Matthew 14:22-27 22And immediately he compelled the disciples to get into the boat and go before him to the other side, until he had sent away the crowds. 23And after he had sent away the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. And when evening came, he was there alone. 24But the boat was already many stadia distant from the land, being beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the lake. 26But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified saying, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage; I am. Do not be afraid.”
This story follows the feeding of the five thousand in the Gospels and shows the spiritual highs and lows of the disciples. They were in a learning process as the watched and participated in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus used the feeding miracle as a teaching tool but immediately moved on to another teaching experience with his disciples. The word compelled (ēnangkasen) has the sense of forcing or making someone do something. Jesus wanted his disciples to leave in a boat and meet him on the other side of the lake. There are several possible reasons for this plan.
The most obvious from the text is that he wanted to spend time in prayer. This day had been very busy with thousands of people and doing many miracles. Jesus as the human Immanuel needed to spend time with his heavenly Father to refill his spiritual battery and discern his Father’s will for the coming events. Being with people can be spiritually, emotionally, and physically draining. Retreats and rest are important for effectiveness in ministry.
Another possible reason for sending the disciples across the lake was that Jesus wanted to test them. This point comes out in the narrative that follows. The boat had gone a long ways out from the shore. A “stadium” was a Roman measurement of about 192 meters. The disciples basically had the evening to get into the boat and begin crossing the lake since it was not until evening when Jesus began praying. The time indicator of the fourth watch of the night refers to between 3 and 6 am, so a lot of time had expired. The theory that Jesus walked on a sand bar is a flimsy idea considering the time involved and distance from the shore.
One of the greatest miracles of the Bible is Jesus walking upon water as if it were solid ground. This should not surprise those with faith because God can make water into dry land, as with Israel’s exodus from Egypt and crossing of the Red Sea. The exodus story may be in the background of this event, particularly with Jesus’ response to the terrified disciples who think they are seeing a ghost.
Jesus responds to their fear with some of the most powerful words recorded in the Bible. He grants courage to those who fear yet are also following him. Like in the exodus story, God Incarnate gives the words of assurance, “I am” (Exodus 3:14). The great I AM has come walking across that which separates us from solid ground with the words of assurance, “Do not fear.” The reason we do not need to fear is because Jesus is with us. The disciples missed his identity at first because of their fear, but in his grace, he assured them of his presence, which grew their weak faith into strength.
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