesus heals them (14:13–14).
Feeding the five thousand (14:15–21). This isolated place with the crowd gathered becomes the scene of the climactic feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle from Jesus’ earthly ministry recorded in all four Gospels.14 Matthew’s record is the barest account. The traditional site of the miracle is west of Capernaum, just a mile or so beyond the “Cove of Parables” (cf. 13:1–3).15
After the day of travel and healing, Jesus’ disciples approach him with a logistical problem. The remote region offers no food for the people to eat, so they suggest that Jesus dismiss the crowd “so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Such a large crowd might have presented problems to any surrounding villages, since abundant staples were not usually on hand.16 Thus, Jesus turns the problem back to the disciples and tells them to give the crowd something to eat, showing them the importance of compassion for the needs of people.
The crowd has either already eaten their food for the day, or else in their haste to follow Jesus and bring their sick to him they have not brought along anything to eat. Apparently the disciples have no more food of their own either, but they scrounge around and come up with five loaves of bread and two fish (14:17).Bread and dried or pickled fish were staple food and suitable for taking on a short journey into the hills. The season is spring, when the grass is lush and the streams are running full, so Jesus directs the crowd to sit down on the grass. He takes the loaves (about bun-size) and the fish and looks up to heaven, a typical posture for prayer (cf. John 17:1). He gives thanks or offers a blessing and breaks the loaves (14:19). Jesus does not bless the bread but blesses God for what will be the miraculous supply of bread.
Now the disciples are able to do what Jesus asked them to do—give the crowds something to eat. He gives the disciples the miraculously multiplied bread, and they in turn pass among the crowd and give the pieces to the people. Matthew narrates almost casually that the crowd eats until they are satisfied, and “the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” The number twelve is obviously significant for both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve disciples/apostles, but the significance here is uncertain. It is perhaps another indication of the fulfillment of Jesus’ messianic ministry (cf. 10:1–6; 19:28). The crowds in this region will not experience this miraculous provision again, so gathering up the leftovers demonstrates that they should not neglect what God has already provided.
Matthew is the only evangelist to note that the number five thousand associated with the feeding counts only men, not women and children. The total number may have stretched to ten thousand or more, far larger than the populations of most villages surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Many Jews expected the Messiah to appear in the spring at the Passover season, when he would repeat the miracle of feeding Israel by manna as had occurred through Moses.17 In connection with this, perhaps, John points out that the crowd now surges forward to make Jesus their king, but he withdraws again from them (John 6:14–15). The crowd apparently thinks that Jesus will now restore the throne to Israel. They cannot get their eyes off their physical needs long enough to hear Jesus’ message. So Jesus leaves to focus on those who will accept his offer of salvation.
But the miracle also has a lesson for the disciples. They see the size of the need and the smallness of the human resources available. They must learn to see as Jesus sees, who “recognizes the size of the need and the greatness of God’s resources available.”18
The Son of God Is Worshiped (14:22–36)
AFTER THE DRAMATIC feeding of the five thousand, which authenticates Jesus’ authoritative power to heal and supply the needs of the crowds, Jesus reveals himself as the true Son of God, who has authoritative power over the elements of nature and so deserves the worship that is due to God alone.
Jesus walks on the water (14:22–27). This has been a strenuous day for Jesus and his disciples. He intended to go away to a solitary place to reflect on the potential threat from Herod Antipas and the death of John the Baptist, but he ends up preaching to and healing a huge crowd of people. Jesus and the disciples did not prepare to spend the night away from home, and there certainly is no place for such a large crowd to sleep, so he charges the disciples to go in the boat to the other side to find shelter while he directs the crowd to return to their homes.
After the crowd and disciples leave, Jesus is finally alone. On a mountainside he spends concentrated time in prayer with his heavenly Father throughout the evening and into the night (see comments on 14:13–14). At this significant turning point in his ministry, Jesus is readying himself for the journey into Gentile regions, with the cross in Jerusalem looming on ahead.
While Jesus is alone on the mountain in prayer, the disciples are having a difficult time trying to cross the Sea of Galilee. They were likely in one of the fishing boats outfitted to handle the sudden storms that blow up on the lake (see comments on 8:23–27). The disciples must have been both sailing and rowing the boat, because they are well out onto the water.
Matthew narrates portentously that they are “buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” The winds against the boat may indicate that they were moving from west to east, because the most severe storms came down the mountains to the east. “A considerable distance” out on the lake in Greek is literally “many stadia” (a stadion is about six hundred feet), which probably means they are two to three miles out on the lake. They battle the storm for over nine hours—from before sundown until the “fourth watch” (3:00 to 6:00 A.M.). In the previous incident of stilling the storm, Jesus was with the disciples, although he was sleeping in the stern of the boat (8:24). Now he comes walking to them on the sea.
