To explain to us spiritual and thus invisible matters, the Bible uses the natural, the visible. The spiritual meaning of these natural things is explained in the Bible itself. We need the Holy Spirit however to open our spiritual eyes so that we understand what it means.
In previous studies, we had already discovered that God uses visible objects to explain spiritual matters.
Using a story, told in Matthew 14, I would like to show you that not only objects, but also events are used for this.
This story, in which Jesus and Peter walk on water, is often used to tell us that we should go to Jesus with our difficulties.
He will then stretch out His hand and pull you out of the storms of your life.
Indeed, the Bible shows that with Him you will find a peace that surpasses all understanding and that He will comfort you and dry your tears.
This story in Matthew 14:22-33 however is not about that at all.
It is much more profound!
Let’s read the story first.
After Jesus fed 5000 men and an unknown number of women and children with only 5 loaves and 2 fish, He commands His disciples to….
Matthew 14:22-33
…. get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!”
And they cried out in fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
And He said, “Come!”
And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”
When they had crossed over, they came to land.
now let's paint a picture of what is happening here.
Jesus and His disciples are on land and Jesus commands them to sail to the other side.
As the disciples get into the boat and sail away, Jesus sends the thousands of people home. This must have taken a while and when everyone is finally gone, it is already evening and Jesus can pray with the Father in peace.
The disciples are already in the middle of the sea, but are tossed about by the waves.
These waves are caused by a headwind.
Then Jesus comes walking to them across the sea.
Now, when Jesus walked on the earth, there were many rabbis, each with their own followers.
These followers, called disciples, followed their rabbi everywhere and in everything.
In this way they learned to do everything exactly like their rabbi would do it and they would become just like him.
As a true disciple of Rabbi Jesus, Peter wants to follow his master in everything.
That is why he says to Jesus: Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You over the water.
When Jesus lets him know it is truly Him by saying “come!”, Peter gets out of the boat and walks across the water towards Jesus.
On the way, however, he begins to doubt and sinks into the water.
Peter calls out to Jesus for help. Then Jesus reaches out and pulls Peter up again, after which they walk to the boat together and enter it.
Once in the boat, the wind dies down and peace returns.
spiritual insight
Wind & Waves
Why is it so important that we can still read about this event after 2,000 years?
Let’s explore the deep meaning of this story.
The spiritual meaning for which wind and waves are used can be found in many places in the Bible.
One verse which helps us understand is found in Ephesians 4.
Ephesians 4:14
We are no longer to be children,
tossed here and there by waves
and carried about by every wind of doctrine;
by the trickery of men,
by craftiness in deceitful scheming.
This quote from Paul tell us that the winds are teachings brought into the world by people.
These winds create doubt, causing people to be tossed about as if by waves.
Another good example explaining the spiritual meaning of the natural wind and waves is found in the book of James.
James 1:6
He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.
When we now go back to the story in Matthew 14, we see that we can apply our discoveries 1 on 1 to this event.
The wind that the disciples experience is a headwind. This wind represents doctrines.
The wind represents everything they have learned in their lives about God and the promised Messiah from rabbis, Pharisees, scribes and other teachers.
The headwind are teachings of people who have taken their own ideas and assumptions about God and preach them to other people, while they themselves do not know God.
These teachings come from religion and not from a deep relationship with God.
These teachings create doubt, and toss you about like a boat on the waves.
The headwind stops you from reaching the other side.
Then Jesus appears walking over the water toward them.
He is not bothered by the waves.
He knows exactly who He is and who His Heavenly Father is.
He has no doubts what God says. He has listened to what the Spirit taught Him and not what people taught.
Peter also walks on the water for a moment, but when he thinks about everything he has learned from assumptions and earthly wisdom, he begins to doubt and sinks into the waves of that doubt.
What did Peter doubt? He doubted what Jesus had said! “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
the other side
The spiritual significance of the boat and the meaning of ‘the other side’ is, among other places, found in the letter to the Hebrews.
Paul writes:
Hebrews 6:17-20
God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose,
interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie,
we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil,
where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
‘The hope set before us’ is in this story ‘the other side’ for the disciples.
This other side is a picture of Heaven, the promised land.
An image in the natural for Heaven is found in the most holy place of the tabernacle.
Check out my study “a new heaven and a new earth” to learn more about this.
Jesus has entered the other side as a forerunner for us,
having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
This is why Jesus prays:
John 17:24
Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am.
Jesus had already preceded us to the other side as a forerunner and instructs us to get into the ship and sail to the other side, so that we may be where He already is.
the boat
Now what is the meaning of the boat?
It is important that we read what it says carefully and also check this with the original text in Matthew 14.
It does not say the disciples were battered by the waves, but the boat was.
The boat the disciples were in is a reflection of our souls.
Our souls are firmly rooted in the assurance of the hope that we will be where Jesus has gone before us.
Hebrews 6:19
This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil.
From that place, the most holy place, Heaven, Jesus comes to meet us from across the water to help us get to the other side so that you will be where He is. Not after we died, but now, in this life!
He wants a deep relationship with you.
1 Corinthians 6:17
The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
When you start to follow Jesus, He will step into the boat with you, your soul.
Then the wind ceases; the wind that brings earthly wisdom.
the honor of sonship
With these new insights, I would like to encourage you to again read the stories in the Bible involving the wind and the sea.
For example, read the story of Jonah or of Noah, or of Paul sailing to Italy in Acts 27.
Also notice the picture of the headwind and the bread being broken in that story.
I pray that we will all have a deep relationship with Him, in which we will get to know Him better and better…
Ephesians 4:13
… till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ
When we have come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, the earthly wind, bringing teachings that proclaim assumptions and earthly wisdom, has ceased.
As a result, our souls are no longer carried away and tossed about by waves of doubt as to what God Words actually mean.
The wind has died down and the sea becomes calm and flat.
By means of natural images John sees in the spirit what this will be like.
This is what he sees:
Revelation 4:6 + 15:1
Before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
The eyes represent insight. They have fully come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
There is no longer any question about what God says. No more waves tossing us back and forth.
The sea has become completely flat like glass, and without doubt we can approach with boldness the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
