Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. 24 Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 27 At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 After they got into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
The disciples are already in difficulty long before Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” The wind is against them, the waves are tossing the boat, and they have been struggling through much of the night. Matthew records no request from them for Jesus to come. Yet while they are still struggling, Jesus comes toward them. Earlier, Jesus had taught His disciples, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8). That teaching helps us understand the spiritual meaning of this scene. God’s knowledge of our need comes before our ability to express it, and His care is already at work before we fully understand what we need or how deeply we need Him.
“Lord, save me!” therefore expresses something larger than Peter’s desperate cry as he begins to sink. It expresses the need of every disciple. Their situation already reveals that need. Jesus approaches them before Peter speaks the words. Even then, they do not immediately recognize Him. The sight of someone walking upon the sea adds to their fear, and Jesus responds by making His presence known: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (v. 27).
Their reason for courage is Jesus Himself. The wind has not yet stopped, the waves have not yet become calm, and the boat is still on the sea. Yet Jesus can already say, “Take courage.” His presence begins to change the situation before the circumstances themselves have changed. This is an important part of Christian faith. Christ promises His presence to His disciples, and at the end of Matthew’s Gospel He will tell them, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The disciples on the sea are learning what that presence means.
Peter now asks Jesus to command him to come across the water. Jesus simply says, “Come.” Peter responds. He leaves the boat and begins walking toward Jesus. His faith is real enough to answer the Lord’s call and entrust himself to Him. Then Peter becomes frightened by the strength of the wind. The danger has been present throughout the night, but his awareness of it now overwhelms him. The psalmist expresses the response of faith simply: “When I am afraid, in you I place my trust” (Psalm 56:4). Peter does exactly that. As he begins to sink, his prayer becomes immediate and simple: “Lord, save me!”
Peter knows whom he needs and where to turn. His prayer places his need directly before Jesus, and Jesus responds immediately: “Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him” (v. 31). The hand of Christ is already within reach. Peter’s cry does not alert Jesus to a danger He had failed to notice. Jesus is already there. Peter’s prayer is the moment when he becomes fully conscious of his need and places himself completely in the Lord’s hands. Prayer gives expression to our dependence upon God and our trust in His help.
Jesus then says, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Peter has faith, although it is still growing. He trusted Jesus enough to leave the boat, and when fear weakened that trust, he still knew enough to call upon Him. Jesus saves Peter and continues forming him as a disciple. That is also the experience of every Christian. Faith grows through a lifetime of hearing Christ, responding to Him, discovering our weakness, calling upon Him, receiving His grace, and learning to trust Him more completely.
Peter’s experience belongs to the whole group. When Jesus and Peter enter the boat and the wind dies down, all those in the boat respond by doing Jesus homage and saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God” (v. 33). The journey has led them somewhere deeper than the other side of the sea. Their struggle has become an encounter with Christ. They have experienced His presence, heard His voice, witnessed His saving power, and come to recognize more clearly who He is.
The same movement continues in the life of the disciple. Sometimes we recognize our need immediately and cry, “Lord, save me!” At other times, Christ is already coming toward us before we fully understand what we need. He knows us, sees us, and remains present to us. His words continue to speak into the struggles of His disciples: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Our confidence rests in the One who comes to us, calls us toward Himself, reaches out His hand when we falter, and leads us toward deeper faith.
Lord Jesus, help us to recognize Your presence in every circumstance of life. When our faith weakens, teach us to turn to You and pray with Peter, “Lord, save me.” Strengthen our trust in Your saving love and lead us to confess with the disciples that You are truly the Son of God. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Matthew 6:8; 14:22–33; 28:20; Psalm 56:4; notes on Matthew 14:22–33.
- Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000. Nos. 2607–2615.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 33.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 99–100.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 658, paragraphs 97–98.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Pages 191–193.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Pages 938–939.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully revised ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. Pages 1202–1203.
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