The disciples were afraid of dying in the earlier storm (8:25), but this time they are afraid when they see Jesus walking on the water, thinking that he is a “ghost” (phantasma; 14:26). In Greek literature this word is used for dream appearances or spirit appearances, but in the Old Testament it means a “deception” (Isa. 28:7; Job 20:8 LXX; cf. Wisd. Sol. 17:14).19 The disciples may be thinking that some evil spirit is attempting to deceive them. Jesus gives them immediate assurance that he is no deceptive evil spirit but truly their Master: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” The expression “It is I” (lit., “I am”) may allude to the voice of Yahweh from the burning bush (Ex. 3:14) and the voice of assurance to Israel of the Lord’s identity and presence as their Savior (Isa. 43:10–13). Throughout this section Jesus continues to reveal his true nature to the disciples, and this powerful statement accords with his miraculous calming of the storm.
Jesus’ walk on the water to the disciples in the storm is intended to elicit faith in his true identity and mission as the Son of God. The time has come for the disciples to step forward to claim their responsibility as leaders in the Jesus movement, which Peter will falteringly attempt to exemplify.
Peter walks on the water (14:28–32). Amazingly, as Peter hears the voice of Jesus, he shouts back above the storm, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” The expression “Lord” (kyrios) was used elsewhere to address Jesus with a title of respect (e.g., 8:21) or as a false declaration of faith (e.g., 7:21), but here it means far more. Jesus is walking on the water in the middle of a furious storm, something that elevates him above any other figure that Peter has ever known. But likewise, if Jesus truly is the Lord and not an apparition, there is no need for fear. Peter’s focused faith in Jesus’ true identity enables him to overcome his fear, to call out to him, and to recognize that Jesus can enable Peter also to come to him on the water. Peter doesn’t say “walk” on the water but “come,” a fitting qualification to the request, since as far as he knew, this was not going to be a simple stroll on the lake.
In reply to Peter’s request, Jesus authoritatively says, “Come.” Peter obeys by getting down out of the boat and miraculously walks on the water toward Jesus. We are not told how far or for how long he walks on the sea, but suddenly reality hits. He sees the wind, meaning the effects of the wind, produce billowing whitecaps, surging seas, and wind-blown spray, and he realizes where he is and becomes afraid. Experienced fisherman that he is, he knows the danger. Peter demonstrates tremendous courage in this incident, but at the same time his courage to go to Jesus on the water becomes the occasion for failure. He loses his focused faith in Jesus’ divine identity and begins to sink beneath the seas. But then most importantly, Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” The same Lord who could walk on the water himself and then enable Peter to walk on the water is more than able to save him from sinking.
Jesus immediately catches Peter by the hand to rescue him and says, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” “Little faith” (oligopistos) is not the same as the “no faith” of the hardhearted townspeople of Nazareth (13:58). A person with no faith would not recognize Jesus and call out to him. Peter has faith; it is just not functioning properly. It is “ineffective faith” (cf. 17:20). Peter’s faith enables him to recognize Jesus’ true identity and to request to come out to him on the water, but it is like a burst of emotional energy. It is effective enough to motivate him but not effective enough to sustain him. The key element is keeping his eyes firmly focused on Jesus instead of the danger of the wind-swept sea. Jesus thus directs Peter to understand more clearly who he is and then act upon it. Faith is not like a commodity of which Peter needs more. Rather, faith is consistent trust in Jesus to accomplish what Peter is called to do.
The emphasis in this story is on the grace and power of Jesus. Once Jesus and Peter climb into the boat with the other disciples, the wind dies down. This is the second time the disciples have witnessed the miraculous calming of the sea during a storm (see 8:26). Matthew does not record Jesus’ words or actions here but only notes that the winds abate. The wind that has so frightened Peter (14:30) is now under Jesus’ control.
Jesus is worshiped as the Son of God (14:33). All of these compelling events—Jesus’ walking on the water in the storm, enabling Peter to walk to him, saving Peter, and now calming the winds—overwhelm the disciples, and Matthew narrates unequivocally: “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ ” Worship is an action in Scripture reserved for God. One may prostrate oneself before other esteemed personages as a symbol of respect, such as David before King Saul (1 Sam. 24:8) or Abigail before David (25:23). But in the context of such works of divine significance, the disciples are gripped with the reality that Jesus is much, much more; he is the Son of God, and so they worship him.
