On Line Bible Study - For the week May 12 - 18, 2008

Lesson 335

Matthew 14: 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.

Several interesting things here:

1. We read at the end of John's Gospel that Jesus calls to some of the disciples who were out in a boat fishing. In that story, it is John who recognizes the risen Christ on the shore; but it is Peter who jumps into the water to go to Jesus. (See John 21:1-7.) John Nolland conjectures that perhaps there is a tradition of Peter "getting out of the boat" that underlies the story we are reading this week.
2. Several verses before, we read the crowds gathered around Jesus and they were hungry. The disciples want to "dismiss" them; Jesus refuses. Now that the crowds are fed and satisfied, it is Jesus who dismisses the crowd. Jesus doesn't "dismiss" us until he has fed us.
3. Jesus, intending to join the disciples later, goes to the mountainside to pray. Is he already anticipating the suffering that lies before him?

Storms come - the biblical symbol of chaos and uncertainty that is so much a part of our lives.

Matthew 14: 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.

The next time you find yourself tossing and turning in the night (the fourth watch is approximately between 3 and 6 AM), worried about some looming crisis (real or imagined), remember these disciples. They were in the same boat!

Let's take a look at It's a ghost . . . The Greek word is phantasma - used in the New Testament only in this story in Matthew and Mark (6:45-56). The saving power of God reduced to an apparition! Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of the spiritual life is to discern the difference between the authentic manifestation of the divine, and a cheap counterfeit. Peter asks the important question: Lord, is it you? That's what is implied! We don't want to be making pronouncements about God only to discover that there is some logical explanation for what got us all excited in the first place. How do we know the difference?

It might sound trite and simplistic . . . but here is a question to ask: Does the event lead us closer to Jesus? What are we all excited about? Does it inspire us to take a risk for the sake of the gospel? Does it move us to worship? The high point of this story is not Jesus walking on water; it is not Peter momentarily doing the same. The high point of this story is simply this:

Matthew 14: 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."

May something happen to you this week that inspires you to say of Jesus: Truly, he is the Son of God!

For next week we will look at Matthew 15:1-28. Read through that section if you have the time.