Matthew: Fear or Faith (14:22-36)

This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 18 June 2023. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.

Fight-or-flight. Those are the two physical reactions we can have when put in a perilous situation. When in danger, we physically react by either engaging the danger, fighting it, or by running away from the danger, fleeing from it. And studies have shown these two reactions not only naturally occur in humans, but in many animals as well. I’m sure you have all seen it happen on a wildlife documentary. You have watched as a water buffalo has suddenly found itself face to face with a lion. And in that moment, it will physically react in one of two ways. It will try to defend itself, charge at the lion, or it will try to escape, flee from the lion. Fight-or-flight, the two physical reactions we have when we are in danger. And this evening, we are going to see something very similar in our passage. For it reveals to us, not the two physical reactions we can have to danger, but the two spiritual reactions we can have. O yes, when we are in put in peril, our bodies respond either with fight or flight, but our hearts will respond to danger in two different ways. When in danger, spiritually we respond either with fear or with faith. Fear-or-faith.

Those are the two possible spiritual responses we see in our passage this evening. If you remember where we have been recently in the book of Matthew, you will recall that a few weeks ago, at the beginning of the chapter, Jesus is told about the violent unjust death of John the Baptist, which was a prophetic picture of his own future suffering. And so, in 14:13, Jesus withdrew by boat to a secluded spot, to pray to his Father and prepare himself for his own death. However, when he arrives at his destination, he finds thousands of people have already gathered there, all wanting to hear from and be healed by him. [...] And so, putting aside his own needs, in compassion, he begins to heal the crowd, and even provides food for them later that day, miraculously multiplying five loaves and two fish so his disciples can feed a crowd of over 5000. And this is the point that our passage picks up at this evening. For we learn that having filled the crowd with food, Jesus dismisses them in 14:22, and in 14:23 he finally goes off to pray, just as originally planned. However, as well as sending the crowd away in 14:22, Jesus also sent the disciples away. As Jesus goes up the mountain to pray, the disciples are sent to sail across the sea, with the understanding that Jesus will meet them on the other side after he has finished. However, unfortunately for the disciples, this was not a night for smooth sailing, for they are caught up in a perilous storm. The disciples are in danger, and we see them react to this in two ways in our passage. First, in 14:22-26, we see them react in fear. Then, in 14:27-36, they respond in faith. Those are the two sections I want to consider together from our story this evening: (1) Fear in the Storm; (2) Faith in the Saviour. And as we do so, we shall see that like the disciples, we too can respond to our circumstances in similar ways, that our hearts will also often react like theirs did, either in fear or in faith.

1.     FEAR IN THE STORM (14:22-26)

I’m not sure if you have ever been on a boat in a storm. However, these disciples were certainly used to it. Afterall, many of them were fishermen, and during his ministry around the Sea of Galilee, Jesus often used a boat to travel. Indeed, if you remember, that is how he got to this secluded spot back in 14:13. The disciples were regular sailors, experts at navigating these choppy waters. And yet, what they experienced that night pushed them beyond their limits. It’s unclear whether the storm began before they set off, but by the time they get into the middle of the lake, they are in real trouble. Matthew tells us three facts in 14:24 that highlight the danger they were in. First, we are told, “the boat was already a considerable distance from land”. That is, the safety of the shore is far behind them. Just how far is clear from John 6:19, where we are told they had already gone over 3 miles across the lake, and so there was no chance of turning back now. Further, with darkness descending and waves surrounding them, they wouldn’t have been able to see the shore anymore! Second, Matthew tells us that they are being “buffeted by the waves”. These would have been huge waves, up to 10 feet high, sweeping over the boat. Perhaps they were in danger of being capsized and drowned, just as when they were previously caught in a storm back in Matthew 8. Thirdly, Matthew tells us “the wind was against” them. Not only were they miles from shore, and being buffeted by waves, but they were stuck, stranded, held there by the swirling wind. Indeed, they seem to have been stuck like this for hours. For they set off after dinner, but don’t encounter Jesus until shortly before dawn in 14:25. Whatever way you look at it, these disciples were in real trouble, in danger of losing not just a boat, but their lives. They have been in this situation before, of course, for back in Matthew 8, they were stuck in a similar storm. And yet, unlike on that occasion, Jesus is not with them here. Jesus isn’t in the boat to save them. They are all alone, and I’m sure they were afraid. When facing this danger of the wind and waves, the disciples reacted with fear.

