But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
Exhausted disciples rowing against contrary wind through the dark night to the point of despair mistake Jesus walking calmly on the waves for a spirit of death, and He answers their terror by making Himself known and telling them to take courage and not be afraid. He had watched them battling the tempest with tender pity without for a moment losing sight of them, and coming to them on the heaving sea He shows His power over nature as evidence of who He is. His presence itself is the reason not to fear, turning the horror of despair into the joy of faith and hope because He has come not as a messenger of death but of life to rescue by presence and power. He speaks the same words still to every person in weakness, affliction and peril to assure them He is near with infinite power to calm all tempests, to be welcomed and trusted instead of feared. That assurance forbids cherishing sadness and discouragement and calls for calm, steady, unwavering trust that with Christ present danger and even death need no longer be dreaded.
Night on the Sea
The words were spoken just after the feeding of the vast multitude seated on the grassy plain in the twilight of the spring evening, when food from five barley loaves and two small fishes fed all and every one shared its benefit. That provision showed only divine power at work, for as God fed Israel with manna in the desert in the days of Moses, Christ fed the people that day. By it He was shown to be He whom Moses had foretold, of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
After the miracle of the loaves, the all-day conviction was strengthened that the long-looked-for Deliverer was among the people. Their hopes rose that He would make Judea an earthly paradise and satisfy every desire. They looked for Him to break the power of the Romans, deliver Judah and Jerusalem, heal soldiers wounded in battle, supply whole armies with food, conquer the nations, and give Israel dominion.
The disciples were crossing to the farther side by boat in obedience to the Master's command when the scene takes place amid a violent storm and dangerous waves. A terrible tempest broke upon them on the sea. Their vessels would not obey their will, and they were driven hither and thither.
They struggled for hours rowing against contrary, adverse winds through a long dark night until exhausted, without Him and beset with danger and horror. In the fury of the storm they rowed many hours fruitlessly, bewildered by the uselessness of their efforts. Their vessels would not obey their will and they were driven hither and thither.
In the fourth watch of the night, when moon and stars were hidden by storm clouds, hope gave place to despair. Toil seemed useless, and workers pulling hard against a head sea said in despondency and despair that they would perish. They laid down their oars, gave up all hope of reaching land and gave all up for lost, expecting to perish while tempest and billows talked with death. Spoken in the fourth watch to the terrified disciples on the stormy sea, His voice brought them a heavenly message of reassurance and blessing.
From the shore Jesus watched the fear-stricken disciples battling the tempest without for a moment losing sight of them. He followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden because these men were to be the light of the world. He watched with deepest solicitude and tender sympathy and pitying love as tender as a mother watching a suffering child, keeping His eye on all their efforts.
Jesus came to them walking calmly on the foam-crested, white-capped, foam-capped billows as on solid earth, on the boisterous waves. At first they were affrighted at His light form, mistaking Him for a phantom, a spirit and a sure precursor of death and destruction. They cried out in great fear, increasing their terror, for His approach aroused fear that His appearance signaled their destruction.
The reassurance comes between their fear and Peter's adventure of asking to walk to Him. When Peter focused on the wind and waves he forgot his Lord's power and began to sink, but Jesus was there to catch him when he cried for help. Then followed the sudden stilling of the tempest by His command and the landing of the boat, rescuing them by His presence and power. The disciples afterward faithfully recounted the storm, the hard rowing, the appearance on the water, the fear, the reassuring words, Peter's experience, and the stilling and landing to the wondering crowd that had come from Bethsaida seeking Jesus.
The scene of buffeting the waves while Jesus comes on the sea shows Him present with His disciples amid danger. In it the storm and sea display God's power and human beings' smallness.
Voice That Calms Fear
As He comes to them walking across the storm-tossed sea, His familiar form and voice rise above the roar and tumult of the tempest to identify Him to them. What had frightened them was mistaking Him for a phantom that signaled their destruction, and He answers that fear by making Himself known as their Master. His voice silences their terror because it tells them who He is.
His command to take courage and not be afraid ends their apprehensions and brings immediate comfort and relief. Terror gives way to hope, and then to joy, so fully that the storm itself is forgotten. They welcome Him as their Deliverer, for His voice above the tempest announces that He has come to deliver them. The words It is I mean everything to those in trouble or perplexity, giving reason to take courage because it is He Himself and not an omen of destruction.
