Introduction
Imagine, for a moment, that you are one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus, sitting in a small boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, the night is deep, and the wind is blowing against the wind, causing the waves to blow against the wood from every direction. There is no light to guide you, nor is the teacher with you. He forced you to precede him to the crossing, and he departed to pray alone on the mountain. And the ship, as Matthew says in terms that the reader can almost hear its creaking, “was tormented by the waves.” Suddenly, in the “fourth watch,” the hour of the deepest darkness and the greatest cold, you see a figure walking on the surface of the water, approaching you with inexplicable calm. Does this make sense? Is this a ghost? Or has the universe itself been upended? What if you were there then? Would you have screamed with them “out of fear”? Or would you have dared, like Peter, to get off the boat and step on the waters, declaring that your confidence is not in steadfastness, but in the Master who walks on the waters?
This is not just a dramatic scene in an old movie, but rather a living biblical text, which carries within it an explicit declaration of the identity of Christ and his divine authority. In Matthew 14: 22-33, Matthew the Evangelist does not content himself with narrating a supernatural miracle, but rather confronts the reader with an existential and theological question at the same time: Who is this one who walks on water and says: “It is I. Do not be afraid!”? This passage, located at the heart of a series of miracles declaring the glory of Christ, cannot be understood in isolation from the literary context of the Gospel of Matthew, nor from the redemptive history that emerges from the pages of the Old Testament, nor from the climax that points to Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, the One with authority.
In this paper, we will review this text through the perspective of guerrilla historical interpretation, focusing on three main axes:
The literary and historical context, analyzing the text in its narrative structure and symbols, and finally tracing the development of its basic theme, “the identity of Christ” as the Son of God, throughout the history of redemption, from the introduction in the Old Testament to its completion in Christ.
Chapter One: A comprehensive survey of the historical and literary context:
1. The literary context of the text:
It is important to look at the text as part of the Gospel of Matthew as a whole. The ways of dividing the Gospel of Matthew may differ, but in all the ways of dividing the gospel, this place (Matthew 14:22-33) reveals to us that the focus of the passage is the unique identity of Jesus. J. Martin Scott explains one way of dividing the gospel, as he divides it into three sections: Section A (1:1-4:16) serves as an introduction to the character of Jesus, and Section B (4:17-25):
46) The main part, and Section C (1:26-20:28) serves as a conclusion. The basic common theme in all the texts given to us by the Evangelist Matthew is the revelation and clarification of the identity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Matthew’s intention was clear: he wanted to reveal the Jesus Christ whom the Jewish nation had long awaited, and his copious quotation from the Old Testament confirms this, specifically designed to show the link between the promised Messiah and the Messiah who has entered history.
The text of Matthew 14: 22-33 falls at the heart of the “Book of Five Discourses” in the Gospel of Matthew, specifically after the third discourse known as “The Parable of the Sower” (Matthew 13). The Gospel begins its following chapters (14-17) with a series of events and miracles that progressively highlight the messianic identity of the Lord Jesus. In Chapter 14, we witness a double climax: the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14: 13-21) and Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14: 22-33). These two miracles together form an integrated theological unit: the first shows Jesus as the new Moses who nourishes his people (as was the manna in the wilderness), and the second declares Jesus as a master with authority over nature and its laws, surpassing even Moses himself when he parted the Red Sea with his staff to make a way for the people.
The broader context begins with the martyrdom of John the Baptist (Matthew 14: 1-12), then Jesus withdraws to a desert place, feeds the crowds, then walks on the water. This text is followed by healings in Gennesaret (Matthew 14: 34-36) and then a debate with the Pharisees about traditions (Matthew 15: 1-20). This order is not random, but rather gradually builds a picture of the identity of the Lord Jesus. and his authority, as the conflict with the religious leadership escalates. This text shows Jesus in a private moment with his disciples, away from the crowds, allowing for a deeper revelation of his identity.