I wonder what you are afraid of this evening. I’m not talking about whether you are afraid of spiders or heights. In many ways, those fears are easy to deal with. Last year, a certain church member, who shall remain nameless, came into my office to ask me to remove a spider from the kitchen, because they were too terrified to touch it. Though real, such fears are relatively easy for us to deal with. However, there are other fears that we can’t avoid. Sometimes storms sweep into our lives as suddenly as this one descended on the disciples, and they threaten to overwhelm us. (1) You develop a health condition, and you fear losing your independence or mental awareness. (2) A loved one goes into hospital, and you worry if they will ever come home. (3) Trouble at work means you fear losing your job. (4) Or you are just starting your career, and you wonder whether you will even be able to get a job in the first place! (5) Rising inflation means you fear being unable to keep up with the bills, get a mortgage, or put enough away in your pension for the future. I wonder what keeps you up at night? Occupies your mind all day? Friend, what storm are you stuck in this evening? What do you fear might happen to you or those you love?

These disciples were stuck in a storm and filled with fear. And yet, did you notice what they fear most is not the wind and the waves, but the one walking on them. Did you notice that as we read our passage earlier? If like me, this story is familiar to you, you probably just assumed the disciples mainly feared drowning in the sea. And yet, Matthew doesn’t mention such a fear until he speaks of Peter later in 14:30. Instead, in the first half of the passage, it is something else that strikes fear into the heart of these disciples. For in 14:25-26 we read: [READ] It is not the natural that most fills these disciples with fear (i.e. the wind and the waves), it was the supernatural (i.e. this figure walking on them). This is just one of the many similarities between this story and the previous one. Last week, the greatest need of the crowd was not physical (i.e. bread and fish), but spiritual (i.e. compassion and mercy). And the exact same is true here. The greatest fear of these disciples is not physical, but spiritual. After all they were fishermen and experienced sailors. A storm at sea could be scary, but they had been in storms before. What really struck terror into their hearts, caused them to literally cry out in fear, was not the sea, but a spirit, this figure slowly coming towards them. Perhaps this seems strange to you. Why would the disciples be so afraid of Jesus?

Well, put yourself in their shoes for just a minute. They are miles from land, being battered by waves, and getting no closer to safety after struggling against this wind all night. And remember that it was night, for Jesus appears to them just before dawn in 14:25. That is just as the darkness was beginning to lift. And so, they had yes enough light to see there was someone out there, but not enough to work out who it was. That is why Jesus has to introduce himself in 14:27, for they don’t recognise who he is. Friends, do you see that this scene is like something out of a horror movie? The disciples know that someone, or something, is out there, but they can’t see who or what it is. Remember also this shadowy figure isn’t simply strolling across a still sea. No, it is striding through the wind and waves, perhaps even stepping from the top of one wave to another. Given this figure is walking on water, they assume whatever it is it can’t be physical, but instead it must be a kind of spirit. And so, their guess in 14:26, that it is a ghost, actually makes a lot of sense. Friends, do you see how this is a such a scary moment for the disciples. They think this figure walking towards them is not a loving saviour, but an evil spirit. While the natural dangers of the wind and waves obviously scarred them, this supernatural danger truly terrified them, caused them to cry out in fear. As sailors, they could struggle against the storm, but how could they struggle against this evil spirit?

