Matt 14:22-36? Peter gets out of the boat

Questions I have: Why did Jesus walk on the water? What did it prove? Was He just showing off? Why not just appear in the boat? Why did Peter want to join Him?

Facts:
1.	What word begins the story in v. 22?

a.	Immediately

2.	What does that communicate to you about the action that follows?

a.	It happens right after the previous action.

3.	Which is?

a.	The Feeding of the 5000–specifically the gathering of 12 basketfuls.

4.	Who initiates the action that follows?

a.	Jesus

5.	And He makes the disciples do what two things?

a.	get into the boat, and

b.	go ahead of Him to the other side,

6.	While He is doing what?

a.	sending the crowds away.

Interpretation:

1.	Why does Jesus send the disciples away while He (personally) dismisses the crowds? This is a little bit unusual–it separates Jesus from His disciples. He has to walk on the sea later to meet up with them again. Why couldn't they help Him dismiss the crowds–why does Jesus seem to want them gone so urgently?

a.	It almost seems He didn't want them to interfere with His dismissal.

b.	Also He wanted to be alone to pray–v. 23.

2.	Do we have any evidence in the context that He might have good reason to expect their interference?

a.	See V. 13 "Hearing of this"–2 things, John dead, Jesus in a solitary place–out of this there seems to be an attitude of expectation among the crowds. John has just been killed, and they've followed Jesus out to a remote place and won't even go away to get food–almost as if they are sure He's going to do something that they don't want to miss. Everyone's been healed and the crowds still don't leave.

b.	Perhaps there's been a little confusion over where to be a crowd–around John or around Jesus? Now the confusion is over. John's gone, and everyone's hanging around Jesus now, wondering what He'll do.

c.	Under these circumstances it's entirely possible that the disciples were as expectant as the crowd and were plotting to make Jesus king.

3.	Why is Jesus willing to dismiss them Himself after feeding them while He was not willing to do it at the disciples' request before feeding them?

a.	It's almost as if He's both heightening their expectations and dashing them all at once. (He's saying as we saw last week that when you have nothing and you still trust me you have everything–pointing to the time when He has gone to the cross and they will be left to feed the world.)

4.	Why is it significant that this happens immediately after the feeding of the 5000? What does it suggest about the atmosphere and mood of this occasion?

a.

Facts:

1.	After he had dismissed the crowds, what did Jesus do?

a.	Went up on the mountainside by Himself to pray.

2.	When does Matthew give us the next glimpse of what is going on?

a.	When evening came.

3.	How does he describe the scene?

a.	Jesus was alone on the mountainside

b.	The disciples are in the boat, a considerable distance from land.

c.	The boat is being buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

4.	What does Jesus do?

a.	It doesn't say explicitly, but we would assume He prays.

5.	For how long?

a.	Until the fourth watch of the night. (Which is?) According to Roman reckoning of 4 night watches, between 3-6 a.m. So roughly 9-12 hours Jesus has been praying alone on the mountain and the disciples have been buffeted in the boat.

b.	Did you catch what's going on here? Where did Jesus send them?

i.	To the other side

c.	When did He send them?

i.	12 hours ago

d.	Where are they now?

i.	Still on the lake. The lake is only 13 miles long from top to bottom and about 7 miles at the widest. So even if they were going the long way, the whole distance in 12 hours they ought to have been at the other side already.

6.	What does Jesus do during the fourth watch?

a.	He went out to them (how?) Walking on the lake!

Interpretation:

1.	Why does He wait nearly all night to go out to them?

a.	He was busy praying. He didn't rejoin them until He was done praying.

i.	How was his prayer time?–must have been good, he walked on water afterward!

b.	Perhaps the struggle with the storm was good for them.

2.	What would the disciples have thought about their all-night sailing trip after they realize it is Jesus coming out to them, walking on the water?

a.	I think they'd wonder why Jesus let them struggle all night with the storm when He obviously has power over the wind and the waves–He's walking on them. I'd be a little suspicious that He was behind the storm in the first place.

3.	Why does He walk on the water? Why not just show up in the boat miraculously? Why not swim? (Some say Galilean fishermen didn't swim, maybe that would have been too much for them.)

a.	I'm hearing a little bit more of the significance of the water-walking business after realizing that the disciples have been detained safely out of harm's way for 12 hours by that very water.

b.	He seems to be in the mood to do the impossible–showing His power over nature–first food, now water and wind. Why?

4.	Why did he pray for 12± hours instead of sleeping? What was so urgent that He needed that kind of prayer–what sparked this prayer session?

a.	Death of John the Baptist–foreshadowing His own death, and the disciples and crowds want to make Him king.

b.	Maybe He was tempted by the opportunity. Maybe He was struggling with how to teach His disciples that He was both the king and the sacrifice without losing them.

c.	Maybe He was praying to keep His will in line with the Father's in light of the fate He knew awaited Him at the cross.