This is the first time that the disciples use the title “Son of God” to address Jesus. How much they understand is uncertain (cf. Mark 6:51–52), because only at the resurrection do they fully grasp the radical truth of Jesus’ divine identity. But their understanding is increasing, because they worship him—an act of reverence reserved for God alone. Recognizing Jesus as God’s Son will be part of the continuing revelation that is expressed later in Peter’s climactic confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (16:16). They are understanding more clearly that Jesus is uniquely related to God the Father. Connected with the confession, their worship of Jesus is similar to the spontaneous reaction of people in the Old Testament to divine disclosures (e.g., Gen. 24:26–27a; Ex. 34:8). Baffled as they must be as to who Jesus really is, they give homage to him in a way that is only rightly accorded to God.20
The Son of God heals at Gennesaret (14:34–36). After the storm, Jesus and the disciples land at Gennesaret. This place is probably a plain extending about three and a half miles by one and a half miles along the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. This plain is the only easily tillable land bordering the Sea of Galilee and was known for its fertile soil that allowed the growth of walnuts, palm trees, figs, and olives. It was heavily populated during Jesus’ day and lay close to the urban centers of Tiberias, Herod Antipas’s elaborate and bustling capital city, and Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene.21
The region of Gennesaret did not figure prominently in Jesus’ ministry as recorded in the Gospels. We have no record of any prior ministry here, but Jesus’ reputation must have been well known. When the people recognize who he is, they spread the word throughout the surrounding country, and the response to him is remarkable. They bring their sick to him, believing that if they only touch the edge of his cloak, they will be healed. Behind the expression “edge of his cloak” is the term kraspedon (see comments on 9:20). Touching the fringe or tassels does not imply that the people of Gennesaret have a superstitious belief in the healing power of Jesus’ garment; rather, they understand that his power is so great that only this derivative contact with him is necessary to bring healing. As on the occasion of the woman with the hemorrhage (9:20–22), “all who touched him were healed.” This is a remarkable display of faith, in stark contrast to the Pharisees and teachers of the law in the next few incidents, whose legalistic religiosity soon blinds them to their need of Jesus’ cleansing (15:1–20).
Bridging Contexts
MATTHEW’S TRANSITIONAL SCENE from the Parabolic Discourse finds Jesus back in his hometown of Nazareth. He explained in the discourse that his parables will test the hearts of those who hear his message, hardening those who reject him but giving understanding of the operation of the kingdom of heaven to those who are receptive to him. These dual themes of rejection and reception continue to mark Matthew’s narrative throughout the rest of his Gospel.
Rejection. The majority of Israel, including the crowds and the religious leaders, will ultimately reject Jesus as their Messiah. Even now they are turning away from him. That tragic scene will be played out, but it is critical to note that Jesus continues to attempt to minister to those rejecting him. As Matthew emphasized in his record of Jesus’ explanation for speaking to the crowd in parables, the responsibility for a hard heart lies with each individual (13:10–17). But in spite of their hardhearted rejection of him, Jesus persistently presents an invitation to the kingdom of heaven and brings his compassionate care to bear on their needs.
Matthew emphasizes this theme of rejection by two scenes where God’s prophets are rejected by those who have had the greatest privilege. (1) Jesus is the ultimate prophet, who is God’s message incarnate. When he returns to Nazareth to preach in the synagogue, he and his message are rejected by his hometown people, who cannot rise above their hardhearted provincialism. They cannot believe that God has brought the Messiah through a humble local family. Since Mary and Joseph and his brothers and sisters aren’t anything special, then neither can Jesus be anything but an ordinary man. They have no explanation for why he speaks with such wisdom and performs such profound miracles, but their hard hearts reject him and his miraculous work in their own lives. They have the greatest privilege of human history to be in the hometown of the Messiah, but that privilege is their fateful undoing. The old expression is true—familiarity breeds contempt.
(2) Matthew also records the rejection of the prophet John the Baptist. But the one who rejects him is Herod Antipas. Herod had the privilege of being in a political leadership position in Galilee, with his capital city just over eight miles down the coast of the Sea of Galilee. Recognizing that privilege should have impelled him to listen carefully to the prophetic voice of John and to try to rule with sensitivity to the ethical and moral standards of Israel. But he is driven by his own passions and manipulated by his opportunistically ruthless wife. So he capitulates even though he knows he is wrong, rejects the message of John, and orders him to be executed.
