by Ed Ostrom

Created on: October 06, 2010

Matthew 14:22-36  paints a poignant night scene from the life of the Lord Jesus Christ, After an adventurous day of ministry , culminating in the miraculous feeding of some five thousand people, Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat. He, then dismissed the crowd, and climbed the mountain to spend time alone in prayer and communion with His Father.

In the meantime, out on the Sea of Galilee the disciples were struggling .A strong head wind was acting as a wall blocking their progress in crossing the water to the shore on the other side. The disciples struggled against the wind. Their muscles were sore. The waves crashed against the boat, threatening to capsize it at any moment. The breakers pounded against the little bark, tossing it too and fro. These experienced fishermen had often been in storms, but this one frightened them to the core of their beings.

Mark writes of this same incident in the sixth chapter of his Gospel.  Verse 48 says “Then He (Jesus) saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost and cried out.”

Jesus saw His disciples struggling and He came to them around three in the morning. He came by walking on the water.   “Walking on the water” is a metaphor that can be used of dealing with life’s problems. However, I want to be very clear here, this was not a case of play acting, or a literary description. I believe that the Lord Jesus actually walked on the water to His disciples. I believe this Scriptural incident has some very important lessons to teach us today. May we learn the lessons and apply them in our lives as Christ followers in our sin sick world.

We see a Rocking Boat. The winds beat against it. It was tossed to and fro by the strong winds and high waves. At times in our daily lives we find ourselves facing contrary winds and stormy seas. Often the little ships of our lives are rocked by the things that are happening and we are left with feelings of loneliness, emptiness and a sense of defeat and worry.  We see frightened disciples. They were tired and weary. They strained against the winds and made little or no head way. Their muscles were aching. They were wet, and hungry and very uncomfortable. The strong winds and high waves threatened to capsize the boat. These seasoned veterans knew they were in danger. Their hearts were gripped by terror.. We see

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