Mt 14:22-36
22[Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 24Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.
26When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 33Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
34After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick 36and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.
Do not be Afraid: Unlike their seafaring neighbors (the Philistines and the Phoenicians), the Israelites were not seagoing people. They even feared the sea and conceived it as a monster restrained by Yahweh (Jb 38:8-11). The only big body of water in Israel is the Sea of Galilee around which Jesus went as an itinerant preacher. His first and closest disciples were fishermen.
At the Sea of Galilee storms often come suddenly and violently. In the Gospel, the disciples’ boat is being tossed by the waves and strong wind; even if they are sturdy fishermen, they fear for their lives. They become even more terrified when they see Jesus whom they mistake for a “ghost” or water spirit.
Matthew’s intended readers will probably see the boat as a symbol of their community. They are being threatened by trials and persecutions on account of their faith—from both Jews and Gentiles. The incident of the storm shows the doubt of the community, represented especially by Peter, and the power of Jesus who comes to save. Thus the story is a summons to a renewal of faith, a faith that devotes its attention to the power of the Lord, as expressed in the cry, “Lord, save me.”