Maybe you are here this evening, and you think this is all superstitious religious nonsense. Oh yes, you see how you might fear losing your job, becoming unwell, or struggling with finances. You know there are natural dangers, but supernatural ones? A spiritual being appearing to sailors in a storm? Something or someone walking on water? That doesn’t sound very scientific! Yes, it’s the kind of thing we might find in a Bible story, it might be a myth gullible Christians believe, but it’s hardly very plausible! Afterall, we live in the 21st Century, not the Dark Ages! Well, if that is what you are thinking tonight, then it really is great to have you with us. You are always welcome to our services here at Grace Church, and we’d love to chat to you more about why we believe such stories in the Bible aren’t just religious fairy tales, myths with a moral, but are historically accurate and scientifically plausible. For here at Grace Church, we really do believe such events, whether the feeding of the 5000 or walking on water, actually happened in history! What’s more, we believe there is a spiritual realm with real supernatural dangers we should fear. Dangers that are far more overwhelming and terrifying than even those of the physical natural world.

Friend, there is something far worse than losing your job, becoming unwell, or struggling financially. For the Bible tells us that we all face a far greater supernatural danger. It tells us we are all sailing straight into a storm, one that even the worst circumstances of this life cannot be compared to. For we have all sinned against God, rebelled against the king of creation, and for this he will justly punish us. That night the disciples realised that far more terrifying than drowning at sea, was the danger of falling into the hands of an evil spirit. And tonight, whether you accept it or not, I must warn you that there is something you should fear far more than even your worst natural nightmares, and it is falling into the hands of Almighty God. For as Hebrews 10:31 puts it, “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (NASB) For the Bible makes clear [...] that when you encounter him, when you stand before him at the end of your life, and found guilty of breaking his good and perfect law, you will be swept away, not by the wind and waves, but an eternal storm of wrath and judgement. You will be stuck, not in the sea for a few hours without any sight of shore, but in Hell forever with no hope that your suffering will ever end. Oh, whatever you fear this evening, make sure that that is your greatest fear. For the wind and waves are one thing, but the wrath of almighty God is another. It is a storm that should fill even the bravest among us with fear.

2.     FAITH IN THE SAVIOUR (14:27-36)

If our passage teaches us that the storms of this life, and the next, are a source of great fear, then it also shows us finding a saviour brings great comfort and courage. When reading it earlier, did you notice that the whole passage pivots on just a few words? That a single sentence transforms our story from one of fear into one of faith? For in 14:27, we read: [READ]. Those words of Jesus in 14:27 are central in the story: ‘Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid!’ Do you see there are two commands there, one positive and one negative [...]. And both are based on the single assertion in the middle: ‘It is I.’ Those are the three little words that free these disciples from fear and fill them with faith. What truth can calm the troubled soul? What can still our hearts when we fear the storm? Well, as with the disciples, it is those three little words: ‘It is I.’ It is recognising Jesus that moves us from fear to faith.

We see this highlighted to us later in the passage, when the people of Gennesaret immediately do what the disciples failed to initially do. Did you notice what happened when Jesus lands on the shore and disembarks from the boat? In 14:35-36 we read: [READ]. Unlike the disciples, they immediately recognise Jesus and respond in faith, for they bring all their sick and, like the lady in Matthew 9, have so much faith in him they know that they need only touch the edge of his cloak, and they would be healed. Recognising Jesus removes fear and replaces it with faith.

Why? Why does recognising Jesus do this? Well, there is an obvious and a not so obvious answer in our passage. The obvious answer is that the disciples were relieved this figure coming towards them was not an evil spirit, but was instead their friend, Jesus. We see a similar thing in everyday life. For example, growing up, my wife Sarah went to a school where her father was the headmaster. And so, when she was a little girl, and the headmaster came into her classroom, while all the other children were maybe scared or a little nervous, it didn’t bother Sarah at all. In fact, she would have often went up to him and given him a hug! After all it was her Daddy, she knew him and loved him, and so didn’t need to be afraid of him. And it is similar for the disciples. When they realise this figure is not a danger to them, but is in fact their master and friend Jesus, their fear of this figure melts away. That’s the obvious answer. However, the less obvious answer is there in our passage as well if you look closely. For in this story, the disciples not only find out who this shadowy figure is, but they find out who Jesus is. They finally recognise Jesus for who he really is. Did you notice that is how the storm ends? For in 14:32, we are told: [READ].

