Archived Daily Manna | Rejoice Fellowship | A mission to release people to rejoice in the world.

Message: There are three main stories in Matthew 14: 1) A flashback to the death of John the Baptist, 2) Jesus feeding the 5,000, and 3) Jesus walking on water. Tacked onto the end we read these two short comments. Jesus saving drowning Peter, etching The first is not really “tacked on” since it occurs as the end of the walking-on-water story, but it involves a greater issue. Throughout all the gospels, Jesus seems reluctant to name himself the Son of God, to make an outright definitive statement that “I am the Messiah.” He comes very close a number of times, but throughout the three Synoptic Gospels, He never makes a plain and full statement. He arguably does so once fairly early in John — “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) — and is almost stoned to death for it; but then, later in John, He once again becomes more elliptical in referring to himself. Do not misunderstand. Jesus repeatedly indicates his divinity, by word and deed. He allows others to say it and does not disagree, and He will claim aspects that can hardly be claimed by someone other than the Christ, such as “I am the way and the truth and the light” in John 14. In Mark (but not Luke or Matthew), when Caiphas asks him if He is the Son of God, He replies “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61–62) But note, the response given according to Matthew and Luke is not “I am” but rather, “You have said so.” (Matthew 26:63-64) Why is Christ so reluctant about claiming to be the Son of God and the Jewish Messiah? The short answer is, “because the world is not yet able to understand it.” He hints at this in John 16. When He is preparing the apostles for his crucifixion and says: “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.” (John 16:25) Another clue was given to us in Matthew 13, when He discussed parables. Those who are able to know Him — those who have “ears to hear” — will understand that He is God, the Messiah of the prophets, without needing it spelled out for them. Those who do not would simply be infuriated and execute him before the appointed hour. Jesus calms the storm - peaceful Thus, nobody was fully able to comprehend Christ until after the Ascension, for full understanding is an attribute of the Holy Spirit, which the apostles will not receive until the Pentecost. “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:12-13) So when the disciples say “Truly you are the Son of God” in today’s Scripture, we must remember that this does not represent a full and permanent understanding of Christ, but a gradual awakening of enlightenment. The apostles are in a learning curve, as we say today, and make this remark in the heat of emotion, in reaction to rescue from the gut-level fear of being in a small boat during a storm. They are still not ready to absorb the profound meaning of Christ, and will not be ready until He has ascended and the Holy Spirit comes to humanity.