Hello ciao,
I have selected some links and quotes for you and have listed them
below. First, the version that I used as a reference for myself was
the Authorized King James Version 1611. The people quoted below might
have used different versions, but the explanation should still apply.
First, I will provide sources which go over verses 22-33 as a whole,
and then I will cover verses 22 and 23 because there seem to be more
interpretations for those specific verses.
The following page has very detailed explanations for all of the
verses. In fact, it might be all the information you need:
A selection from verse 31:
“While our Lord kindly preserves Peter, he does not connive at Peter's
fault. Such is the object of the chastisement administered, when Peter
is blamed for the weakness of his faith. But a question arises, Does
every kind of fear give evidence of a weakness of faith?”
Source: Matthew 14:22-33
http://www.ccel.org/c/calvin/comment3/comm_vol32/htm/xliv.htm
Another person with two reflections on the above verses had this to
say:
“And even in that moment, the first thing they, through straw man
Peter, can do is test Jesus. “Lord, if it is you, command me to come
to you on the water.” (emphasis added).And yet, when God makes
possible the things for which we clearly ask, we are not ready to
accept and live into them. How shallow is our faith that we can’t even
acknowledge and accept the things God gives us that are right in front
of our face.”
Source: Matthew 14
http://www.env-steward.com/lectionary/lecta/a-p14-go.htm
Here is another viewpoint:
“Whether you are called to step out of the boat and walk through the
storm on top of the water, or to stay in the boat and tend to things
where you are, we are all called to be faithful in all situations.
That is what God wants from us—to believe in His power and grace and
go with boldness into each new place He leads us.”
Source: Matthew 14:22-33
http://www.springcreekcob.org/082502.htm
Another excellent page that goes over all the verses in detail and
should be worth reading:
“Faith is not leaping into the wind and trusting that God will give us
a miracle by saving us from the pull of gravity. For Peter, faith was
not testing Jesus by stepping out of the boat. The message of this
story is, "If Peter had had enough faith, he would have believed the
word of Jesus that came to him while he was in the boat as the
presence of God.”
Source: From St. John United Methodist Church
http://stjohneagle.org/sermons/2002/aug11.02.htm
While most of the verses agreed with the general gist of 22-33, I
found that there tended to be different viewpoints of verses 22 and
23. Here is what I came up with:
Verse 22 - And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into
a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the
multitudes away.
Verse 23 - And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a
mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there
alone.
"Two convictions come out of Jesus' actions for me: --Jesus is
compassionate to the end! --Jesus may have put off his time with the
Father, but he didn't neglect it! While grieving the loss of John the
Baptist, Jesus ministered to the crowd and also to his disciples.
Jesus took care of the crowd and sent the disciples on ahead of him.
In addition, after sending the crowd away, Jesus did what was his
regular practice -- he found a time and place to be alone in the
presence of God. Both of these are important reminders to me. In my
grief and heartbreak, I need to remember others and not wallow in my
own self-pity. But helping others must not be an escape from spending
time with God. Only time with the Father truly renews, restores, and
revitalizes."
Source: No Neglect
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/0713-wjd.html
The person who wrote the above seems to think that Jesus was in the
process of grieving when he heard that John Baptist had been killed.
When the crowd came however, verse 14 says "And Jesus went forth and
saw a great multitude, and he was moved with compassion toward them,
and he healed their sick." Even when someone close to you has died,
you should not focus on yourself and continue helping others. It also
says that it is important to spend some time alone with God.
Another thing that came to mind when reading through the above, is
perhaps Jesus was sending off the disciples on their own to prepare
them for a time when he would no longer be with them.
I found another interesting article online and have selected some
excerpts from it below, I do recommend that you read the entire thing:
"From John 6:14-15 we learn that the people wanted to make Jesus a
(bread) king. Evidently the disciples were tempted by this idea too.
The incident of the loaves had left them spiritually insensitive. Mark
6:51- 52. Jesus forced the disciples to get into the boat. Matthew
14:22; Mark 6:45. Because of their spiritual insensitivity and danger
from the temptation of making him a false king, Jesus purposely
arranged this incident on the sea so that they would finally confess
that he was the Son of God. Matthew 14:33."
"The disciples were spiritually insensitive and were very likely
tempted to help crown Jesus king. And they faced a severe test the
next day. And so Jesus arranged the storm on the sea to make them see
their utter helplessness and need for Him. At the same time, He was
very likely severely tempted to become king and was facing the
unbelieving mob on the next day."
Source: Buls Sermon Notes Epiphany IV
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/bul/epip-4.html
I found another source that seems to think that Jesus was trying to
escape from the crowd who was wanting to make him king:
“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by
force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone." [Jn.6:14,15] Jesus knew the people's motives weren't right and
neither was their timing. His disciples were still too immature to
understand this. They would have been greatly influenced by such
flattery.”
Source: Jesus Put Them In A Boat
http://www.sermons.org/sermons/sermon42.html
I hope this was the type of answer that you were looking for. If you
need any clarifications, please let me know and I will do my best to
further assist you.
tisme-ga
Search Strategy:
"matthew 14:22-33"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22matthew+14%3A22-33%22
"matthew 14:22-23"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22matthew+14%3A22%2D23%22
“matthew 14”
://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9Cmatthew+14%E2%80%9D |
