A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

EE. Persisting In Faith Though Confused

(Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21)

I. Introduction

A. Christ’s action to make His disciples get in a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee away from the crowds who wanted to make Him king required a follow up lesson for His disciples. They would not understand why He had refused to be made king, and they had to learn to keep trusting Him even if they did not understand Him.

B. Matthew 14:24-33, Mark 6:47-52 and John 6:16-21 reports how Christ taught His disciples to persist in their faith in Him amid His actions that perplexed them. We view this event for our insight and application:

II. Persisting In Faith Though Confused, Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21.

A. Christ’s effort to make His disciples enter a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee in moving His disciples away from the crowd’s effort to make Him king also served for a setting for the disciples to face a teaching trial at sea:

1. Though confused at Jesus’ refusal to yield to the crowd’s wish to make Him king by force by Christ’s making His disciples get in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, the disciples still tried to obey the Lord though night had fallen and a great wind arose, obstructing their rowing effort, John 6:17-18; Mark 6:48.

2. From the land Jesus saw His disciples toiling against the wind (Mark 6:48a), and in the fourth watch of the night, between 3 and 6 a. m., the disciples had rowed twenty-five to thirty furlongs, 3 or 4 miles, putting them out in the midst of the sea, John 6:19a; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to John 6:19.

3. Jesus then walked on the water toward them and acted as if He intended to pass by them (Mark 6:48b).

4. However, the sight of Jesus in the dim light of the late night walking on a trouble sea left the exhausted disciples terrified that they might be seeing a ghost “come from the world of the dead, perhaps to transport them to its recesses.” Thus, they cried out in utter terror (Mark 6:49; J. Dwight Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 1991, p. 234).

5. Jesus responded by saying, “‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Mark 6:50), Ibid.

6. Peter immediately responded to Jesus, saying, “‘Lord, if it’s you, . . . tell me to come to you on the water’ (Matt. 14:28),” to which Jesus replied, “Come!” (Matthew 14:29a; Ibid.)

7. Though the wind had not subsided and the waves still rocked the boat, making for an uneven walking surface, Peter in faith got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward Jesus, Matthew 14:29b.

8. Partway to Jesus, Peter was distracted by the boisterous wind and what it was doing to make the water an unsteady surface for walking, and he became afraid and began to sink, Matthew 14:30a.

9. Peter then cried out to the Lord, saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30b)

10. Jesus immediately stretched out His hand and caught Peter, presumably by the hand, and while pulling Peter back up on top of the water, Jesus said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

11. As soon as Peter and Jesus got into the boat, the wind ceased (Matt. 14:32), and the boat was instantly and miraculously moved to the far side of the Sea of Galilee where they had been headed (John 6:21). It is little wonder then that the disciples then told Jesus, “Truly you are the Son of God,” Matthew 14:33 ESV.

B. This event taught the disciples that just because they did not understand Jesus action in His recent refusal to submit to a quick coronation as king, they still needed to trust in Him. That trust was to be ongoing even though life’s trials made progress seemingly difficult. Just as Peter should have kept trusting the Lord to reach Him instead of ceasing to trust the Lord as he walked on the water partway toward Jesus, the disciples needed to trust Christ was the Son of God and Messiah even though they did not always understand His actions. As Dr. Pentecost put it, “(t)rials must be born in faith. The faith that first prompted a disciple to obedience must persist throughout the course of events involved in obedience to the will of God.” (Ibid., Pentecost, p. 235)

Lesson: When Jesus heeded God’s will not to let the people come by force to make Him king, and He sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee away from the crowd, obstructing this effort of the crowd to the confusion of the disciples, Christ allowed for the trials of the obstructive wind and Peter’s failed walking on the water to teach His disciples to keep trusting Him and not to be distracted from such trust for any reason.

Application: (1) If we are confused at God’s actions or inaction in a trial we face, He wants us to keep trusting Him regardless of our confusion. (2) If God has led us to start to go in a certain direction, He wants us to continue in that direction until He provides further notice. (3) If we face obstacles in doing God’s will like the disciples faced in the wind that obstructed their rowing, God can overcome the obstacles, so we should keep doing His will.