If we look closely at the text (Matthew 14:13-14) and the text (Matthew 14:34-36), we find that they are related in some way thematically. In both passages, Jesus changes positions, the crowds recognize him, and he heals them. They are linguistically different, but thematically similar enough to form the wholeness of the text (Matthew 14:22-33). This makes the passages of feeding the five thousand and walking on water related. Linguistically, but they are also thematically linked, they are both miracle stories, and both involve Jesus’ demonstration of his power over the material world. The feeding story sets the stage for the walking on water passage, with the final passage providing a conclusion to the question of identity.
This text belongs to the type of narrative narration, specifically the narration of miracles, as the text follows the classic structure of miracle stories and narration in general. It clearly draws the characters for us (Jesus the teacher, the disciples, most notably Peter), mentions the place (the Sea of Galilee), and recounts the introductory event (Jesus obliging them to precede him into the ship and boarding him alone to pray), then comes to the knot and highlights the problem (the opposing winds and waves torment the ship, making it unstable), divine intervention (the appearance Jesus on the water), reaction (the disciples were frightened and thought it was an illusion), then comes the climax of the event (the disciples screaming in fear as a result of the raging sea and their seeing Jesus walking on the water and the second part is the moment Peter begins to drown and his cries, “Lord, save me”! He then continues with the dialogue (between Jesus and Peter), presents the solution (Jesus’s statement “It is I, do not be afraid” and then Jesus immediately extends his hand and grabs Peter), additional events/results (the wind stilling when they enter
The ship) and the conclusion (the disciples’ prostration and confession, “Indeed, you are the Son of God!”).
The text is a story within a story, and verses 28-31 can be considered a narrative that parallels verses 24-27 in many ways. Matthew is the only evangelist to record the story of Peter walking on water in imitation of Jesus, which can be explained by Matthew’s focus on discipleship and the meaning of following Jesus. Peter initially responded in faith, but when he saw the wind, he hesitated and began to drown, calling on Jesus to save him.
c indicates. It is called Sipinga because verses 25 and 29 are cross-parallel, with Peter seeking to imitate Jesus by walking on water. Also, verses 26-27 and verses 30-31 are linguistically parallel in many ways. In verse 28, Peter responds to Jesus’ self-identification (ἐγώ εἰμι) by twisting his words ((εἰ σὺ εἶ) to make his faith conditional on Jesus’ identity. But Peter’s reaction to seeing the wind in verse 30 is fear, which is similar to the disciples’ collective reaction to seeing Jesus (both include the verb of seeing, in different tenses, as well as verbs Fear). In all this careful literary design, Matthew emphasizes that Jesus’ self-definition forms the focus of the narrative, while the disciples’ confession is the appropriate conclusion.
2. Historical and geographical context:
Matthew began his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus documenting him as King of Israel. Everything that appears later in the Gospel completes this topic. Matthew made it clear that Christ is the heir to the royal lineage. He also indicated that in Christ dozens of prophecies contained in the Old Testament related to the coming king were fulfilled. Matthew also cites evidence after evidence demonstrating Christ’s absolute right to kingship. Which makes all the historical and theological themes in this Gospel revolve in some way around that very topic.5 The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience or Christians of Jewish origin in the late first century, as is evident from the frequent quotations from the Old Testament and the use of the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” instead of “the kingdom of God.” The central theme is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of David, who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and establish his kingdom. When Jesus is presented as the greatest teacher (the sermon).
On the mountain), the King (his entry into Jerusalem), and the Savior (the cross and resurrection). This text is located in the second section of the Gospel of Matthew, which extends from (Matthew 14:1) to (Matthew 18:35), and focuses on training the disciples and announcing the identity of Jesus. This section is characterized by Jesus’ gradual withdrawal from broad public ministry to focusing on teaching his disciples in particular. The text comes before Peter’s confession. The famous verse in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-20), which makes it part of the theological preparation for that confession. The main theme of the text revolves around the Lord Jesus declaring his identity.
