Introduction

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I watch a video that was a compilation of a bunch of clips of large cargo ships on the open ocean. One showed a container ship tilting 45 degrees to the left, then 45 degrees to the right. It was a wonder that the ship did not turn over. Another video showed the perspective of a ship on top of a wave. Containerships are built to withstand waves up to 50 feet high. And this video seemed to depict a ship on top of one of these high waves. The tilt of the ship as it went down made it seem as if it were about to plunge into the depth of the ocean.

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It amazes me that human engineering can design vessels to withstand such conditions. However, no human engineering can tame the wave itself. No mere human on his own ability can simply walk those waters. We live in a world where there are forces much bigger than us. Forces we cannot control that threaten to undo us: cultural upheaval, death, sin, evil. Just one mistakenly pressed button could cause world war three. The culture of death with abortion ending early life and physician assisted suicide ending older life can only be lived out by a culture who has given up on the value of life, the value of what God has created. There is a whole philosophy ruling our colleges that is bent on destroying the Christian faith. The way that most everyone thinks about their life, their wants and needs, is shaped far more by culture and media than by God’s word. At any moment, a vital organ might fail causing us to have to change everything forever.

It seems as if the way that containership miraculously survives the gigantic waves of the sea is the very way we live our day-to-day lives. There’s one wave about to crash against us here. We about to tilt, perhaps all the way over. At any moment it seems as though our lives can capsize and sink. Is there any hope?

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Today, we are looking at when Jesus walks on water. Why does Jesus do this? Is he just trying to do a cool magic trick, or is it something much deeper?

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Matt. 14:22-33

OMove 1Matthew 14:22–27ESV

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”RevelationPrecept (v. 22)

Jesus commands his disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side. The reason why is unclear. Jesus did originally set out on this journey to be alone. Remember he had just fed a large crowd in a desolate place. The feeding of the 5000 has overtones from the Exodus journey. We will see more Exodus overtones in this narrative.Prayer (23-24)

After he dismisses the crowds he goes alone on the mountain to pray. Though this is something that occurs frequently in the other gospels, this is not something that recurs often in Matthew. But notice that Matthew emphasizes the fact that Jesus was alone. Twice it is mentioned. It says “by himself” in the middle of 23 and “He was there alone” at the end of 23. This too is an echo of Exodus. Exodus 24:2 “2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.””

But the focus of the story is not on the prayer. Notice the immediate change of attention in v. 24. The disciples are being torn apart by the sea. The text says they were a long way off from land, perhaps thrown off course by the storm, about three miles from shore. One commentator notes that because the wind was against them, “

MatthewExegesis

The disciples would have needed to paddle or row (Mark 6:48; John 6:19) frantically just to keep the bow of the ship perpendicular to the waves in order to prevent the ship from capsizing

And if we assume that Jesus demanded them to leave the shore at early evening when he dismisses the crowds, and he did not arrive until the “fourth watch of the night” then his disciples were battling these waves for 9-12 hours. Relevance 1

Can you imagine exerting all your strength, fighting for your life for 12 hours?

But how did the disciples get in this seemingly terrible situation? Look at v. 22 again, “He made the disciples get into the boat and go . . .”

I have a great problem with the way modern Christians read the Bible. A good deal of modern American Christians have decided their greatest problem is having inner peace. The problem is therapeutic. So the solution must be that Jesus solves our problems that cause us not to have inner peace. Jesus calms the storms in our lives. And we allegorize those storms to be the problems we face. That annoying guy at work, the way my spouse always nags me, the fact that I don’t have enough love for myself. Then we neglect any responsibility in the face of our “storm” and throw up our hands and say “I just need to let go and let God” or “Jesus take the wheel” and assume that Jesus is just what we need to solve all the therapeutic problems that frustrate us too much. It’s as if we determine there are some problems in life that are DIY and others we have to hire out. And Jesus is some miraculous fix-it man who makes everything in my kingdom just the way I want it to be.

We get so stuck in our problem-solution cycle that we miss the biggest problem of all: it’s no our kingdom. We’re not the rulers. We’re not on the throne. Yet we keep living like it. If this describes your tendencies or your old ruts, perhaps I can show you something startling in this text that will dethrone you. Maybe now you can abdicate the throne of your life and stop using Jesus as if he was simply royal caretaker ready to bow to your every whim.

Jesus forced the disciples to be in the storm. Furthermore, Jesus forced his disciples to be on the raging sea while purposefully remaining out of the boat. Perhaps paddling wave after wave for hours will cause you to see who is really on the throne of your life.

