Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
The disciples were crossing the sea at his command when darkness fell and a furious storm buffeted the boat through hours of fruitless rowing until even strong men despaired of survival. Jesus came to them walking calmly on the water, at first increasing their terror, but reassured them of his identity and told them not to fear until they longed for him and willingly took him aboard. The moment he was welcomed and took his place the tempest was suddenly stilled and the boat was immediately at the land they had sought, ending their danger and completing their journey. Willingly receiving him pictures personal faith in a personal Saviour that brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ, calling believers to depend on him rather than on human strength. That receiving means assimilating his words until they become part of life and eating his flesh and blood by faith in his sacrifice, which is the righteousness of Christ that sanctifies and must be accepted to stand fit before God.
The Night on the Sea
The night on the sea belongs after the feeding of the multitude, when the hopes of the people rose that Jesus would deliver Israel and establish an earthly kingdom, which He refused. That walking on the water stands together with the miracle of the loaves and fishes and with His declaration that He is the Bread of life, a testimony that caused some of His disciples to turn away from Him. Together these make a group of subjects of the highest value and intense interest.
The disciples were crossing the sea at His command when darkness fell and a terrible storm with furious adverse winds buffeted the boat. The tempest drove them from their course through many hours of fruitless rowing. Strong, experienced men were filled with terror and despaired of survival.
They had left Jesus with dissatisfied hearts and unholy ambition, and the darkness and tempest became a severe trial of their faith that exposed them. Yet He had not forgotten them but watched them from the distant shore, seeing their danger and reading their thoughts, and would not suffer one of them to perish. When their hearts were subdued, their ambition quelled, and they humbly prayed for help at the very moment they believed themselves lost, He gave them help.
Jesus came to them calmly walking upon the water across the waves. His appearance at first increased their terror, but He silenced their fear by reassuring them of His identity and telling them not to be afraid. He came as a life-giving presence and messenger of life, not as a sign of death, and with Him among them fear gave way to faith and hope so that they no longer dreaded death. They longed for His presence and willingly received Him.
The episode included the adventure of Peter on the water and its result. When Jesus stretched out His hand and grasped sinking Peter, Peter clinging firmly to His hand was brought safely with Him into the boat among their joyful companions. Thus they were brought to the place where He had appointed to meet them, the land they were going to.
The moment they welcomed Him aboard and He took His place in the boat, the tempest was suddenly stilled and ceased. The night of horror was replaced by the light of dawn, and the boat was immediately at the land they had been trying to reach, which ended their danger and completed their journey. Those aboard, disciples and others, welcomed Him as their Deliverer and bowed before Him at His feet with thankful hearts, confessing that He is truly the Son of God. Onlookers who knew there had been no boat for Him to cross in were astonished and questioned how and when He had crossed the sea, and the disciples afterward told the crowd about the struggle, His coming, Peter's experience, and the landing.
Receiving Christ by Faith
To willingly take him into the boat is to exercise personal faith in a personal Saviour, and that faith brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ. No mere outward connection with any church can save a person, even though God calls the church his body and the bride, the Lamb's wife, and calls himself the Father of the family and the Shepherd of the flock. The chapter calls believers to look to Christ and to depend on him rather than on human strength or human guidance. Receiving Christ by faith in this way brings sanctification and righteousness and reward.
To study God's Word is to receive Christ's words and assimilate them until they become part of life. To eat the Word is to hold to its precepts, to bring its truths into daily practice, and to live by what God has revealed. His words give spiritual life, for he is the living bread, and that spiritual food is represented by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. That eating of his flesh and blood points to his work as the substitute for sin, who was the hope of ancient Israel and whose ransom God accepts in the sinner's behalf. Feeding upon Christ's words as his very flesh and blood is a matter of first importance, and youth especially must be taught it together with the law of Jehovah, the penalty of transgression, and the truth that God accepts the Saviour's ransom for them when they are obedient to that law.
The verse defines the righteousness of Christ that must be accepted in order to have on the wedding garment. That garment is the union of humanity with divinity, and it is the standard of character each must reach to be counted a fit guest at the wedding. Without this righteousness there is only presumption and measuring of character by human ideas instead of God's standard, which results in loss of the soul and hinders God's promise by continuing in sin, while accepting it means taking a firm stand for Christ and surrendering to God what is already his own. Christ's plain testimony in this chapter tested those who claimed to be his disciples, and many rejected it when it rebuked their lives, preferring human praise to God's admonition, while others remained with him. His presence turns despair into joy and faith, for he comes as a messenger of life and not death, so that with him there is no need to fear death but to trust and obey the one whose power the sea obeys.
