Pastor Kent Christmas | God Will Show Up | October 2, 2024
You’re watching KCMI TV, and I’m so glad you joined me today. We’re going to explore a few different passages from the Bible—starting with Matthew 14, which contains a well-known story, followed by one of the most famous scriptures, Psalm 23. In Matthew 14, we pick up after Jesus performed an incredible miracle, feeding 5,000 men, not including women and children, which means around 20,000 people were fed with just five loaves and two fish. The disciples played a significant role in this miracle. In fact, I believe we recently discussed how the Lord asked them, “What do you have in your hands?” They replied with a small boy’s lunch, and Jesus took that and multiplied it. Although we don’t know exactly how long it took to feed 20,000 people, the disciples were involved in something supernatural that lasted for hours. Afterward, 12 baskets of leftovers were gathered, and I’m sure the disciples were amazed by what they’d just witnessed and participated in. They were talking about it, and it’s at the end of this miracle that we pick up the story in Matthew 14:22.
Verse 22 says, “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.” After sending the crowds away, he went up on a mountainside to pray, and when evening came, he was there alone. Verse 24 continues: “But the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” In the fourth watch of the night, which is between 3 and 6 a.m., Jesus went out to them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
In verse 22, I want to focus on the phrase where it says Jesus constrained his disciples to get into the boat. The Greek word here carries a much stronger meaning than what we might expect. It doesn’t just mean “ask them to get in the boat.” It means that Jesus literally forced them to get in the boat. They didn’t want to leave him, but he compelled them to go. This is significant because, in the hours to come, they needed to remember that Jesus had already told them to go to the other side. Sometimes, in the midst of a storm, we forget that the Lord has already spoken over our lives that we will make it through. Jesus ensured they would reach the other side, even though the storm was coming.