Rejection of God’s gospel message through his prophets has not ceased. Much of the secularist Western world is also familiar with Jesus. They pride themselves on being ultramodern or postmodern and cannot conceive how such an ancient message is relevant to our world. Jesus is like a comfortable old shoe that they can sing about at Christmas, but he isn’t serviceable for everyday life. Thus, they reject him as being of any value for understanding the reality of life in the twenty-first century. Something new is needed to explain our world, such as more pluralistic doctrines that include many ways to God or an explanation for life origins and meaning that rejects the existence of God.
Then there are those whose familiarity with Jesus comes from their own personal church and family background. Somewhere in the daily and weekly exposure to Jesus they have lost the perspective of Jesus as the God of their lives. They continue to call themselves Christians since they aren’t Buddhists or atheists, but they do not have a worldview that places Jesus as the central priority and joy of their lives. He is not an urgent and absolute guideline to their everyday activities, nor is he a present companion in their thoughts and values. Thus, they increasingly reject Jesus and his message.
Jesus is also rejected by those who find that the message of the kingdom places too overtly stringent ethical and moral demands on their lives. Jesus and John preached a message of righteousness about an inner transformation that impacts external behavior. That message is just as offensive today to those who are driven by their passions, who manipulate the passions of others, or who are intent on demanding their “rights.” Many prefer a tolerant message that is acceptant of deviant lifestyles, and so they reject Jesus’ kingdom standards.
But Jesus’ compassionate mercy continues to be extended to those who are not yet committed to him. He tries to heal the people in Nazareth even after they have rejected him, although their hard-heartedness prevents its effectiveness (13:58). Later the crowd of five thousand exhibits characteristics of increasingly rejecting his message, yet Jesus continues to heal them and care for their physical needs (14:13–21).
This mercy of his extends to our own day and is most evident in our own actions toward those who have rejected him and his message through us. We are to be wise and not cast the pearl of the gospel message to those who would harm us or defame the kingdom (7:6). But we cannot always be certain of who have rejected the gospel and who are still open. So our challenge is to seek to follow Jesus’ example of wisdom in recognizing hard hearts (12:30–32), yet compassion in offering a continuing open call to the kingdom of God.
Reception. To those who are courageously receptive to his gospel of the kingdom and have become his disciples, Jesus will continue to carry out his program of transformation. The power of the kingdom changes everyday men and women into the likeness of their Master, Jesus. Matthew was the recipient of that transforming power, and he gives profound insights into that process. Up to this point none of the disciples has figured prominently as an individual actor on Matthew’s narrative stage. We do know a little about two pairs of brothers—Peter and Andrew, James and John (4:18–22)—and Matthew himself (9:9), all of whom have responded to Jesus. Beyond that the disciples have functioned as a relatively nameless, faceless group.22 But at this juncture, Peter begins to play an increasingly important role. In the next five chapters, Matthew narrates five incidents in which Peter figures prominently.23
His focus here is twofold. (1) He focuses on Peter’s personal life and characteristics as an example of the way in which Jesus transforms his disciples. Peter becomes an example for all disciples of the developmental process of discipleship to Jesus.
(2) Matthew focuses on Peter’s leadership role and the way Jesus develops him into the kind of leader who will be instrumental in the coming church. Peter becomes an example to others of the developmental process of leadership under Jesus. Significantly, in the listing of the Twelve in the mission discourse Peter is designated “first,” an indication of his role as a leader and spokesman for the disciples (see comments on 10:2). Later Jesus will prophecy of Peter’s pivotal role in the church to come (16:17–19), which will offer an example for leaders throughout the ages (cf. 18:18; John 20:23; 21:15–19).
Through these two foci, Matthew emphasizes Peter’s increasing importance, but he also shows how Peter is both an imperfect disciple and leader in process of development. The difference between growth and failure rests on whether Peter continues to be receptive to God’s revelation and will. When he remains open to the things of God, he grows both in his personal discipleship and in his leadership responsibility. When he does not remain receptive to the things of God, he fails in both. These stories function as warnings for disciples and leaders within the church throughout the ages. Like Peter, the difference is the kind of faith we display in Jesus.