It is important to note the order of events. Immediately after announcing to the crowds that Jesus is “certainly the prophet coming into the world” (John 6:14, although this is not mentioned in Matthew), Jesus sends the disciples into the spiritual wilderness – the sea – to test their faith. The sea, in this context, is not only a place of crossing, but a place of discipleship and testing. Andrew Spradlin says about the Sea of Galilee, or as it is also called the Sea of Gennesaret or the Sea of Tiberias: “It is located within the Valley of the Desolation.” The Great is very low, as it is located 628 feet below sea level and is surrounded by deep hills and mountains. This terrain forms wind channels, which leads to violent and sudden storms when the cold air coming from Mount Hermon collides with the hot air above the lake. This adds realism to Al-Bashir’s description of the wind as being “oppressive” and that the waves were “slapping” or “tormenting”6.
John MacArthur, Interpreting the Bible. (Lebanon: Dar Manhal Al-Hayat, 2012), 1516.
Andrew Spradlin, Jesus&Peter Matthew14: 22-33, Valley Baptist Church, audio and video recording, Accessed on 27th November,2025 and is available on the following link https://youtu.be/nDUqGbrJeUo?si=pelwc1erAVXiFsxA إن إلزام يسوع لتلاميذه على الصعود إلى السفينة والعبور قبل صرف الجموع لم يكن مجرد ترتيب عشوائي، بل كان ضرورة ملحّة. يوضح لنا )يو 15:6( أن الجموع مزمعون أن يأتوا ويختطفوه ليجعلوه ملكًا، لذلك ألزم تلاميذه أن يسبقوه إلى السفينه لئلا ينخرطوا في هذا الحماس الشعبي الخاطئ الذي يهدف إلى تتويجه ملكًا أرضيًا. وانصرف هو للصلاة منفرداً حيث يرى بعض المفسرين أن هذا الانفراد كان ضروريًا للمسيح في مواجهة “تجديد لتجربة البرية” عندما قدُم له مجد أرضي بدلاً من طريق الصليب. بالإضافة إلى توقيت تدخل يسوع لهم )الهزيع الرابع من الليل( وفقًا للتقسيم الروماني، يمتد هذا الهزيع من
The time is 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., that is, just before dawn, which indicates that the disciples had struggled for long hours (perhaps 6 to 10 hours), as they had rowed about 25 or 30 furlongs (about 5-6 km). The arrival of Christ in the fourth watch confirms that divine intervention comes at the moment when human weakness reaches its peak, to confirm that the gift of power belongs to God alone.
Then comes Peter’s hesitation (Matthew 14:28-31) to show that true faith is not just a declaration, but rather a confidence exercised in the midst of the storm. The Evangelist Matthew uses a dramatic style that gradually builds tension: the specific time (“the fourth watch of the night,” the darkest moment of the night), the vivid description of the storm, the mounting fear at the sight of a person walking on water, the intense dialogue, and then the sudden shift from fear to Prostration: This method attracts the reader and makes him live the experience with the students.
We cannot ignore the place of the text that the Evangelist Matthew describes to us compared to the same event when the Evangelist Mark or the Evangelist John mentions. We find that the Evangelist Mark ends the story by saying: “For their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52), focusing on the blindness of the disciples. While the Evangelist John summarizes the event without mentioning Peter’s walking on the water, and ends it with the immediate arrival of the ship (John 6:52). 21). Meanwhile, Matthew adds unique details: Peter’s invitation to walk on the water, his hesitation, and Jesus’ rebuke to him: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:
31). This shows Matthew as a writer concerned with the gradual growth of faith, not just its proclamation. Therefore, Matthew 14:22–33 cannot be separated from its literary and historical context in the Gospel.
Chapter Two: Text Analysis:
Analysis of the text of Matthew 14:22-33 requires deconstructing the precise narrative elements to understand the narrative structure that the evangelist employed to reveal
The divinity of Christ, so we can divide the passage into five successive scenes:
The first scene (Matthew 14: 22-24) Jesus orders his disciples to enter the boat and go before him to the other side while he dismisses the crowds.