But I content that we should not allegorize the storms to be simply problems that we face in life. This misstep would cause us to miss who Jesus is. So what would be a better, biblical image for the sea and storms?Building a Biblical Theology

Thesis: The sea is a biblical image of uncreation, chaos, destruction, brought to life by the image of a sea dragon, Rahab, Leviathan.

Genesis 1:2 “2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

Job 9:8 “8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;”

Job 26:12 “12 By his power he stilled the sea; by his understanding he shattered Rahab.”

Exodus 14:12–16 “12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.”

Psalm 74:12–14 “12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. 13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the sea monsters on the waters. 14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.”

Isaiah 27:1 “1 In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.”

Walking on water is one of those things that Jesus is most widely known for. But it’s not just a cool magic trick.Power

Matthew 14:25–27 “25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.””

The fourth watch is somewhere between 3-6am. The time is again specific to show us the plight of the disciples. Notice the language, “he came to them.” This is the language of compassion. The Son of God who is high above on the mountain with the Father does not stay there with is nose raised above humanity in disgust. He does not laugh at his disciple’s plight and belittle them. No, “He came to them.”

But notice too the manner by which he came, “Walking on the sea.” The sea is raging in the storm. But there is bit of calmness to the way the savior approaches. He is not climbing, surfing, clamoring, running. No, he is walking on the sea. Why such language? Job 9:8 “8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;”

When the disciples saw him, they were terrified. They called him a “phantasm.” This word does not have much usage in the Bible at all. We hear “ghost” and think the spirit of a dead human. But is that what the disciples thought? Charles Quarles in his commentary argues otherwise. He says when another first century Jew, the Jewish historian Josephus, spoke of God appearing to Moses in the burning bush, he used this very word. Heb. 12:21 uses the verb form of this word to refer to the appearing of God himself. I truly believe the disciples thought they were getting a glimpse of God that through them into terror.

And is typical in a manifest appearing of God, Jesus says “do not be afraid.” Jesus also uses the very words that God identified himself with in the burning bush. “I am.” I know our translation here says, “it is I,” but I have no reason to deny this very phrase is the divine name, “Take heart, I AM, do not be afraid.”Relevance

So not only did Jesus put his disciples in this storm, he put them there so they could get a better understanding of who he is.

Jesus did not miscalculate the weather. He is the one who sent them into the storm. Why? Because storms are classrooms. The sea, in Scripture, is not simply wet—it is chaos, Leviathan’s lair, the abyss of death. And here are the disciples, straining at the oars, men who grew up on these waters but now realize they are out of their depth. That is when Christ comes—not to calm them with platitudes, but to reveal himself as the One who treads on the waves as on dry ground. The one who treads leviathan.

Have you heard of Horatio Spafford? He was a successful lawyer in Chicago in the 1870s, a man who seemed to have everything. But then came the storms. First, the great Chicago fire of 1871 ruined him financially. Then, just as the family was rebuilding, he sent his wife and four daughters ahead to Europe on the steamship Ville du Havre. He planned to join them a few weeks later.

Halfway across the Atlantic, in the dead of night, that vessel was struck by another and sank in twelve minutes. His wife, Anna, was rescued on a piece of wreckage, but all four daughters drowned. She cabled two haunting words back to her husband: ‘Saved alone.’

Spafford boarded the next ship to join her. As they crossed the same waters where his daughters had perished, the captain called him aside: ‘This is the place.’ Can you imagine? Looking out over that vast, dark sea, knowing your children lie beneath? The chaos of grief must have surged like waves over his soul.

And yet it was there, in the storm, that Christ met him. He returned to his cabin and began to write: ‘When peace, like a river, attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll — whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.’

Spurgeon said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me upon the rock of ages.”

Horatio Spafford stood on the deck, staring into an ocean that had swallowed his children, and he confessed: ‘It is well with my soul.’ Why? Because he saw Christ in the storm. He trusted that the One who commands the sea also holds his life.

But not every heart responds like that. Not every disciple is ready to sing ‘It is well.’

Matthew pivots to Peter. Bold Peter, who sees Jesus on the waves and wants to be near him, dares to step out of the boat. For a moment, he too is carried by faith — until the wind howls, the spray blinds, and the chaos shouts louder than Christ’s word. He begins to sink.

