Bible Commentaries
Matthew 14

Verses 22-33

The Fourth Watch of the Night

INTRODUCTORY WORDS

As we enter this study, we are particularly struck with the words: "Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship." What is the deeper meaning of the word "constrained"?

1. There seemed a hesitancy on the part of the disciples to enter the ship, and to start across Galilee. We have no doubt that they, as fishermen used to the freaks of Galilee, anticipated a coming storm. The storms still sweep suddenly down upon that little lake and turn it into a maelstrom of fury.

The twelve were not quick to start across the sea because they knew and dreaded the wrath of the wind and waves.

2. Did Jesus know that a storm was brewing? We believe He did. He knew it not as they knew it from a fisherman's experience. He knew it because He was God, and knew all things. Does not the Book say, that "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do"?

3. Why did Jesus constrain the disciples? If He knew there was a storm in view, should He not have desired to spare them since He loved them dearly? To the contrary, He urged them, pressed them, constrained them to go.

As we think over this matter we are sure that the Lord often sends us forth into periods of testing, into trials and temptations. He does not do it, however, in order that we may be overthrown or cast down, but the rather in order that we may be strengthened, built up, and made to fall more heavily upon His own precious arms.

Perhaps, we should change our method of prayer, and instead of asking God to keep us out of the storms of life, we should ask Him to give us strength to face them with victory.

Saints who bear the cross, and suffer the shame, shall also share the glory in the reign of Christ, when He Comes Again.

Let us never complain again because of the cost of our Christian life. Let us rather glory in reproaches and in distresses.

I. CHRIST ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP (Matthew 14:23 )

1. Christ does not forget His own. As the disciples were pulling at the oars, struggling against the wind and the waves, Jesus Christ had not forgotten them.

Sometimes we wonder if the Lord sees us and knows our troubles. Does our Lord forget us? This is impossible. Great is His faithfulness, it is renewed every morning, it is fresh every evening. He that watches over us never slumbers nor sleeps. When we pass through the waters, He is with us; and through the floods, they shall not overflow us. It is written, "I will guide thee with Mine eye."

2. Christ cares for His own. He does not only know, but He cares.

Our Lord has ascended the mountain top. He is now far above all of the woes of earth, however, He has not forgotten those of us who are still here. There are several things that the High Priest did of old. He had the names of the twelve tribes written upon the epaulets of his shoulders; upon his breastplate, and upon the palms of his hands. Our Lord Jesus carries us upon His shoulders, the place of His strength. He has our names upon His breastplate, over the heart of His love. He also holds us in His hands, the place of His helpful care.

There is not a sparrow, that falls to the ground without our Father, and we are of much more value than they. The very hairs of our head are all numbered. What then shall we do? We will trust in the Lord. Though ten thousands be gathered against us, we will not be afraid.

II. IN THE MIDST OF THE SEA (Matthew 14:24 )

1. When the evening had come. This is the statement found at the close of Matthew 14:23 . It was dark. The shadows of night lay heavy over the sea of Galilee. With the darkness came the somber shadows of foreboding. The disciples could not see. They knew not the way. Does not that time often come to us? No matter how black the night He is still on the mountain height watching, and praying for us.

2. The ship was now in the midst of the sea. This is the statement of our key verse, Did we ever get into the middle of a bad fix? It did not matter which way we looked, there was no improvement. It seemed to us that we were utterly hopeless in the very middle of our trouble, farthest from either shore. It was at that time, when we were tossed with the waves and beaten down with the winds that our Lord began to undertake in our behalf.

3. The winds were contrary. Winds in the Word of God stand for false doctrine. We remember how it is written, "that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine."

Young people need to be awakened to the fact that error is stalking through the land. The day of the apostasy is here.

Darkness is now hovering over the world. The shadows of the night are hourly deepening. The apostasy is sweeping over us. Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Democracies are toppling. Dictators are coming to the fore. Surely the Church of Jesus Christ is shrouded with night, in the midst of the sea, while the winds and the waves are contrary.

III. THE DISPENSATIONAL PICTURE (Matthew 14:25 )

Let us now turn aside from the spiritual message of our study, and consider the whole thing in the light of prophecy.

1. We think of our Lord after His resurrection as having ascended on high, where He ever liveth to make intercession for us. We think of Him, moreover, as He sits at the right hand of the Father, expecting until He makes His enemies His footstool. We long for Him to come, and He longs to come.

2. We think of the Church as earth's shadows gather around her. We think of the winds and the waves pressing against her. We even now hear the midnight cry, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh." This cry is sounding the world over. The True Church has heard the Lord say, "Behold, I come quickly," and it is responding, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

3. The hour of His Return. Matthew 14:25 says: "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea." Our Lord promised to come in one of the watches. He did not come in the three which are past. He must come now. Are we watching and waiting?

4. Do the signs of the times portend Christ's imminent Coming? We have room to give but a few suggestive statements:

(1) The midnight cry is being sounded. The prophecy Books are being unsealed, and the Church is lifting up its head in anticipation.

(2) The preparations for the coming of the antichrist, a world dictator, are seen on every hand.

(3) The Jews are turning their faces Zionward and the fertility and fruitfulness of Palestine is being restored.

(4) The last time apostasy with its terrible denials of the faith is here.

IV. THE WORDS OF CHEER (Matthew 14:26-27 )

1. Light in the darkness. As the disciples pulled at the oars, the Lord Jesus came down from the mount.

Down from the mount the Master came,

He walked upon the storm-swept main;

"It is I; be not afraid," said He,

"I have come to give you aid," said He,

"I am Lord of the wind and rain."

Thank God, the Lord is coming soon to the troubled world, coming to take His own unto Himself. Thank God, also, that in every hour of sorrow and of travail He says unto us, "It is I; be not afraid."