After dismissing the crowds, he goes up the mountain alone to pray. At the same time, the ship was tormented by the waves because the wind was against.
Although Jesus distances himself from the disciples, they are not outside the scope of his knowledge or concern.
The second scene (Matthew 14: 25-26) In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus comes walking on the sea. When the disciples see him, they panic and scream in fear, thinking that he is an illusion. This scene reminds us of what happened before with the disciples in (Matthew 8: 23-27) when a strong storm arose, the waves covered the boat, and the disciples feared for their lives while Jesus was sleeping. They woke him up, shouting: “Lord “Deliver us!” Jesus described them as “of little faith.” He rebuked the winds and the sea, and calm came. In response, the disciples were astonished and could not help but wonder: what kind of person Jesus is that “even the winds and the sea obey him.” In contrast, in the passage (Matthew 22:14-33), we find winds and waves again, but without a storm, and the disciples were not afraid for their lives. Mark Hoffman believes that: “What sparked their fear was a vision A person walking on water and they thought he was a ghost. Jesus reassured them without reprimanding them, and their fear here was more reasonable, because
The Master was not with them and the imagination they saw went beyond anything they had experienced.” Scene 3 (Matthew 14:27) Jesus immediately reassures them by saying: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” This central declaration carries profound theological weight. “I am ἐγώ εἰμι” 🙂 This phrase is central to the passage. In a simple Greek context, it could mean “This is me” or “I am here,” but The biblical context indicates a deeper meaning. In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament), this phrase is used to translate the name of God “I am” (I am) in (Exodus 3:14) and in (Isa. 43:10-11; 41:4), God uses this expression to declare His unique divinity and sovereignty. When Jesus uses this phrase, especially in the context of walking on water (a divine act), it is He declares his divine identity.
Jesus clearly identified himself by telling the disciples, “Be of good courage,” which he also said in 9:2 and 22, and the people did so. He declared:
“I am He,” with its divine connotations. He says: “Do not be afraid,” which is what is stated regularly in the Gospel of Matthew (10: 26, 28, 31; 17:7; 28:10(
So, when Peter says, “If it is you.” (ei su ei in Greek), he is joining the company of Satan (4:3, 6), and the high priest (26).
63, and the mockers on the cross (27:40) who all made the same challenge to Jesus. In each case, just like Peter, they want Jesus to do something to verify his identity.
Scene Four (Matthew 14: 28-31) Peter asks Jesus to command him to come to him on the water. Jesus invites him, and Peter begins to walk, but he becomes afraid when he sees the wind is strong and he begins to drown. He shouts for salvation, and Jesus extends his hand and grabs him, rebuking him for his lack of faith. Matthew uses the term “of little faith” five times in his Gospel (6:30, 8:26, 14: 31, 16:8, 17:20), which is distinctive in its style. The word does not mean the absence of complete faith, but rather its weakness or insufficiency. Peter was not completely lacking in faith (he did get out of the boat), but his faith was not strong enough to withstand the fear of the surrounding circumstances.
Scene 5 (Matthew 14: 32-33) When Jesus and Peter enter the boat, the wind calms down. The disciples prostrate to Jesus, saying:
“Indeed, you are the Son of God!” This confession is the theological climax of the passage after Jesus declared himself, “I am.” The response of the disciples to the calming of the storm was worship. In Jesus’ time, the literal meaning of worship was often prostration, and this is what we understand from Matthew 2 as well, when the Magi offer veneration to Jesus only as the King of the Jews, without realizing that he is the Son of God. Therefore, the Evangelist Matthew took care to highlight to us the disciples’ recognition of Christ as the Son of God, so that his readers would not understand that Jesus must be worshiped as God.
