They Worshiped Him

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ (Matthew 14:22-33).

In my youth I heard many a sermon on this passage in my mixed holiness and Charismatic background. I had heard sermons about how God is still God of the miraculous and how we should expect Jesus to show up in unexplained ways in our lives today. I had heard other sermons about how we need to have faith like Peter and expect to be called out onto the water, so to speak, in our own lives and not look down. What I had never heard was that the greatest miracle in this story is not Christ walking on the water nor is it Simon Peter taking a few steps before looking down. The greatest miracle of the story is in v. 33 at this story’s conclusion when Jesus’ disciples – men Jewish to the core, well aware that there is one true God in all of Heaven and earth who requires single hearted worship – bowed down in the boat and “worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” This is a miracle.

Shalom,
Wayne