Myron Augsburger sets the stage for understanding the events of this section with the following insights:
The work of Christ is limited by our unbelief. There is doubtless much that God would prefer to do for us and for society, but He limits His action to function where and when its results are recognized to be of God and not by our own achievements. To say that God moves where it brings glory to Him is to recognize the integrity of His grace.24
The hardhearted rejection of Jesus by the people of Nazareth and the villainous murder of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas demonstrate the epitome of unbelief that prevents God’s working in their lives. The continuing curiosity and desperate need of the crowd impels them to follow Jesus, seeking his healing touch and experiencing his gift of miraculous provision, but they have not yet responded to his grace and mercy with the kind of effective faith in Jesus that will lead them to become disciples. Jesus’ disciples’ faith, however, is on the move. They increasingly recognize his divine identity and power, when the feeding of the five thousand teaches them that Jesus is adequate to meet any need, no matter how impossible the circumstances. A recognition of his divine identity impels one of them to walk in faith toward Jesus on a stormy sea and to call out for help when his faith fails. Their experience of his miraculous power to calm those seas drives them to their knees to worship him as the Son of God. Such rejection and reception provide warnings and encouragement for us today.
Contemporary Significance
THE WIDE RANGE of reactions to Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom that are found in this narrative hinge on one common element: an exercise of faith in Jesus’ identity and message. The people of Nazareth reject a hometown boy who simply cannot be who he says he is, while John the Baptist has courageously held to the message that he announced of Jesus’ arrival, even though he experienced personal doubt and persecution to the point of death. In the feeding of the five thousand and the mind-boggling experience of Jesus’ walking on the water, the disciples’ faith is stretched to see in Jesus something no one has before understood to be possible—divine nature in human form. The faith of people today ranges from the same extremes, with similar results. These narratives offer helpful growth in our own faith in Jesus’ identity and message.
Offensiveness of the message and messenger. Earlier we noted Jesus’ and our response to opposition (chs. 10–12). Opposition may come from family (10:21, 34–39) or foe (10:24–25), religious leaders (10:17) or secular leaders (10:18). But all opposition is not simply a rejection of the message that we bear; it may be a rejection of us personally. Both Jesus and John the Baptist draw to our attention the fact that in addition to the offensiveness of their message, they are personally offensive to those who reject them.
Too familiar with Jesus’ background. Jesus is offensive because his background is not much different from that of his own hometown, Nazareth. The people there have known Jesus and his family well, and since he did not display distinguishing characteristics or miraculous powers as a boy or teenager, they continue to confine him to that box. They cannot see beyond their provincialism to the person that he has become.25
People don’t like to forget others’ pasts. If a person is not particularly striking or gifted at one point in life, then family, friends, and neighbors often won’t let them grow into something more significant. It’s usually an ego issue. If Jeff can remember when Mitchell was just the boy down the block, then all the hype about Mitchell’s accomplishments must be an obvious fraud or delusion. Otherwise Jeff begins to doubt his own accomplishments. Or else he tries to ride the coattails of Mitchell and to pride himself for being the real contributing factor for any good that Mitchell has accomplished. Pride and ego, the twin towers that define sin, are the source of the cancer of comparison. And in the battle, sinful comparison always causes someone to lose inappropriately, because pride and ego must be fed.
This is an issue that almost every church has wrestled with at some point or another. Those of the older generation ought to keep wisely in mind that the upcoming generation is often a threat to their own identity. It is sometimes difficult for older people, even older pastors, to resist the influence that younger people who have grown up in the church begin to exert. They resist the new styles, not only of clothes and cars but also of styles of teaching or innovations in worship. True, sometimes these new ways are simply fads that end up doing more harm than good. But does the older generation allow the younger the opportunity to earn their respect by giving them a chance to prove their giftedness and calling from God? Or are they rejected out of hand simply because they are too familiar with them?
Too threatened by John’s message. The devious rejection and execution of John the Baptist foreshadows Jesus’ own betrayal and execution, but we should also consider the ramifications for anyone bearing God’s message. Not only did John arouse the ire of Herod Antipas for calling into question his illicit marriage to his brother’s wife, but he was personally a threat to Herodias’s political aspirations, and the only way to get rid of that threat was to get rid of John. In the non-Christian circles in which we move, we will also be an embodiment of moral evaluation. On the mild side, people will stop swearing when we enter a room, or they may refrain from that off-color joke. More offensive will be the effect of our presence when we come to a family gathering where a family member is having an affair or is living together with a boyfriend before marriage.
But the viciousness of an attack on the messenger is especially unleashed when our message gets in the way of another’s ambition. To call into question a colleague’s motivation, to point out a lie, or to reveal a cover-up of an unethical business practice threatens one’s power track to success, and you may find yourself facing not only anger but also bodily or emotional danger. But such is sometimes the responsibility of disciples, who are to be salt and light in a dark world (see comments on 5:14–16).