The title “Son of God” is multifaceted. In the Old Testament, Israel is often referred to in terms of divine sonship. The king of Israel was often referred to in this way as well (this was a common practice in the ancient Near East.) In terms of messianic usage, the promised Davidic king in 2 Samuel 14:7 is referred to in the language of sonship. By the Second Temple period, the divine sonship of the king was generally downplayed, but there appears to have been a sense that the Messiah would be the “Son of God,” especially at Qumran (Genesis 1:10-11). In this sense, The title conveyed messianic connotations to the Jewish Christians in Matthew’s community.
In the context of the Gospel of Matthew, the term “Son of God” is rarely used, leading one to question its place in the narrative. It is possible that “Son of God” is the title Matthew uses to bring together Jew and Gentile in one confession. Two arguments support this. First, Matthew does not address the concept of divine sonship much, leading one to believe that his community viewed it as a shared confession. Second, Matthew’s skill in communication rules out the idea that he would have ignored non-Jewish readers in His audience.
The text also reveals to us another dimension in the identity of the Lord Jesus, which is that He is God incarnate. We see the balance between Jesus being alone to pray as a human being (Matthew 14:23), then controlling the universe and the laws of nature as God (Matthew 14:25-26), saving Peter with his mercy and care as a teacher and shepherd (Matthew 14:31), and the disciples recognizing his divinity (Matthew 14:33). Therefore, we can consider that the text is rich in declaring the identity of Christ.
Through our analysis of the text, we find that the evangelist paid attention to clearly highlighting the characters, the time and place of the event, then continuing to narrate the events and link the text to the miracles that preceded it that show the divinity and power of Christ, and clarify the conflict in the narrative, whether it was the collective conflict that the ship was tormented by the waves, or the individual conflict of Peter when he walked on the water and then focused on the winds and began to sink and shouted, “Lord, save me.” The final solution is for Jesus to intervene in the scene and announce his identity, “Take courage, I am he, no Be afraid.” Then he intervened with Peter, extending his hand and holding him, and the evangelist described the disciples’ feelings and their confusion to the point where they thought he was an illusion, and then the final confession that he was the Son of God.
Jesus’ declaration, “Be of good courage, it is I, do not be afraid,” is a complete confession that takes into account our humanity and our limitations, because if He told them to be of good courage, of course their situation would be: How can we be encouraged when we are tormented by the waves and on the verge of death, and the Teacher is not with us? If he only told them, “I am,” it is possible that in this case they would not know him, or rather ignore him. If he just says, “Don’t be afraid,” their reaction will be the same as if they were encouraged, and they may scold him for not feeling the struggle they are going through with the waves and winds. But the Lord’s declaration of His identity came fully and completely to deal with the heart and mind of the disciples and us after them as well. He begins with the truth that He wants us to live, which is “Be of good courage.” The secret of this encouragement is His person, “I am,” and our dependence on Him, so of course the result will be “Do not be afraid.” If we want to see this declaration from all directions, it is valid because the center “is” the person of the Lord Jesus. We are encouraged because He is, and we are not afraid because He is. So we see through this
The text: Jesus is the Shepherd, the Savior, the Teacher, and the Son of God, because He is God. “I am.”
Chapter Three: The Historical Development of Redemption:
The Bible reveals to us the identity of Christ gradually and progressively throughout the history of redemption, from the first hints in the Old Testament to the full revelation in the Book of Revelation. This development is not random, but intentional and planned by God, as He gradually prepares His people to understand the amazing truth: that Christ is God incarnate, the first and the last, the only Savior of humanity.
We find the introduction in the Old Testament in (Exodus 3:14): “Then God said to Moses, ‘I am he who I am.’ And he said, ‘Thus say to the children of Israel, ‘I am he who has sent me to you.’” “This is the foundation of divine revelation as it represents the cornerstone of all of God’s self-revelation in the Bible. When Moses asked God what His name was, God answered with a profound phrase: “I am who I am,” which is also translated as “I am” or “I am who I am.”