The significance of that verse can’t be overstated. Indeed, there are only two other moments in Matthew that this happens: at the start, when the wise men worship Jesus in 2:11, and at the end, when the disciples again worship him after his resurrection in 28:17. And so, clearly something happened in this storm, something about this miracle meant that they finally fully understood who Jesus was. [Matthew 8] Last week, we heard how the feeding of the 5000 was a Messianic miracle, proved that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, for it mirrored the miracle God himself performed when he fed his people in the wilderness. And the same is true in our passage tonight. Walking on water was not another party trick, but it was a clear piece of evidence that Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Creation, the one who can not only calm a storm, but even walk on the waves through it. That’s what we are told again and again in the Old Testament about the Lord. In books like Job, and Psalms and Isaiah, God is said to walk on water, stride through the storm. For example, in Job 9:8, it says God alone is the one who “treads on the waves of the sea.” And that is exactly what we see Jesus do here. He does what God alone can do! [This divine conclusion is further clarified and confirmed by those three little words he uses in 14:27, which are actually only two words in Greek, most straightforwardly translated as simply: “I am”. In 14:27, Jesus is not only saying ‘It is I, your friend Jesus’, but ‘I am your Lord and God’. These words are not just confirming that he is Jesus, but they are claiming that he is God. For that is the name of God first revealed at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14: Yahweh, the ‘I am’. The one who cannot be defined by anything else, for he made everything else. He simply is who he is. And that night, in this storm, the disciples discovered he is Jesus. And that made all the difference.] Recognising who Jesus was, freed them from fear, filled them with faith, removed all their worries, replaced them with worship.

Why can we have courage tonight? Why need we not be afraid? It is for the same reason these disciples discovered, those same three words in 14:27. It is because of who Jesus is that we need not fear the worst storm of this world, and even the great storm of eternity. If you are here tonight, and fear falling into the hands of the living God, fear the judgement that awaits you on that last day for your sin, then see here that realising who Jesus is, recognising him as the Son of God who has come not to harm you, but to help you, not to cause you to suffer, but to bring you to salvation, that fact can free you from fear and fill you with faith. For the Bible tells us how this one who could pass through the wind and the waves, stride through this storm, went through another storm. For on the cross he himself suffered God’s eternal storm of wrath and judgement, for all the sins of his people, so that if you put your trust in him tonight. If you recognise him to be the Lord, and like Peter soon does in 14:30, cry out ‘Lord, save me!’ That is what he will immediately do. Did you notice that in 14:27 and again in 14:30? That when the disciples cry out in fear, and when Peter cries out in faith, Jesus immediately responds. He immediately reveals who he is, he immediately rescues from death. Friend, if you cry out to Jesus tonight, he is ready to immediately reveal himself and rescue you. For those hands that are terrifying to fall into, if we do so in our sin, are ready to reach out and rescue us, if we cry out to him. Will you do that this evening? Will you have faith in the Saviour? [...]