The disciples were crossing the sea at his command when darkness fell and a furious storm buffeted the boat through hours of fruitless rowing until even strong men despaired of survival. Jesus came to them walking calmly on the water, at first increasing their terror, but reassured them of his identity and told them not to fear until they longed for him and willingly took him aboard. The moment he was welcomed and took his place the tempest was suddenly stilled and the boat was immediately at the land they had sought, ending their danger and completing their journey. Willingly receiving him pictures personal faith in a personal Saviour that brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ, calling believers to depend on him rather than on human strength. That receiving means assimilating his words until they become part of life and eating his flesh and blood by faith in his sacrifice, which is the righteousness of Christ that sanctifies and must be accepted to stand fit before God.
The Night on the Sea
The night on the sea belongs after the feeding of the multitude, when the hopes of the people rose that Jesus would deliver Israel and establish an earthly kingdom, which He refused. That walking on the water stands together with the miracle of the loaves and fishes and with His declaration that He is the Bread of life, a testimony that caused some of His disciples to turn away from Him. Together these make a group of subjects of the highest value and intense interest.
The disciples were crossing the sea at His command when darkness fell and a terrible storm with furious adverse winds buffeted the boat. The tempest drove them from their course through many hours of fruitless rowing. Strong, experienced men were filled with terror and despaired of survival.
They had left Jesus with dissatisfied hearts and unholy ambition, and the darkness and tempest became a severe trial of their faith that exposed them. Yet He had not forgotten them but watched them from the distant shore, seeing their danger and reading their thoughts, and would not suffer one of them to perish. When their hearts were subdued, their ambition quelled, and they humbly prayed for help at the very moment they believed themselves lost, He gave them help.
Jesus came to them calmly walking upon the water across the waves. His appearance at first increased their terror, but He silenced their fear by reassuring them of His identity and telling them not to be afraid. He came as a life-giving presence and messenger of life, not as a sign of death, and with Him among them fear gave way to faith and hope so that they no longer dreaded death. They longed for His presence and willingly received Him.
The episode included the adventure of Peter on the water and its result. When Jesus stretched out His hand and grasped sinking Peter, Peter clinging firmly to His hand was brought safely with Him into the boat among their joyful companions. Thus they were brought to the place where He had appointed to meet them, the land they were going to.
The moment they welcomed Him aboard and He took His place in the boat, the tempest was suddenly stilled and ceased. The night of horror was replaced by the light of dawn, and the boat was immediately at the land they had been trying to reach, which ended their danger and completed their journey. Those aboard, disciples and others, welcomed Him as their Deliverer and bowed before Him at His feet with thankful hearts, confessing that He is truly the Son of God. Onlookers who knew there had been no boat for Him to cross in were astonished and questioned how and when He had crossed the sea, and the disciples afterward told the crowd about the struggle, His coming, Peter's experience, and the landing.
Receiving Christ by Faith
To willingly take him into the boat is to exercise personal faith in a personal Saviour, and that faith brings the soul into spiritual union with Christ. No mere outward connection with any church can save a person, even though God calls the church his body and the bride, the Lamb's wife, and calls himself the Father of the family and the Shepherd of the flock. The chapter calls believers to look to Christ and to depend on him rather than on human strength or human guidance. Receiving Christ by faith in this way brings sanctification and righteousness and reward.
To study God's Word is to receive Christ's words and assimilate them until they become part of life. To eat the Word is to hold to its precepts, to bring its truths into daily practice, and to live by what God has revealed. His words give spiritual life, for he is the living bread, and that spiritual food is represented by eating his flesh and drinking his blood. That eating of his flesh and blood points to his work as the substitute for sin, who was the hope of ancient Israel and whose ransom God accepts in the sinner's behalf. Feeding upon Christ's words as his very flesh and blood is a matter of first importance, and youth especially must be taught it together with the law of Jehovah, the penalty of transgression, and the truth that God accepts the Saviour's ransom for them when they are obedient to that law.
The verse defines the righteousness of Christ that must be accepted in order to have on the wedding garment. That garment is the union of humanity with divinity, and it is the standard of character each must reach to be counted a fit guest at the wedding. Without this righteousness there is only presumption and measuring of character by human ideas instead of God's standard, which results in loss of the soul and hinders God's promise by continuing in sin, while accepting it means taking a firm stand for Christ and surrendering to God what is already his own. Christ's plain testimony in this chapter tested those who claimed to be his disciples, and many rejected it when it rebuked their lives, preferring human praise to God's admonition, while others remained with him. His presence turns despair into joy and faith, for he comes as a messenger of life and not death, so that with him there is no need to fear death but to trust and obey the one whose power the sea obeys.