Two caveats. I must interject two caveats about these lessons from Jesus’ and John’s experiences of rejection. (1) We must learn to live with the consequences if we attempt to minister to people who are too familiar with us. We cannot demand respect; we have to earn it. If we do not earn others’ respect, we must accept the consequences of rejection, but we should keep on loving those who reject us. It is difficult to love those who reject us, but Jesus is our example. Love them and then go on graciously to where the message will be received with gratitude.
Or if we go into a setting where we believe that we are called to establish an ethical or moral judgment, we must recognize that there may be personal consequences. It may not mean something as drastic as our own death, like Jesus and John, but it may mean alienation from family members, or perhaps the loss of a promotion for confronting a superior, or perhaps even harassment from neighbors for not allowing our children to attend neighborhood parties that are a bad influence. We may be personally offensive because of the message we embody. Jesus and John contended for the message but accepted the consequences bravely.
(2) We must recognize that sometimes the inappropriate offensiveness of the messenger causes a rejection of the message. There are Christians out there who are jerks. They have poor social skills and poor manners. They treat people, both Christian and non-Christian, with disrespect. They run roughshod over others in the name of their own crusade. Some Christians are so legalistically narrow-minded that no one is right about anything except them.
I have met many Christian leaders who are as arrogant and pompous as any pagan leader. These people often are completely blind to their own inappropriate offensiveness. They are actually a hindrance to the gospel message, and others cannot see beyond their offensiveness to the message of grace that they say they carry. This is why it is important to have people around us who are not afraid to tell us the truth about us and who will call us into accountability if we are developing an edge to our personality, if we need to grow in kindness and goodness, or if we are beginning to think more highly of ourselves than is fitting. Jesus and John embodied a powerfully truthful message that called the nation into accountability, but they did so with appropriate, not inappropriate, personal offensiveness.
Eliciting discipleship and leadership through faith and worship. After the long day of ministry, Peter might have been delighted to send the crowd away to find their own food (14:15). But he learns from the feeding of the five thousand that Jesus is the source of help for problems. He learns from the incident of his own walk on water that Jesus is also the solution for disasters. Peter is learning to grow in leadership, because he and the other disciples are discovering what they will need to display as future church leaders. These events teach us that both discipleship and leadership, under Jesus, demand effective faith in his divine power and humble worship of his divine identity.
Effective faith in Jesus’ divine power. Peter emerged as the leader of the twelve disciple/apostles. In the listing of the Twelve, Matthew describes him as “first,” and he consistently becomes the spokesman for others (e.g., 15:15; 16:16; 17:4, 24).26 He also seems the most human, because his story is one of repeated successes and failures. He is impulsive, brazen, and proud, yet also passionate, devoted, and repentant. This contributes to one of Peter’s widely recognized character qualities—swings from extreme highs of faith in Jesus to extreme lows of lack of faith and even denial of Jesus.
• Peter swings from great faith by obeying Jesus’ summons to walk on the water, but then demonstrates ineffective faith by taking his eyes off Jesus.
• He swings from making a great confession of Jesus’ identity; then immediately switches to being a tool of the devil (16:16–19, 22–23).
• He is privileged to be with the inner three with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, but then he makes a bumbling statement about pitching tents (17:1, 4).
• He exercises faith to catch a shekel-loaded fish, but then he haggles over how many times he should forgive a brother (17:24–27; 18:21).
• He is among the inner three with Jesus in his final hours at Gethsemane, yet he is singled out for not staying awake to watch and pray with Jesus (26:37, 40–41).
• He boasts that his faith in Jesus will remain even if all the others fail, and he follows Jesus to the courtyard where he is tried by the Sanhedrin, but he disappears in Matthew’s Gospel after his predicted threefold tragic denial of Jesus (26:33–41, 58, 69–75).27
Matthew gives more prominence to Peter’s leadership than any other Gospel writer, yet he does not paint an idealistic picture of him as an infallible leader. Instead, he focuses on how Jesus is preparing Peter for a leadership role in the early days of the church, including how Peter must learn to overcome seriously deficient character qualities.28
Specifically, we see that leadership under Jesus demands effective faith in his divine power. Peter is often criticized by modern preachers for being presumptuous to ask to go out on the lake. But Jesus does not reprimand Peter for getting out of the boat; he only mildly chides him for failing once he got out there. It took much courage to follow Jesus on the water, probably more than most of us would have had. Peter does fine on the water until he looks at his circumstances (“seeing the wind,” 14:30). As soon as he takes his eyes off Jesus, he finds himself afraid and in trouble.
