Peter – The Storm and the Stumble
Jesus finds out that his cousin John the Baptist was beheaded – How does Jesus respond to bad news of the loss of a family member?
Matthew 14:13 “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place”
Matthew 14:13-14 “When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
A characteristic about God’s Kingdom:
- It is less about focusing on self
- And more about focusing on others
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you”
Matthew 23:11-12 “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Acts 20:35 “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Matthew 14:15-16 “As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
Jesus’ ultimate plan is to teach and train his disciples:
Matthew 14:17-21 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.”
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.”
John 6: 14-15 “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself”
Matthew 14:22-23 “Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.”
After a long day of caring for others, Jesus finally gets what he wanted in the first place – To be alone with his Heavenly Father!
Matthew 14:23-25 “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.”
It normally takes 1 ½ hour trip to row across the Sea of Galilee.
Sea of Galilee
John 6:19 “When they had rowed about three or four miles”
Matthew 14:26 “When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.“
The Greek word for ghost is phantasma.
Matthew 14:27 “But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
The Greek word Ego Eimi means – I AM
Matthew 14:28-29 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.”
Matthew 14:29-30 “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Peter’s faith didn’t fail because of the wind. It failed because he got distracted!
This, below, is a one minute video I would like to show:
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AxdpLF8Qo
Many of us have problems because we get our eyes off of Jesus…
Matthew 14:31-33 “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind stopped. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
What do you have your eyes fixed on?
If you are stumbling today because the storm is too loud, remember that:
- Looking to Jesus will lift you up
- You don’t have to try to walk back to the boat alone
- He has the ability to calm the storms of life
