Courage - Day 8 (Matthew 14:22-27)

"Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! I am. Don't be afraid.'" -- Matthew 14:22-27

This passage wraps up the week nicely, with the final verse really driving at some key points. The first thing that really seems to jump out is the symbolism in the story at large. When Jesus comes to His disciples, they are struggling against things totally out of their control -- in this case, it is nature. Jesus came out to them where they were and in the midst of what they were doing. He didn't command them to come to Him once they had things under control, He came to them where they were -- in the middle of a storm.

Despite having spent time with Jesus, they didn't see Him for who He truly was. Both in general, as the Son of God, and specifically in this story, as they thought He was a ghost and they were afraid. They couldn't see Him for who He was, for though He was there to save them, what He was doing was also very unexpected.

The next thing that I appreciate is that Jesus spoke to them "immediately." He didn't wait to keep them frantic, but He spoke to them immediately.

While we have hammered away at "take courage," we must stop to ask ourselves, "what is courage?" The best definition I've heard is that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the strength and ability to do something in spite of that fear.

"I am" is a powerful reminder that Jesus is God in the flesh. Emmanual. God with us. He is eternal and almighty and He is with us today and always. As mentioned yesterday, the general of angel armies stands readty to war on our behalf.

Finally, "Don't be afraid" merits some discussion. It is not a polite suggestion, but rather a command. We know worry is a sin and that God has not given us a spirit of fear (see 2 Tim 1:7). The fact that it is given by Jesus as a command shows us that (1) it is possible, and (2) it is our choice.

If we accept that God is indeed with us and for us, really, what is there to be afraid of?