But through this momentary failure Peter learns something that only his courage in getting out of the boat to obey Jesus’ summons can teach. We may focus on the failure, but his obedience became the training ground for future growth in faith in Jesus’ sustaining power. As John Ortberg writes:
. . . only Peter knew that when he sank, Jesus would be there, and he was wholly adequate to save. The other disciples could not know because they never got out of the boat. This is the fundamental truth: If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat. If you want to experience the power of God in your life, you’ve got to take a step of faith. It involves risky obedience.29
We all face many circumstances for which we are unprepared. The difficulties we face change from day to day. But the one constancy we have in this life is Jesus. As we go through life focused on an intimate walk with Jesus through each and every circumstance, we learn how to apply his consistency to our situations. We may never be in such a position as Peter was, but we can learn from him. When the Lord called him, whether to get out of the boat or later to become a leader in the early church, Jesus was always there to see him through.
Some thirty years later we find Peter, now an older man, perhaps in his mid-sixties, exemplifying this change. When he speaks of the great day of coming salvation with the return of Christ, he gives a stirring expression of perseverance of faith:
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (1 Peter 1:6–9)
Gone is the braggadocio. But gone also is the ineffective faith. Even though Peter and his readers cannot see Jesus now, they have learned the lesson of never taking their eyes of faith off him. No matter what Peter is called by his Lord to do, faith simply means saying yes to that summons. As a leader of the early church, Peter exemplifies that kind of faith, and the people of the church carefully followed his example.
Peter’s lifelong story emphasizes for us the astonishing grace and gentle restoring power available in Jesus. None of us has failed so many times that God cannot use us for his purposes. But we must continue to focus on Jesus instead of becoming unsettled by circumstances we have never encountered. This is the key for a consistent Christian lifestyle and for consistency in whatever leadership role we may be given. We can rely on his presence in our lives. He will be there with us to help us make the right decisions, to give us courage in the face of fearful opposition, or to comfort us in sorrowful situations. This is a vital ingredient for a Christlike life in this world. Let me suggest three ways we can live this out.
(1) Learn to practice the presence of Jesus. Learn to open your conscious attention to Jesus everywhere you go and to develop a line of communication with him in all of your circumstances. I talk with Jesus as though he is in the car seat next to me when I drive to an important meeting or expected confrontation. I ask him for advice (silently!) when I am counseling a person, because only Jesus knows precisely the advice that is needed. I gauge my spiritual health at least in part by the degree to which I allow Jesus’ presence to invade every moment of my day.
(2) Understand that your circumstances are not the measure of Jesus’ love for you. He will never leave you, and he never loves you less, even though your conditions cause you to doubt him. Life in this world is hard at times. Some of the health-and-wealth messages of recent years suggest that only those who succeed physically or materially have true faith and that those blessings are an indication of God’s love. But even as Jesus’ purpose in life was to suffer on the cross for us, we have been called to suffer for his sake (Phil. 1:29), whether the suffering comes directly from persecution for our faith, from engaging in the spiritual warfare of this life, or from living in a world that is still under the curse of sin and death. Jesus loves us no less, even though we may feel he is far away.
(3) Consciously open yourself up to Jesus’ power, presence, and love in the most difficult of times. This point follows from the fact that our circumstances are not the measure of Jesus’ love for us. When we know that he is near, we can, and must, call on him. This was Peter’s exercise of faith in calling out for Jesus’ saving help even at the time that he was failing.
My wife and I learned this lesson early in the raising our children. Our older daughter fell into a feverish coma with spinal meningitis when she was just four years old. At the emergency room the doctors said that she would not live through the night. A wave of panic washed over us when we heard those words, and we began to sink into a pit of despair. But in the middle of our desperation, my wife and I held each other and cried out to God. We consciously gave our little Michelle back to her heavenly Father, knowing that he loved her even more than we did. But we also asked for the healing touch of Jesus in her life. We experienced the warmth of God’s peace flood our souls that night. But we also experienced the miraculous healing of our daughter.30
We have had many other difficult situations since that time, not all of which turned out so well. But that night we learned the reality that the outcome isn’t what really matters. It was our blessing to have her healed, but if the Lord would have taken her home to be with him, we know that he would have somehow sustained us in that crisis. What matters is that we continually call on the power, presence, and love of Jesus in all of our circumstances.
The apostle Peter, and we, have learned that Jesus is with us all the time, that he has power over all circumstances, and that he never stops loving us, even though it doesn’t seem like it in the middle of those trying times. To focus on intimacy with Jesus instead of circumstances enables us to trust him no matter what comes our way and no matter what the outcome. Discipleship and leadership under Jesus demand effective faith in his divine power.
