Matthew 14:22-33. Then He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent away the crowds. And after He had dismissed the multitudes, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was still there alone. But the boat was by this time out on the sea, many furlongs [a furlong is one-eighth of a mile] distant from the land, beaten and tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch [between 3:00 — 6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified and said, It is a ghost! And they screamed out with fright. But instantly He spoke to them, saying, Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid! [Exodus 3:14.] And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat knelt and worshiped Him, saying, Truly You are the Son of God! AMP
John 8:56-59. “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them,” Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
As Jesus had instructed them, His disciples had taken a boat to cross the Lake of Galilee, ‘And in the fourth watch [between 3:00 — 6:00 a.m.] of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea’. No doubt Jesus had to cover ‘many furlongs’ too, yet He did so ‘walking on the sea’. The reaction of the disciples when they saw Him was that ‘they were terrified’.
The response of Jesus to their fears was no gentle “It is I, be not afraid” as is the most usual translation, but as the Amplified Version has it “I AM! Stop being afraid!” This is both an affirmation of Jesus’ divinity and a command. “I am God. Trust Me and stop being fearful!”
The very same Greek words ‘ego eimi’ employed in this passage are used in John 8:58, “before Abraham was, I AM.” To His disciples, that Jesus was ‘I AM’, will have been the greatest assurance. To the Pharisees, who were offended to the utmost by Jesus; that He claimed to be God, was blasphemy. Their ultimate expression of hatred for Him came in the words that condemned Him before Pilate, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” John 19:15.
In response to Jesus’ strong admonition, Peter demonstrated simple faith, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. In other words, “Lord, I hope it is You. If it really is you, then command me to come to You across the water and I will obey.” He was willing to put Jesus words to the test. Jesus said to him “Come!”
Peter left the safety of the boat and proceeded to walk on the sea towards Jesus. Then he felt the strength of the wind and he became frightened and he began to sink. His simple faith became “little faith”. But at His cry “Lord save me!” Jesus caught Peter and surely, though we are not informed of what occurred, Jesus took Peter by the hand and they walked together to the boat.
What a lesson this account holds for all who will trust wholly in Jesus. Surely He is ‘I AM’ and, as such, ‘He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him’. Hebrews 7:25. AMP
How we fare in all the mighty storms of life will depend on our willingness to take our focus away from our circumstances and to keep our gaze fixed upon Him, ‘….for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6.
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3 thoughts on “I AM, Stop Being Afraid”
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I am so sorry not to have thanked you for your comments earlier. I am Tom. As you can see from my website content I am maybe a small yet passionate servant of Jesus Christ. I have had an amazing life, the first 34 years of which was spent in England. I emigrated to Australia then moved on to Canada where I have lived now for 50 years. But you have probably read all of this on my website.
I have worked hard at my later age of 86 to create a quality website with features that serve the purpose of it. I now have 14 posts, the like of which will be hard to find anywhere else. I am not interested particularly to make the site a source of income. If that should occur I know the causes I would devote this to. My main purpose is to reach a niche company of people who are not simply satisfied with religion but want a deep and deepening relationship with God. I am very open to advice in keeping with these parameters.
I thank you so much for your comments. Warmly, Tom
Thanks for your advice. I will take note of your suggestion if and when I find a cause the Lord may need to be supported. May God bless you and keep you.