Frederick and Sharon describe it and say that:
This expression is a manifestation of the appearance of Jesus as the Son of God, as in the confession of the disciples. The “four watchmen” can be understood in two ways. First, the Romans divided the time from six in the evening to six in the morning into four equal parts; The fourth watch means between three and six in the morning. Secondly, as the end of the ages with the coming of Christ: the first guard was the covenant with Abraham; the second, the covenant with Moses; Third, the covenant with the prophets; And finally, Jesus.
This name also announces several basic facts about God, first: that He exists by Himself and does not depend on anything outside Himself for His existence.
He is the eternal being who has no beginning and no end. Second: I am, meaning I am present with you in all circumstances. Third: He is faithful and constant and does not change. He is the One who was, is, and is to be, which we also see clearly in the Book of Revelation 1:8, and this is what he actually proved in Matthew 14:27 when he encouraged them, saying: “It is I.. Do not be afraid,” and in the New Testament in general because he links himself to this direct and basic declaration in the Old Testament.
Then we see God as master of history in Isaiah 41:4: “Who has done what he has done, calling the generations from the beginning? I am God the first, and with the last I am the same.” The declaration goes one step further in the book of Isaiah. Here, God is not only declaring His self-existence, but His complete sovereignty over human history. We find God’s sovereignty over generations. He is the one who calls the generations from the beginning. That is, He is the one who moves history. The events of history do not happen by chance, but they are an elaborate plan in the hands of God. In addition, He is the first, and with the last, He is a being, which shows us that He existed before the beginning of history and will remain after history. He is the starting point and the end of everything, and this is what the book continued to declare until the Book of Revelation 22:13. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” And he continues to affirm, “I am the One who does not change, constant at all times. This passage confirms to us that the plan
Salvation is not an emergency plan, and God’s revelation of Himself is not a reaction, but has been real from eternity. He is God, the master of history.
We continue the context of the development of the history of redemption to declare the identity of Christ and reach (Isaiah 43: 10-13): “You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe in me and understand For I am he. Before me no god was formed, and after me there will be no one. I am the Lord, and there is no one to save. I am God, and even from this day I am. He is. This passage represents to us the oneness of God and the exclusivity of his role as Savior. He is the one unique God before whom no god was formed and after whom there will be no, and salvation does not come from any source other than Him. It is a prelude to understanding that Jesus, if he is a true Savior, must be God himself. We notice the repetition of “I am” to emphasize his unique identity. In the context of the history of redemption, this passage creates a theological tension that will only be resolved in the New Testament: How can Jesus be a Savior? If God alone is the Savior? The only answer: Jesus must
He is God incarnate. When he declares in Acts 4:12 that “salvation is found in no one else,” this is a direct echo of Isaiah 43, affirming the divinity of Christ.
The declaration becomes clearer in (Isaiah 48:12): “Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am he. I am the first, and I am the last.” He is addressing his people, reminding them that he is the God who chose them. He called them, and the importance of this passage lies when we link it to (Revelation 1:17-18): “Do not be afraid, for I am the first and the last and the living. And I was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever!” Jesus here uses the same title in (Isaiah 48) He adds to it the reality of death and resurrection, for he is the one who died and rose again to redeem his people.
Then we move to the Messianic declaration in the Psalms (Psalms 2:7), the declaration of divine sonship and the confirmation of His being as the incarnate Son. The Psalm refers to a future king who will be the Son of God and will rule with a rod of iron. The phrase “Today I have begotten you” was made more clear in Romans 1:4, “And the Son of God was made powerful by the spirit of Holiness, through the resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” And he is better than the angels in (Hebrews 1).
This psalm presents to us the identity of the incarnate Christ, which is also revealed to us in Matthew 14: 22-33.
