Matthew 14: 22-33

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...

Hagia Sophia ; Empress Zoë mosaic : Christ Pantoc...

English: Icon of Jesus Christ

In having to choose a passage to study and explain, I decided to choose Matthew 16: 22-33 after reviewing all of the subjects. This is a notable passage in the Bible because it discusses Peter's faith in Jesus and Jesus's powers, with him being both the divine and human Son of God. In this particular passage, Jesus had the disciples get on a boat and travel into sea while he traveled to the top of a hill to pray solely. He prayed until evening when the boat was very far into sea, swaying rapidly because of the immense waves produced by large winds. The disciples were getting distressed and anxious when Jesus arrived in the morning between 3 and 6am. His walking on the water had scared them, making them terrified of a ghost. Jesus told the disciples not to be afraid and that it was he, yet Peter continued to ask him to prove so by making him walk on the water to Jesus. Jesus did so and Peter became nervous and began to lose faith as the winds increased and began to sink. Jesus grabbed Peter as the winds decreased and the disciples praised Jesus as the Son of God.

I feel this passage was an excellent choice because it not only teaches the powers of Jesus, but I was able to learn a lot about Peter and his personality shown through his behavior. Peter didn't have enough faith to believe it was Jesus and had to have Jesus prove so by having him walk on water. As Peter began to doubt so, he began to sink, and this also served as a metaphor because it shows that a lack of faith in God causes a weakening in relationship. Peter is portrayed as one of the most intriguing disciples and his leadership played a primary significance in the early community of faith. Because of his risk taken by walking on the water, the other disciples were also intrigued by Jesus and praised and worshipped him. I also enjoyed learning about Peter because he is appealing since he is just like us- taking risks, making mistakes, and being cowardly.

This passage explains more than just Jesus's divine powers, considering that it also evaluates his relationship with the disciples. The Apostles were ordinary people who were capable of extraordinary things because of their association with Jesus. Jesus used his divinity to walk on the water and bring Peter to him. He was able to prove his existence as the Son of God to the disciples and increase their faith. It is definitely very admirable how Jesus accepted all people, no matter if they were at their best/weakest, brightest/most ignorant, and boldest/most cowardly.

Matthew 14: 22-33 also has great significance and is meaningful for modern Christians. Christians are able to learn how the Apostles were ordinary people affected by Jesus's divinity. They had to take risks and have great faith in Jesus and God just as we should today, even with such tragic world affairs. We need to learn that God is the most loving person and cares very deeply for all humanity. The passage also shows that sometimes we can lose faith in Jesus, during hard times, but need to work hard to strengthen our relationships. Life is a hill, with ups and downs, and we need to work hard to accept that God is always doing the best for us. As teens, we can be followers of Jesus through various methods. Firstly, attending church regularly and preaching the Good News to young children and kids our age can be of great influence. Also, participating in community outreach and volunteer programs to help the needy and less fortunate show great effort in trying to live life as Jesus did. Trust, dignity, honesty, and respect are some characteristics and morals that teens must follow in order to fulfill their lives devoted to following Jesus.

Jesus is waiting for you.

First page of the Gospel of Mark, by Sargis Pitsak...

English: child Jesus with the virgin Mary, with th...