Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the son of God."  

 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that Herod fears His power (because he believed Jesus was John the Baptist, risen from the dead), He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves the the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   My study Bible comments here on this passage that only God has dominion over nature; so, therefore, this miracle confirms Christ's divinity.  It's the second time that Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see Matthew 8:23-27).  The first time Jesus was with them; here He had left them alone.  In this way, Jesus strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am."  This is the divine Name of God as first revealed to Moses (see Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  Jesus reminds the fearful disciples that His absolute and divine authority over their lives.

 

  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  My study Bible comments that Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but to come to Jesus; his desire is not to perform miracles but to be with Christ.  Peter is able to participate in this divine miracle so long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  As soon as Peter is distracted, he begins to sink.  

 

  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  According to my study Bible, the Greek term for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  The cause of Peter's sinking was not the storm, but the doubt; so therefore Christ does not rebuke the wind, but Peter.  

 

 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the son of God."   My study Bible points out that this is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  They know that only God can be worshiped, and so they confess His divinity by worshiping Him.  The boat is symbolic of the Church.  

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick,  and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study Bible tells us that Jesus permits miracles through touch which show that His very body is life, and that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).  

 

In today's reading, Jesus very distinctly has commanded the disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee; we're told that He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side.  So, one can imagine what it's like when the disciples are in the middle of the sea and being shaken by waves battering against the boat, for the wind was contrary.  If one is a disciple of Jesus Incarnate, taking orders (or rather, commands) directly from Him, one could imagine this would start to lead to some questioning.  There is no doubt that this is what Christ told them to do.  We know that this has happened once before; that is, that Jesus gave them a command to cross to the other side, and they found themselves in a terrifying storm that even the seasoned fishermen among them were afraid would kill them (see this reading).  At this point, they know that drill, for Jesus already rebuked their fear in that previous experience.   But now there is a new twist added to this story.  Let us first consider that they are no doubt fearful, and also that it's about three o'clock in the morning or a little later (in the fourth watch of the night), and we have a recipe for unusual frightening perceptions.  But this time, it's not just these "normal" elements that frighten, but then He comes toward them walking on the sea.  Well, that's enough to frighten anyone, and they believe they see a ghost.  And yet, Jesus responds to their fear with similar words to the ones with which He addressed them the previous time they were stranded and fearful in the middle of the sea:  "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  The word translated as "be of good cheer" might be understood to mean also "take heart" or "take courage."  It's a word meant to convey a warm confidence, an internal emboldening.  This is another command from Christ, and yet another follows it: do not be afraid.  As my study Bible says, all of this is in preparation for the future missions these disciples will have as apostles.  Of course, this has been true throughout history, as Christians have sought to follow the last commandment given by Christ, just before His Ascension:  "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20).  We know His word is true, regarding both His authority in heaven and on earth, and His command to make disciples, as well as His promise, "I am with you always."  And yet we also know of the martyrdoms and struggles of Christians everywhere and throughout Christian history, because ours is the way of the cross.  Nonetheless, we know His word is true:  "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."  This remains true, even as He is with us always.