Title: You of Little Faith!
Contents
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26. There is no such thing as God, Jeshurun; he rides through the heavens to help you, and exudes majesty in the firmament.
27. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and his everlasting arms are under you; he drives out the enemy before you, and says, Destroy it.
28. Israel dwells in safety, and Jacob's fountain is alone in a land of grain and new wine, where his heavens drop the dew.
29. Blessed are you, Israel. Who is like you, saved by the LORD? He is your shield and the sword of your glory. Your enemies will be subject to you, and you will tread on their high places.
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22. Immediately Jesus urged the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead to the other side while he sent the crowd away.
23. After sending the crowd away, he went up by himself to a mountain to pray, and at sunset he was alone there.
24. The ship had already departed from the shore, and the wind was against it, and the waves were afflicted.
25. In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to the disciples, walking on the sea.
26. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were astonished and called it a ghost, and cried out in fear.
27. Immediately Jesus spoke to him, saying, “Take it easy, it is I; do not be afraid.
28. Peter answered and said, Lord, if it be given to me, command me to come over the water.
29. He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus
30. When he saw the wind, he was afraid and fell away, and he cried out, saying, Lord, save me.
31. Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
32. They got into the boat together, and the wind stopped
33. And those in the boat bowed down to Jesus, saying, Truly, you are the Son of God.
Content
Subject: You of Little Faith!
Text: Deuteronomy 33:26-29, Matt 14:22-33
As Jesus' public life was on the orbit, John the Baptist, who testified that Jesus was the Messiah (Luke 1:39-45; John 1:6-8, 15, 19-34; John 3:22-30), was put to death. . John the Baptist, who was bound and imprisoned for pointing out the ethical sins of Herod the tetrarch, was killed as a sacrifice on Herod's birthday (Matthew 14:1-12). When Jesus heard the news through the disciples of John the Baptist, he got into a boat and went off to the deserts by himself. When they heard the news of the death of John the Baptist, more and more people who were wandering came to Jesus (Matthew 14:13). The miracle of the five diseases is an event in which the Lord, who healed the 'great crowd' (Matthew 14:14) who had gathered in this way, healed them and also resolved their physical hunger (Matthew 14:15-21). The great crowd who had gathered in this way saw a miracle and tried to make Jesus king by force (John 6:15). There was a commotion.
Today's New Testament text (Matthew 14:22-33) happened after this. Jesus urged the disciples to get into a boat and go to the other side, and after scattering the crowd, he went up to the mountain to pray alone. Then came the capriciousness of the Sea of Galilee. Due to regional characteristics, unpredictable gusts and climate change were severe. ‘Suri on land’ means the middle of the lake, and ‘ten li’ means about 4.6 km (John 6:19). It is the case of “the wind was against the wind, and they were afflicted by the waves.” The torment caused by the storm prevented the disciples from sailing. Jesus came walking on a stormy sea to help them. At that time, it was the fourth watch of the night (3-6 a.m.). It is another manifestation of divinity following the miracle of the Five Byeong-Eye. Of course, it was a ministry of love to help the disciples in danger.
What was the reason for the delay? He would have immediately known the difficulties the disciples were going through due to the extreme weather. “Discipleship training” is the answer. It was to make them confess that they were the ‘Son of God’ (Matthew 14:33). The disciples were startled by the sight of the Lord walking on the stormy sea, and they were terrified, shouting “ghosts”. This is the reaction they showed when they saw the Lord who came to save them. The Word of the Lord. “Relax. Don't be afraid of me!” And then the conversation with Peter. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come over the water!” "come!" “Lord, save me.” “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” “O you of little faith!” appears five times in the New Testament, all of which are spoken to the disciples (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 16:8; Luke 12:28).
Peter fell into the water while he was “walking on the sea” in a storm like Jesus. The cause is said to be, ‘When he saw the wind, he was afraid and fell away. It is not a rebuke for having no faith at all. It is a rebuke for not trusting ‘totally’ and ‘to the end’. The ‘doubt’ you pointed out is ‘a two-pronged mind’. It is reminiscent of faith in Jesus and fear and anxiety about winds and waves. Today's Old Testament text (Deuteronomy 33:26-29) is Moses' blessing for the nation of Israel. After the blessing, Moses heads for Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34:1-8). Realizing that the eternal God is the alpha and omega of all graces and blessings to the nation of Israel, he himself follows God's command and heads for Mount Nebo. Hymn 464 sings [the eternal arm of the Lord] in all the stories of human suffering. I sing to live on that eternal arm.