And do you know, if we were in another Gospel this evening, if we considered this story from Mark or John, this is where our sermon would end. However, Matthew includes one final detail that no other author mentions. I suppose we could say that Matthew is the extended edition of this story. You know in the way a film sometimes has to be shortened for the cinema, but when it is released on DVD or online, you get all the bits they cut out. And that is what Matthew does here, he includes something the other authors all leave out. For he tells us that before Jesus gets in the boat, Peter got out of the boat. That not only does Jesus walk on water, but Peter does as well, at least for a few moments. When we step back and remember the purpose of this particular part of Matthew, we immediately see why this detail has been included. For if you remember last week, we said that at this particular point in the book, the focus of Jesus’ ministry has turned towards training, equipping his disciples. We saw that last week, where it is the disciples that distribute food to the crowd. And it seems Peter has learnt that lesson, realised that this Lord not only has power to do miracles, but can empower others to do so in his service as well. And so Peter, recognising who Jesus is, realising that he is the Son of God, steps out in faith in a very practical way, for he steps out of the boat onto the water, trusting in Jesus’ command for him to do so. It is surely a highpoint of Peter’s journey with Jesus so far, a moment that would live long in his memory, as he felt the waves beneath his feet. But then, of course, it all goes horribly wrong, for in 14:30 we read:[READ]. Peter’s trust turns into terror, his faith returns to fear, and he starts to sink into the sea, only to be rescued by his Saviour’s outstretched hand.

As we close this evening, I think it would be good to stop and just dwell a moment on the lessons we can learn from this incident in the life of Peter. For just as Jesus was trying to train his disciples through these events, sent them into the storm so they could see who he was, we too are trained as his disciples through what happens here. Three brief lessons we learn from what happens here:

(1) Even the strongest faith in this world, will always be mixed with fear. None of the other disciples got out of the boat, none had faith to stand on the waves alongside Jesus. Peter was the best of them, and yet he still stumbled. O brothers and sisters at Grace Church, let us not pretend that we would be better than Peter here. Let us learn to be honest and open about our fears and failings, let us lose any sense of pretence that says to be a Christian means you are always victorious, always abounding in confidence and trust. For we see something else entirely here. For we see here that to be a Christian means that you have enough faith to cry out to Jesus for salvation, and yet not enough to drive out fear forever. Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat, but too little faith to keep him walking on water. And that will be the case for each of us, brothers and sisters. In the end, like Peter, as we pass through the storms of life, we will all discover that we too are people of little faith. Even those who have faith in the Saviour, still sometimes fear the storm.

(2) We start to sink when we look more at the storm than we do at the Saviour. That’s the mistake Peter made, wasn’t it? In 14:30, it was because he saw the wind, that he started to sink beneath the waves. Peter failed to keep his eyes on Jesus. He forgot the power of the Saviour, and instead focused on the peril of the storm. I wonder this evening, if you are spending more time worrying about your circumstances than you are thinking about Jesus. Is your mind more likely to wander to consider the wind and the waves, or to the one who walks on top of them? Are you stuck staring at the storm you are in tonight, or are your eyes fixed on the one who sent you into that storm and even now controls the wind and waves all around you? Brothers and sisters, remember it is recognising Jesus that can free us from fear and fill us with faith. Considering truths like Jamie talked about this morning – God’s sovereignty. Coming along to our Women’s Bible Studies at the moment as they are considering a book on the doctrine of God! Spend time with God in prayer and his Word. If we start to sink when we look more at the storm than we do at the Saviour, then place all your effort, energy on staring at the Saviour. Looking at him. Thinking about him.

(3) When we have faith in Jesus, we have no reason to fear. O yes, like Peter we will struggle to see through the storm and look at Jesus. We will fear, and yet we have no reason to do so. I think this is what struck me most when studying the passage this week. What is it that Jesus says the Peter when he catches his hand, brings him back up above the wind and waves?

In 14:31 we read: [READ] Often it is faith that is seen as unreasonable, but here Jesus points out it is doubt that is in fact unreasonable. Think what Peter has just witnessed that day, just a few hours ago, Peter watched as Jesus... Two miracles of nature - the first supply their needs, the second saving from danger. Provision and Protection.

This evening are you passing through a storm?.... Maybe you aren’t in a storm right now, but one is building on the horizon. Young people, maybe you are sitting exams right now. What will you do? Will you react with fear or faith? In that moment ask yourselves… Why are you doubting? Why fear the storm, if you know the one who sent you into it and controls it? Has Jesus ever let you down, has he ever failed to save you when you cried out?