Christian Art | Jesus Walks On Water | Signs And Miracles
Matthew 14: 22-36 – Week 18 Ordinary Time, Tuesday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
22 ¶ And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
34 ¶ And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Jesus has fed the multitude, the multiplication of loaves and fish prefiguring the Eucharist, through which all share, in community, the body and blood of Christ, becoming one. Now Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him, to cross the Sea of Galilee to the pagan regions on the other side, where the evangelizing mission will continue. There is symbolism here, as the early Christians are called upon by Matthew’s Gospel to make transition from the old observances to the new Law of Jesus’ love. Jesus meanwhile takes time alone to pray.
As Jesus prays alone we are made aware of Jesus’ intimate communion with the Father. Prayer is central to Jesus’ life, as Jesus places himself in loving service of the Father, aligning his assumed humanity with the divine plan. As we read of Jesus’ praying, we ourselves are directed toward prayer. Jesus teaches us how to pray, to the Father whom we may now call our Father. It is fitting that Jesus goes up into a mountain to pray, as prayer in this manner, communion with the Father, recalls Moses on Mount Sinai in communion with God, as Moses received the Law. Jesus comes to us as the new Moses, and as the Son of God.
Alone, the disciples of Jesus are in trouble and struggle to cope. There is a high wind, which on the Sea of Galilee would raise huge waves and be dangerous to fishing boats. We find figured here the future Church, both in the decades and first centuries immediately following Jesus’ lifetime, when Christians faced persecutions, and in all time to come, as Christian teaching, our living in accordance with God’s will, has sat at odds with the spirit of the times, and as Christians continue to face opposition and conflict, and in areas persecutions which are still now life threatening.
In times of difficulty, however, Jesus comes to us, just as he comes now to the disciples on the storm-tossed sea. At first, the disciples do not recognize Jesus. They are afraid. The difficulties of their situation may be a factor leading toward misrecognition. It may be that, as Jesus come to us in times of trouble, our recognition of Jesus may be slow. Jesus reassures his disciples: It is I. We may think of God offering His name to Moses, as a gift, enabling the people of Israel to relate and commune with Him: I AM WHO I AM. It is I.
Peter is inspired by the presence of Jesus to ask that he may walk on the water also. His faith enables him to do this at first, but then there is more fear and Peter’s faith falters. Peter knows, though, to call upon Jesus to save him. So it is with us all. When we are afraid, perhaps when our faith seems very fragile, we call upon Jesus and he takes us by the hand and raises us. It is then that we are empowered and the storm is calmed, as we too acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Lord, save me.
Miracles Of Jesus | Concluding Prayer | King James Audio Bible KJV
True Light of the world, Lord Jesus Christ,
as you enlighten all men for their salvation,
give us grace, we pray,
to herald your coming
by preparing the ways of justice and of peace.
Who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Jesus visits the disciples, where they meet in a locked house, to bring them faith and reassurance, and to entrust them with their evangelical mission to spread the good news about Christ throughout the world. Christ’s is now a glorified body. A locked door is no obstacle to him. He is no longer bound by the limitations of space and time. In Luke’s Gospel, we are told how the disciples are, understandably, frightened by the appearance of Jesus. They think he must be a spirit. Now, to reassure the disciples and help them to know the truth of his resurrection, Jesus offers his body to them. This, he lets them see, is Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified and, as he promised, has risen from the dead [ … ]
Jesus has not confined his journey to Jerusalem to exclusively Jewish territories. He has wandered in Samaria, and indeed Galilee was what we might now call a multicultural environment, known as Galilee of the Gentiles. This would be greatly reassuring to those of Luke’s readership who were of Gentile rather than Jewish provenance. Christ’s physical journey to Jerusalem marks a journey from inward-looking and narrow sectarianism to a redemptive faith which is inclusive of all [ … ]
Jesus family and friends have worried in earlier verses about Jesus’ sanity. His friends have tried to seize him, to save him from himself. Now his mother and his brothers come to find him. It seems natural to assume they are still very concerned, and that there has been what they perceive to be a breach in the family, which may be linked in some way to Jesus’ move to Capernaum [ … ]