Facts:

1.	What did the disciples see Him doing?

a.	Walking on the lake

2.	When they saw Him, how did they feel?

a.	Terrified

3.	What did they say?

a.	It is a ghost

4.	What else did they do?

a.	They cried out in fear

5.	How did Jesus respond?

a.	He spoke to them immediately

6.	What 3 things did He say?

a.	Take courage,

b.	it is I;

c.	do not be afraid.

Interpretation:

1.	What does it tell us about the disciples that they were so terrified?

a.	They have a very short memory? They don't trust Jesus very much. It reminds me of the children of Israel in the desert, they have been eating miraculous bread for 40 years, but they don't believe they can go into the land of Canaan victoriously. I wonder if there's any connection between the Red Sea experience and this one?

b.	When Jesus is absent for a short time, they start seeing ghosts!

2.	What does Jesus' response to their cries tell us? (What is His prescription for anxiety?)

a.	His presence is what they need to soothe their fears–not just His presence, but knowing that He is present. It's almost as if they have no faith when He is absent. Is this story the story of Jesus trying to give them a taste of His absence–trying by degrees in small bites to prepare them for the storm that is coming–the storm that will follow exultation at the triumphal entry?

3.

Facts:

1.	Who speaks next?

a.	Peter

2.	What are the two parts of his speech?

a.	Lord if it is you,

b.	command me to come to you on the water.

3.	What did Jesus answer?

a.	Come

4.	What did Peter do?

a.	He got out of the boat and walked on the water and came toward Jesus

5.	What interrupted his walk?

a.	Seeing the wind, he became frightened,

b.	and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

6.	What did Jesus do immediately?

a.	He stretched out His hand and took hold of him

7.	What did He say to Him?

a.	"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

8.	What happened when they got into the boat?

a.	The wind stopped

9.	What was the response of the disciples in the boat?

a.	They worshiped,

b.	saying, 'you are certainly the son of God'

Interpretation:

1.	Why did Peter ask Jesus to command him to come? Why did he preface it with 'if it is you'?

a.	It seems like he asks to find out if it is really Jesus.

2.	Then why that? Why not, 'If you're really Jesus, tell me your mother's maiden name,' or 'tell the wind to cease'? Those certainly would have been safer options! Why did He ask Jesus to tell him to do something impossible?

a.

3.	And better yet, why did He step out and do it when asked?

4.	What are Jesus' options when Peter makes the request? Why does He tell Peter to waterwalk? Why not say 'no'?

a.

5.	When did Peter doubt?

a.	Perhaps when he said, 'if it is you'

6.	What is the difference between the disciples in the boat trying to stay afloat and Peter on the water trying to stay afloat?

a.	Wind is against both

b.	Both 'see' something that terrifies them

c.	Both cry out in fear

d.	Jesus responds immediately to both

e.	But peter is out of the boat, not in it

f.	Disciples in boat see Jesus and are terrified, Peter sees waves and is terrified

g.	Peter is coming to Jesus, Jesus was coming out to them in the boat

h.	Peter gets called little faith, they just get reassured that it's him, and told not to fear.

i.	Peter also is saved by Jesus hand, they just float in the boat

j.	Peter asks to do the impossible, they stay in the realm of possibility

7.	How does all this serve Jesus' purposes for training His disciples?

8.	What does it tell us about Him or His mission or His character?

9.	What does it tell us about the disciples?

10.	What does this tell us about Jesus? What is He thinking and feeling through this whole story?

11.	How well did the disciples understand Jesus in this story?

12.	What is the plot? What is the setting, conflict, climax, resolution?

a.	Setting: feed 5000, disciples sent off in boat, Jesus goes to pray alone

b.	1st conflict: disciples in boat getting battered by waves

c.	Building: Jesus waits 12 hours–like ark, buffeted?

d.	Building: Jesus appears walking on water–a ghost?

e.	Building: Storm unchecked, Peter wants to walk on water, Jesus lets him, but he nearly drowns

Compare Syrophoenician woman and walking on water stories

1.	When they cried out thinking He was a ghost, He was nice and immediately answered them w/ comforting words, but when she cried out to Him calling Him Lord, Son of David He did not answer her a word

2.	She knelt and worshiped him before he did anything for her, they worshiped only after he calmed the wind and waves.

3.	She came to Him, but Jesus went out to them (although Peter wants to come to Jesus)

4.	She comes to Jesus with a great need asking for mercy for her daughter, Peter asks for power to do something grand when he didn't need anything(?), only when his lack of faith gets him in trouble does he cry out for mercy for himself

5.	The disciples ask Jesus to send away the crowds so they can get some food, here they ask Jesus to send away one woman empty when she would be satisfied with crumbs.

6.	Peter had just been caught by Jesus when he cried for mercy, but he wants Jesus to send away this woman who is crying out for mercy.