Instead of heralding death, He comes as the messenger of life. His presence with them quickly changes the scene from the horror of despair to the joy of faith and hope in the beloved Master. With Christ with them they feel no more anxiety nor dread of death.
His presence itself is reason not to fear, bringing help in the danger that threatened to destroy them and rescue from danger by presence and power. That presence brings peace and courage in turmoil. Spoken in the fourth watch of the night to the terrified disciples on the stormy sea, His voice brings them a heavenly message of reassurance and blessing.
Watcher and Deliverer
In their greatest peril He was close by and had not forgotten them, having watched them all through the fearful storm with tender sympathy and pitying love as tender as a mother watching a suffering child. Keeping His eye on all their efforts, He is just as near amid tempest and trial now as then, on board the vessel as Captain caring not only for His people but for the ship. From the shore He watched His fear-stricken disciples battling the tempest without for a moment losing sight of them, following with deepest solicitude the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden who were to be the light of the world. Though they were doing their utmost to obey Him and meet Him, a trial of their faith was necessary.
His compassionate help comes when hearts are subdued, unholy ambition is quelled, and in humility they pray for help. When they recognized His voice their fear gave way to hope and joy and they stopped relying on their failing efforts and trusted the Master. This illustrates that when followers exhaust their own strength and wisdom and turn to Jesus in faith, He pities their weakness and takes up the work entrusted to Him to accomplish what seemed difficult or impossible.
Walking on the heaving, boisterous waves, silencing their angry roaring by a word, and speaking peace to the troubled sea show His power over the sea and the elements of nature, showing who He is. These mighty works showed His authority and were evidence of His Messiahship, standing alongside healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, casting out devils who in departing acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, breaking the slumbers of the dead, and holding thousands entranced by words of wisdom. Even this display of power in a life of purity, suffering, devotion, self-denial and disinterested benevolence could not reach hearts blinded by prejudice and hatred who stubbornly rejected the light. His power over the waves recalled here contrasts His authority over nature with His willing suffering as humanity's substitute and final sacrifice.
Courage for Every Trial
Jesus still speaks the same words to every person in weakness or trial to assure them that He is near, to be heard and welcomed and trusted instead of feared. In the believers' own storms He reveals Himself in the same way, turning sorrow into joy as a powerful, gracious and compassionate Redeemer with infinite power to calm every tempest and revive every heart, one who can be trusted in the storm as well as in the sunshine. He speaks personally to the afflicted believer to assure him of love and nearness and help every moment and mercy. He is close by his side to be grasped by trembling faith, to lead him onward and give cause to feel and rejoice, calming fear by revealing Himself with the light and glories of the heavenly city in full view and the Saviour's presence shining like sunshine as He draws nearer and visits the sufferer from on high.
He speaks to His suffering children in distress and sore need to remove fear by assuring them of His presence with them. He answers every appeal made in helplessness, helps the helpless who are dear to Him, supplies every deficiency, keeps through faith unto salvation, blots out transgressions through cleansing blood for those who seek Him, and holds firmly with prompt and all-powerful aid even when the hold feels feeble. As Peter was rescued when sinking after looking at the waves, so the dying believer who looks to Christ and places the hand in His hand is upheld on the solid Rock and fitted for the future life. Amid the turmoil and fear of earth's final days, believers hear Him reassure them that He is present and they need not be afraid.
The verse forbids cherishing sadness and discouragement and calls for calm, steady, firm, unwavering trust in God, holding fast to the Stronghold and refusing to be moved. This is needed while Satan works with masterly power to separate the soul from God and different voices from every quarter try to draw attention from the true issue. Trust in Christ's presence brings courage amid danger, so that with Christ with them they no longer dread death. His words give comfort to those facing life's tempests that Jesus can guide them through fearful dangers and lead them without fear as they near peaceful rest.
In God's work His presence bringing peace and courage means letting Jesus be seen in right principles of management. It means healing wrongs over money by returning to God His own, refusing to demand back royalties or personal dues, and giving means to foreign missionary work where need is greatest. The same compassionate Jesus who reassures the frightened disciples gave Gideon the assurance of peace and fear not after Gideon feared he would die because he had seen the Lord's angel face to face, coming to encourage and direct His ancient people. Recalling that He had earlier walked on the water to rescue them shows that in a later storm their only hope was in Him, when He calmed the sea and rebuked their fear and lack of faith.