2. The Deity of Christ. There is but One who can sound the note of good cheer in this, the hour of earth's travail. There is but One who can come to the world's help. That One is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and God the Son.

(1) Christ is the Hope of His Church. To the Church He is saying "It is I." The very expression, "It is I" carries to the Church the Deity of their Lord.

Every time that the words sound forth, "It is I" they are dependent on and acclaim the Deity of Christ.

(2) Christ is the Hope of the nations. He, the Prince of Peace, is the only hope of peace. He, who is our Jehovah-Tsidkenu, is the earth's only hope for world-righteousness.

(3) Christ is the only Hope of the physical earth, and of the physical creation. He alone can say the word that will cause the earth to spring forth and bud, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater. He alone can cause the wilderness to bloom and to blossom as a rose. He alone can cause the lion and the bear and the calf to lie down together.

(4) Christ is the only Hope of the chosen nation. None other can take out their heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh. None other can save them and bring them home from all the nations whither they be driven.

V. WALKING ON THE WATER (Matthew 14:28-30 )

As the Lord drew near to the boat, Peter said, "Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water."

1. Attempting the impossible. No one had ever walked on the water but the Lord. When Peter, therefore, beheld Christ walking the waves, he said, "If it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water." He evidently felt that whatever the Lord could do, he, empowered by the Lord could also do. Did not Christ afterward say, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go * * and, lo, I am with you alway"? Did He not mean by this, that we were to serve in His power, conquer in His Name? Is not every victory of the believer, no more than walking in the train of His triumph?

2. Failing only when his eyes fell off of his Lord. Peter did walk on the water. However, when he saw the winds and the waves boisterous, he was afraid and began to sink. We always lose the place of victory when we turn our eyes from the Lord, onto our environment. If we think that we can do it alone, we will utterly collapse. If we become afraid because of the difficulties around us, we will utterly fail. Are we not told to run the race that is set before us, "looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith"?

3. The grip of the Master's hand. As Peter cried out in fear, Jesus immediately stretched forth His hand and caught him. Once more Peter's faith began to operate. The Lord lets us know very definitely the cause of Peter's failure when He said, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

VI. MEETING OUR DIFFICULTIES (Matthew 14:29 )

There are two ways set before us in this study as to how to meet our difficulties.

1. There is the way of pulling at the oars. This was the way of the eleven, and it was, at first, the way of Peter. They all bent their backs and pulled at the oars. Is this the better way? If we walk in the flesh, we can never conquer the flesh. Even now we hear the moanings and the groanings of carnal activity, as we turn to Romans 7:1-25 :

"That which I do I allow not";

"What I would, that do I not";

"What I hate, that do I."

"The good that I would I do not";

"The evil which I would not, that I do";

"When I would do good, evil is present with me."

Do you wonder that such statements as the above are followed by the moan, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Must Christians forever pull at the oars and fail? Is there no place for victory? Is there no place where the paeans of conquest may sound forth their glad refrain?

2. There is the way of walking on the sea. This is the way of faith of consummate confidence in Christ. We breast the winds and put the waves beneath our feet. If we walk in the Spirit, we shall not fill up the lusts of the flesh. What the flesh cannot do, God can do in us, and through us.

It is through the Spirit that we must mortify the deeds of the body. Therefore, being led by the Spirit of God, we will know nothing of the spirit of fear which overwhelmed Peter for the while.

It is useless to argue that Peter began to sink. We readily grant it. We immediately reply, however, that he merely began to sink, he did not sink.

VII. THE FINAL SCENE (Matthew 14:32-33 )

1. When the wind ceased. Our verse says: "And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased."

1. When do we get to the place of victory, and of rest in Christ Jesus? It is when He comes into our hearts. It is when He takes the rudder and grasps the helm.

2. When will the world come to the place of victory and peace? It will be when the Prince of Peace enters the boat. It is written, "His Name shall be called * * The Prince of Peace." When is He called The Prince of Peace? It is when the government is upon His shoulder. It is when He sits on the throne of David, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice forevermore. The nations of the earth, at this moment, are in a mad frenzy of preparing for war. Munition plants, and every other kind of plants for the manufacture of war materials, are beehives of activity.

When Christ comes, nation will no longer lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore. When Christ comes they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

2. When Christ is acknowledged as God. It was when the wind ceased that they worshiped Him, saying, "Of a truth Thou art the Son of God."

Not until the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, not until He is crowned Prince of Peace will Zion acclaim Christ as God, Then the Lord will say to His chosen nation, "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God." Israel will then acknowledge their Redeemer as their God, saying, "Thy God reigneth."

Then, also, will the nations of the earth worship Christ as God. The bane of this age is the negation of God. The world is humanizing Deity and deifying humanity. When Christ returns the world will crown Him Lord of All.

AN ILLUSTRATION

A young man who was driven out of Western China during the riots years ago was the treasurer of our mission there, and there were others farther up than he who needed silver to pay their way out. He saw that they were cared for, and then started along down the river. The rioters overtook him, boarded his boat, and he jumped overboard. They then began to spear at him in the water. He would dart under the boat and come up on the other side, only to find another spear shot at him. Down he went again, and up again, only to be speared at again, until his case became hopeless. Finally he struck out for the shore, and as he stood in the face of the surrounding mob the chief said, "Let him go," and they melted away. At Northfield, when asked to tell his story on "Missionary Day," he said, "Some friends were curious to know what particular text of Scripture came to me when I was down under that boat. Scripture text? The Lord Himself was there.'" Well, every one who heard him speak knew that He was. And when the people hear a young man tell one fact like that, and then say, "I am ready to go back and take my wife and child," the Church of God believes, and every man and woman that ever has had an experience of Divine things is re-enforced. Dr. H. C. Mabie.