Humble worship of Jesus’ divine identity. The events of this narrative also teach us that discipleship and leadership under Jesus demand humble worship of his divine identity. The townspeople of Jesus’ hometown Nazareth had a faulty understanding of Jesus that caused them to reject him. But as the disciples saw Jesus heal and feed the crowd, then saw him walk to them on the water, enable Peter to walk on the water, save him, and then calm the storm, they had a very different understanding of Jesus.
This passage is tied into a more developed understanding of Jesus’ identity, which is progressively revealed throughout Matthew 14–17. These events help answer the question, Who is Jesus? We see that he is compassionate, expressed in both his healing and his provision of food for the hungry. He also provides as a result of this compassion, not only to bring healing wholeness (14:14, 35) and physical sustenance (14:19–21) but also to bring the security of his presenceto his needy disciples (14:22–33). Ultimately, he has authority over all creation, which he demonstrates in the calming of the sea (14:32–33).All of these factors point strongly to his identity, and the narrative is capped off with the disciples worshiping him as they proclaim his identity: “Truly you are the Son of God” (14:33). Thus the events play on two levels: They point to his identity as the Son of God in order to show what kind of Messiah he is for his people.
It is vitally important for us to develop a clear vision of Jesus. For many people, an understanding of Jesus is cluttered with fragmented or distorted images. We are often more familiar with the pieces of Jesus’ image that our culture, denomination, church, or fellowship group has excised for its own use than we are with the full biblical picture.
Individual churches and denominations and parachurch organizations tend to focus on certain characteristics of Jesus, especially those that support an understanding of their theology or mission. These stereotypes give a slice of truth about Jesus but often fail to tell the whole story. They may focus on Jesus as Savior, shepherd, teacher, Lord, friend, revolutionary leader, or provider. A partial image of Jesus can never provide a complete understanding of who he is, what he means to our Christian lives, and what it is that he wants to accomplish in us. If Jesus is only a friend to us, perhaps we do not understand that he is also the powerful Lord of the universe, who can supply us with the power necessary to accomplish whatever God calls us to in life. If Jesus is only our gentle shepherd, perhaps we do not recognize him as the religious revolutionary who despised religious hypocrisy.
Jesus is all of these images, and more. A balanced, rounded understanding of Jesus needs to incorporate all aspects of his character and nature. A faulty vision of Jesus will cause us to reject him or to base our lives on only a partial understanding of what he has come to accomplish in our lives. But a clear and accurate vision of Jesus will cause us to worship him, which means ultimately to give our lives completely to him as our God. In the earlier incident of the calming of the storm the disciples were amazed (8:27), but now after coming to a more complete understanding of who he is, they worship him (14:33). A proper appreciation for Jesus’ power should produce worship, not simply astonishment.
Worship involves honoring, serving, and respecting God, and abandoning any loyalty or devotion that hinders an exclusive relationship with him. It is an expression of a personal and moral fellowship with God relevant to every sphere of life. The starting point of New Testament worship is the conviction that God fully and finally has manifested himself in the person of his Son. Jesus Christ is the ultimate meeting point between heaven and earth and the decisive means of reconciliation between God and humanity.31
As we come to see who Jesus really is, we are affected by his compassion, provision, and protection, which is grounded in his authority over nature. We know that Jesus cares for us and our present circumstances. He will provide for us, out of this compassion. As we venture out in faith, we can trust that Jesus will be with us. As we walk through this world we need not fear, because he walks with us. We all start out with a level of ineffective faith like Peter, but it grows as Jesus shows himself faithful to us over time. The reason we can trust Jesus is because he has authority over all creation. What can hurt us without his permission?
Max Lucado imagined what a journal would have been like if one of the disciples had made his entry on the morning after Jesus calmed the storm. The imaginary reflections strike a realistic chord of what that disciple experienced. He writes:
I had never seen Jesus as I saw him then. I had seen him as powerful. I had seen him as wise. I had witnessed his authority and marveled at his abilities. But what I witnessed last night I know I’ll never forget.
I saw God. The God who can’t sit still when the storm is too strong. The God who lets me get frightened enough to need him and then comes close enough for me to see him. The God who uses my storms as his path to come to me.
I saw God. It took a storm for me to see him. But I saw him. And I’ll never be the same.32
The story of Peter and the other disciple on the stormy waters is surpassed only by the perfect walk of our Lord Jesus upon the lake. In that walk we see God. And when we see him clearly and obey his summons upon our lives, we too will never be the same.