Exhausted disciples rowing against contrary wind through the dark night to the point of despair mistake Jesus walking calmly on the waves for a spirit of death, and He answers their terror by making Himself known and telling them to take courage and not be afraid. He had watched them battling the tempest with tender pity without for a moment losing sight of them, and coming to them on the heaving sea He shows His power over nature as evidence of who He is. His presence itself is the reason not to fear, turning the horror of despair into the joy of faith and hope because He has come not as a messenger of death but of life to rescue by presence and power. He speaks the same words still to every person in weakness, affliction and peril to assure them He is near with infinite power to calm all tempests, to be welcomed and trusted instead of feared. That assurance forbids cherishing sadness and discouragement and calls for calm, steady, unwavering trust that with Christ present danger and even death need no longer be dreaded.
Night on the Sea
The words were spoken just after the feeding of the vast multitude seated on the grassy plain in the twilight of the spring evening, when food from five barley loaves and two small fishes fed all and every one shared its benefit. That provision showed only divine power at work, for as God fed Israel with manna in the desert in the days of Moses, Christ fed the people that day. By it He was shown to be He whom Moses had foretold, of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
After the miracle of the loaves, the all-day conviction was strengthened that the long-looked-for Deliverer was among the people. Their hopes rose that He would make Judea an earthly paradise and satisfy every desire. They looked for Him to break the power of the Romans, deliver Judah and Jerusalem, heal soldiers wounded in battle, supply whole armies with food, conquer the nations, and give Israel dominion.
The disciples were crossing to the farther side by boat in obedience to the Master's command when the scene takes place amid a violent storm and dangerous waves. A terrible tempest broke upon them on the sea. Their vessels would not obey their will, and they were driven hither and thither.
They struggled for hours rowing against contrary, adverse winds through a long dark night until exhausted, without Him and beset with danger and horror. In the fury of the storm they rowed many hours fruitlessly, bewildered by the uselessness of their efforts. Their vessels would not obey their will and they were driven hither and thither.
In the fourth watch of the night, when moon and stars were hidden by storm clouds, hope gave place to despair. Toil seemed useless, and workers pulling hard against a head sea said in despondency and despair that they would perish. They laid down their oars, gave up all hope of reaching land and gave all up for lost, expecting to perish while tempest and billows talked with death. Spoken in the fourth watch to the terrified disciples on the stormy sea, His voice brought them a heavenly message of reassurance and blessing.
From the shore Jesus watched the fear-stricken disciples battling the tempest without for a moment losing sight of them. He followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden because these men were to be the light of the world. He watched with deepest solicitude and tender sympathy and pitying love as tender as a mother watching a suffering child, keeping His eye on all their efforts.
Jesus came to them walking calmly on the foam-crested, white-capped, foam-capped billows as on solid earth, on the boisterous waves. At first they were affrighted at His light form, mistaking Him for a phantom, a spirit and a sure precursor of death and destruction. They cried out in great fear, increasing their terror, for His approach aroused fear that His appearance signaled their destruction.
The reassurance comes between their fear and Peter's adventure of asking to walk to Him. When Peter focused on the wind and waves he forgot his Lord's power and began to sink, but Jesus was there to catch him when he cried for help. Then followed the sudden stilling of the tempest by His command and the landing of the boat, rescuing them by His presence and power. The disciples afterward faithfully recounted the storm, the hard rowing, the appearance on the water, the fear, the reassuring words, Peter's experience, and the stilling and landing to the wondering crowd that had come from Bethsaida seeking Jesus.
The scene of buffeting the waves while Jesus comes on the sea shows Him present with His disciples amid danger. In it the storm and sea display God's power and human beings' smallness.
Voice That Calms Fear
As He comes to them walking across the storm-tossed sea, His familiar form and voice rise above the roar and tumult of the tempest to identify Him to them. What had frightened them was mistaking Him for a phantom that signaled their destruction, and He answers that fear by making Himself known as their Master. His voice silences their terror because it tells them who He is.
His command to take courage and not be afraid ends their apprehensions and brings immediate comfort and relief. Terror gives way to hope, and then to joy, so fully that the storm itself is forgotten. They welcome Him as their Deliverer, for His voice above the tempest announces that He has come to deliver them. The words It is I mean everything to those in trouble or perplexity, giving reason to take courage because it is He Himself and not an omen of destruction.