We reach the clarity of the announcement of Christ’s identity in the New Testament in (Matthew 14:27), through Christ’s earthly ministry. The declaration of himself, “I am,” is accompanied by actions that confirm his identity, which are walking on water, making Peter walk on water, and catching him when he began to drown. In the development of the declaration, the text shows us that the God of the Old Testament who announced “I am” to Moses is the same Jesus standing before them. The transcendent God became close to them, extending his hand to save the drowning Peter. Then comes Peter’s Confession in Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:15-17) “He said to them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Then Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the son of The living God!” Then Jesus answered and said to him:
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for it was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father who is in heaven. “It is as if this announcement is a deeper understanding of the identity of Christ after the event of walking on water. Peter responds and announces the identity of Christ with two titles: “the Christ,” for he is the anointed king and “the Son of the living God,” to clarify his relationship with God the Father and that he is God incarnate. This announcement in the history of redemption is considered a turning point in the disciples’ understanding of the identity of Christ, which made him begin to teach them about the necessity of the cross (Matthew 16:21) to complete the image of the incarnate God in their minds.
We notice the development of the declaration in (John 8:58): “Jesus said to them: ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” It is an announcement of his eternity before the incarnation. He is the being who announced himself in the Old Testament and is clearly revealed to us in the New Testament. He is God. The Eternal One, who was incarnated in the fullness of time and existed before time, is eternal and everlasting, to confirm to us what the prophet Isaiah declared to us. Then we stand before the scene of the Garden of Gethsemane in (John 18:5-8) when he voluntarily surrenders himself and declares, “I am.” He accepts the cross willingly, not by force, because he knows that it is the only way to save humanity, and this is the message of the Gospel that the Almighty God humbled himself and became weak in order to redeem his people and save them.
Then we continue the confession before the Sanhedrin in (Mark 14:61-64), where the announcement brings together Christ, the Son of God, and sitting at the right hand of God. This scene shows us that Christ is condemned to death because he declared the truth about his identity, and then the post-resurrection announcement in (Luke 24:39) when he appears to his terrified disciples and confirms to them that the one who died is the one who rose, with no change in his identity, and he wants to show them the signs of suffering, as he still bears the signs of redemption to parallel the announcement in (Revelation 5:6) He is the Lamb that was slain, and He also wanted to prove to them His physical resurrection. Let us reach the full declaration in (Revelation 1:8) and (Revelation 22:16,13) which combines the incarnate God with the God who is the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament.
We can also trace the development of the history of redemption to this text regarding walking on water, and we find that God’s authority over the waters is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. In (Genesis 1:2) we see the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the waters in the first creation, which demonstrates God’s sovereignty over the primordial chaos. In ancient culture, the sea symbolized chaos, danger, and forces hostile to life. God’s control over the seas demonstrates His ability to transform chaos into order. In (Exodus 14), God partes the Red Sea before the children of Israel, in the greatest act of salvation in the Old Testament. Moses extends his hand, but it is God who performs the miracle. This event It becomes a model of divine salvation that is mentioned repeatedly throughout the prophetic books. In (Psalm 77:19), the psalmist says: “Your way is in the sea, and your paths are in many waters, and your tracks are not known.” This poetry refers to God who walks on the waters.
Just as Jesus did. Therefore, the passage on walking on water cannot be separated from the entire narrative of God’s redemptive plan.
In addition, in the context of redemptive history, Jesus is presented as the last Adam who succeeds where the first Adam failed. Adam was called to exercise authority over creation (Genesis 1:28), but the fall led to the loss of this authority. As for Jesus, as the new Adam, he regains this authority and demonstrates it in ways beyond expectations. His authority over the sea shows that he is the creator, master, and ruler of nature. Just as the crossing of the people of Israel through the waters was considered the greatest miracle in the Old Testament, in the New Testament Christ responds that He shows them that great things are accomplished through Him only because He is God incarnate.