Here the text presses in close: it is not just about the storm ‘out there’ — it is about the storm in here. It is about my faltering faith, your trembling trust. Spafford shows us what mature faith can sing in the face of tragedy. Peter shows us how often we still sink beneath our fears.Move 2Matthew 14:28–33ESV

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”Revelation

Peter’s demand is somewhat mystifying in face of everything going on around him. But it seems his sight of Christ has motivated him to be like him. This is our goal as well, to be like Christ, to see him as he is. Jesus commands him to step out as well. Yet Peter began to focus on the chaos all around him instead. Then he begins to sink.

We see Peter’s courage, his fear, and his failure. But all of this sets up a better view of Jesus. The point of this story is not “be like Peter” or “don’t be like Peter” but “Look at Jesus.”

Peter’s courage reveals that Christ’s identity is compelling. Peter’s fear reveals human frailty in front of the leviathan that plagues us all. Peter’s sinking reveals Christ’s authority to save sinking disciples.

Jesus calls into question Peter’s doubt. This is not unbelief. This is not sin. But it is a falter. But the focus is not Peter. When they get in the boat, notice: they did not congratulate Peter’s courage, they did not condemn his fear, no, they worshipped Jesus. They said, “truly you are the Son of God.” Whatever it is that makes God God, God’s essential nature, is also true of Jesus.Relevance

We live in day and age where we are all publishers. We live in a day and age where justice is craved more than ever before and how people define justice is divided more now than ever before. There are several Christians who define their existence by their activism.

If something terrible happens in society, people measure how good you are as a Christian by how quickly you post online about how terrible the injustice is. After Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week there was all sorts of debate online. Some pastors were coming out saying he deserved it. One Southern Baptist pastor characterized Kirk as carnal. Others were arguing that if your pastor does not say anything about it, then you should leave your church.

There is chaos raging in our society. Chaos on almost every level: family, individual, psychological, educational, institutional, political, and on and on. This chaos is insurmountable. We may even question with the psalmist, “Why do the nations rage?”

Our faith will motivate us to tread leviathan, no doubt about it. But whether we have faith or not is not determined by how well we walk on the waves. Whether or not we are Christian is not determined by our performance of activism. Rather, it is determine by the object of our worship. Peter’s salvation was not based on how well he tread the waves. But it was in the object of his worship. Conclusion

Jesus purposefully sends the disciples into the storm. He is sovereign over the chaos, it is not accidental. The storm becomes a classroom for the disciples. Every bit of self-reliance is stripped away in the face of the one who treads leviathan. Our measure of faith is in the object of our worship.

Jesus purposefully puts us face-to-face with insurmountable chaos so we can see him for who he is and worship him.

“Imagine your life as a small boat on the open sea. Waves crash over you, winds howl, and the storm seems impossible. You can row as hard as you want, brace yourself, try to balance — but none of that makes the storm obey. And yet, in the midst of the chaos, Jesus steps out onto the waves. He is not distant or aloof; he comes to you, walking on the very chaos that terrifies you, and says, ‘Take heart, I AM. Do not be afraid.’”

“Just like the disciples, like Spafford, like Peter, your strength, courage, or cleverness is not what ultimately saves you. It is not your performance in the storm that proves your faith. The measure of a disciple is the object of worship — whom you fix your eyes on when the waves rise, when Leviathan threatens, when everything in the world seems out of control. True faith falls not on self-reliance but on Jesus himself.”

When you get a glimse of the chaos of this world the fake disciples says “Oh Jesus, look at that, can you fix that please? Just keep it out of my life.”

The real disciple says, “Give me all the hell this world has to offer so long as I get a better glimpse of you.”

When chaos rises, pause and lift your eyes to Christ. Instead of trying to control every wave or proving your faith by your own actions, let worship be your response.

Let worship shape your actions, not the other way around. Whether you are fighting family struggles, societal chaos, or personal fear, let the first movement of your heart be acknowledgment that Jesus is Lord — the One who commands the sea.

Practical step for the week: Each morning, name one area of life where the waves feel insurmountable. Instead of strategizing first, stop and speak a word of worship: “Jesus, I trust you. You are my salvation.”

brothers and sisters, the question is not how well you walk on the waves. It is whether you worship the One who commands them. Jesus is not in the boat to fix every wave for you, but to reveal himself to you. So when the storm comes—and it will—fix your eyes on him, cry out in trust, and let your first act be worship. Let your heart confess: ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’”

Optional Closing One-Liner (punchy and memorable): “Storms will come. Waves will rise. But the One who treads Leviathan walks with you — and when you fix your eyes on him, the storm becomes the stage for your worship.”