Instead of heralding death, He comes as the messenger of life. His presence with them quickly changes the scene from the horror of despair to the joy of faith and hope in the beloved Master. With Christ with them they feel no more anxiety nor dread of death.
His presence itself is reason not to fear, bringing help in the danger that threatened to destroy them and rescue from danger by presence and power. That presence brings peace and courage in turmoil. Spoken in the fourth watch of the night to the terrified disciples on the stormy sea, His voice brings them a heavenly message of reassurance and blessing.
Watcher and Deliverer
In their greatest peril He was close by and had not forgotten them, having watched them all through the fearful storm with tender sympathy and pitying love as tender as a mother watching a suffering child. Keeping His eye on all their efforts, He is just as near amid tempest and trial now as then, on board the vessel as Captain caring not only for His people but for the ship. From the shore He watched His fear-stricken disciples battling the tempest without for a moment losing sight of them, following with deepest solicitude the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden who were to be the light of the world. Though they were doing their utmost to obey Him and meet Him, a trial of their faith was necessary.
His compassionate help comes when hearts are subdued, unholy ambition is quelled, and in humility they pray for help. When they recognized His voice their fear gave way to hope and joy and they stopped relying on their failing efforts and trusted the Master. This illustrates that when followers exhaust their own strength and wisdom and turn to Jesus in faith, He pities their weakness and takes up the work entrusted to Him to accomplish what seemed difficult or impossible.
Walking on the heaving, boisterous waves, silencing their angry roaring by a word, and speaking peace to the troubled sea show His power over the sea and the elements of nature, showing who He is. These mighty works showed His authority and were evidence of His Messiahship, standing alongside healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and speech to the dumb, feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, casting out devils who in departing acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, breaking the slumbers of the dead, and holding thousands entranced by words of wisdom. Even this display of power in a life of purity, suffering, devotion, self-denial and disinterested benevolence could not reach hearts blinded by prejudice and hatred who stubbornly rejected the light. His power over the waves recalled here contrasts His authority over nature with His willing suffering as humanity's substitute and final sacrifice.
Courage for Every Trial
Jesus still speaks the same words to every person in weakness or trial to assure them that He is near, to be heard and welcomed and trusted instead of feared. In the believers' own storms He reveals Himself in the same way, turning sorrow into joy as a powerful, gracious and compassionate Redeemer with infinite power to calm every tempest and revive every heart, one who can be trusted in the storm as well as in the sunshine. He speaks personally to the afflicted believer to assure him of love and nearness and help every moment and mercy. He is close by his side to be grasped by trembling faith, to lead him onward and give cause to feel and rejoice, calming fear by revealing Himself with the light and glories of the heavenly city in full view and the Saviour's presence shining like sunshine as He draws nearer and visits the sufferer from on high.
He speaks to His suffering children in distress and sore need to remove fear by assuring them of His presence with them. He answers every appeal made in helplessness, helps the helpless who are dear to Him, supplies every deficiency, keeps through faith unto salvation, blots out transgressions through cleansing blood for those who seek Him, and holds firmly with prompt and all-powerful aid even when the hold feels feeble. As Peter was rescued when sinking after looking at the waves, so the dying believer who looks to Christ and places the hand in His hand is upheld on the solid Rock and fitted for the future life. Amid the turmoil and fear of earth's final days, believers hear Him reassure them that He is present and they need not be afraid.
The verse forbids cherishing sadness and discouragement and calls for calm, steady, firm, unwavering trust in God, holding fast to the Stronghold and refusing to be moved. This is needed while Satan works with masterly power to separate the soul from God and different voices from every quarter try to draw attention from the true issue. Trust in Christ's presence brings courage amid danger, so that with Christ with them they no longer dread death. His words give comfort to those facing life's tempests that Jesus can guide them through fearful dangers and lead them without fear as they near peaceful rest.
In God's work His presence bringing peace and courage means letting Jesus be seen in right principles of management. It means healing wrongs over money by returning to God His own, refusing to demand back royalties or personal dues, and giving means to foreign missionary work where need is greatest. The same compassionate Jesus who reassures the frightened disciples gave Gideon the assurance of peace and fear not after Gideon feared he would die because he had seen the Lord's angel face to face, coming to encourage and direct His ancient people. Recalling that He had earlier walked on the water to rescue them shows that in a later storm their only hope was in Him, when He calmed the sea and rebuked their fear and lack of faith.