The text clearly shows us the role of Christ as a priest, as a king, and as a prophet. We can see his priesthood in his isolation for prayer. He stands before God on behalf of the people, and his concern and care for his disciples is part of the priest’s roles, which is caring for his people. We see his royal role in the text in his authority over nature, walking on water, and saving Peter, which makes the disciples acknowledge that he is in fact the Son of God. We see him as a prophet, so his declaration of himself, “I am,” is to convey to them the truth of his identity, because the role of the prophet in the Old Testament was to convey the words of God to the people. Here he is the ultimate prophet who does not only carry a message from God, but rather he is God himself who reveals himself.
By looking at the text, we can extract some symbols and patterns in the text. For example, water often in the Bible refers to judgment and death, and the coming of Jesus walking on water declares his authority over nature and death, which is represented by the water (the waves that torment them).
Practical application:
We can apply this text in a practical way to a book study group for a group of young people who struggle with the various storms of life and do not feel the presence of the Master with them. The more the pressures of life around them increase, the more their faith and trust in the Master is shaken. It is possible to begin by talking about the fact that the disciples experienced a kind of conflict that we experience in another way in this day, and that they represent our condition and our human nature. Even when the savior came to them, they thought he was an illusion, and this is what we also are. Sometimes we think that he is distant, silent, or oblivious to what we suffer to the degree that even when God comes to rescue us in wondrous ways, we do not trust that it is him, until he himself hears us, “Take courage, I am he, do not be afraid.” What we see in this scene is a simple picture of God’s care. With our salvation, He is concerned with our salvation to the degree that made Him send His only Son to save us on the wood of the cross so that we may obtain reconciliation and forgiveness of sins. The blessings we experience today are because of Christ’s salvation for us, for He came revealing Himself.
And his identity is to save us from the destruction prepared for us by Satan. If we focus on Peter’s position, as is the case with many of us, we are enthusiastic about trusting and relying on God, then the conflicts around us quickly increase, taking our attention and focus from the person walking on the waters who is capable of everything. We begin to drown in those conflicts greatly because we have lost the centrality of Christ in our lives and something else has begun to occupy our eyes. However, Christ, with his fatherhood and care for us, does not want us to perish or die as a result of that, so he quickly extends his hand to save us, and this is what God did for us by sending his son. He is the only One to save us from the death of sin, to give us salvation and forgiveness of sins to attain eternal life. This calls us to prostrate, worship, and acknowledge the truth that He is the Son of God and to live according to this truth. Conclusion The text of Matthew 14:22–33 is not just a miraculous narrative, but rather a profound theological declaration of the identity of Jesus Christ. In its context
Literary and historical, Jesus appears as a God who controls the forces of the universe, and as a man who shares the fear of his disciples and raises them to worship. Through the perspective of redemptive history, the reader realizes that the declaration of Christ’s identity in his saying, “Be of good courage!” I am he. “Do not be afraid” is not an isolated event, but rather the culmination of a divine promise and an episode of redemption that unfolds to us from the beginning of the Old Testament until its manifestation in the New Testament in the person of the Lord Jesus and its complete completion in the Second Coming.
The reviewer
Arabic references
John MacArthur, Interpreting the Bible. Lebanon: Dar Manhal Al-Hayat, 2012.
English References:
Ellicott, Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, is available on the following link https://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/14-22.htm Hoffman, Mark. “Stay in the Boat: Commentary on Matthew 14:22–33.” Working Preacher.
Accessed November 26, 2025. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary 19/commentary-on-matthew-1422-33-2#.
Novakovic, Lidija. “Jesus as the Davidic Messiah in Matthew.” Scott. J. Martin “Jesus Walking on the Sea.” Sibinga, Smit. “Matthew 14.” Spradlin, Andrew. “Jesus & Peter: Matthew 14:22–33.” Sermon, Valley Baptist Church. Audio and video recording. Accessed November 27, 2025. https://youtu.be/nDUqGbrJeUo?si=pelwc1erAVXiFsxA.
Tiffany, Frederick C., and Sharon H. Ringe. Biblical Interpretation: A Road Map. Nashville:
Abingdon Press, 1996. Verseput, “The Role and Meaning of the ‘Son of God’ Title in Matthew’s Gospel,”