Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 14:22-33

"And straightway he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side, till he should send the multitudes away. And after he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain apart to pray: and when even was come, he was there alone. But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night he came unto them, walking upon the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto the upon the waters. And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." — Matthew 14:22-33 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Desiring to prompt a diligent examination of what had been done, He commanded those who had witnessed the previous sign to be separated from Him. For if He had remained present, it might have been said that He performed the miracle as an illusion and not in reality. However, no one could argue that He had done it in His absence. Therefore, it is said, And immediately Jesus compelled his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him to the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

St. Jerome: These words show that they left the Lord unwillingly, not desiring, through their love for their teacher, to be separated from Him even for a moment.

St. John Chrysostom: It should be observed that when the Lord works a great miracle, He sends the multitudes away, teaching us by this never to pursue the praise of the crowd, nor to attract them to us. He further teaches us that we should not always be mixed with crowds, nor always shun them, but that both can be done for our benefit.

This is why it follows, And when he had sent the multitude away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray, showing us that solitude is good when we need to pray to God.

For this reason, He also goes into the desert and there spends the night in prayer, to teach us that for prayer we should seek stillness in both time and place.

St. Jerome: That He withdraws to pray alone should be understood in reference not to His divine nature, which fed five thousand with five loaves, but to His human nature, which, on hearing of John's death, withdrew into the desert. This is not to say that we separate the Lord's person into two parts, but that His actions are distinguished between the divine and the human.

St. Augustine of Hippo: This may seem to contradict what Matthew says—that after sending the multitudes away, He went up on a mountain to pray alone. John, on the other hand, says that it was on a mountain that He fed this same multitude. However, since John himself adds that after the miracle He retired to a mountain to avoid being seized by the crowd, who wanted to make Him a king, it is clear that He had come down from the mountain when He fed them.

Nor do Matthew's words, He went up into a mountain alone to pray, disagree with this, even though John says, When he knew that they would come to make him a king, he withdrew into a mountain himself alone (John 6:15).¹ For the reason for His praying is not contrary to the reason for His withdrawing; in this, the Lord teaches us that we have great cause for prayer when we have cause for flight.

Furthermore, it is not a contradiction that Matthew says first that He told His disciples to get into the boat, and then that He sent the multitudes away and went to the mountain alone to pray. John, meanwhile, relates that He first withdrew to the mountain, and then, when it was late, his disciples went down to the sea, and when they had entered into a boat, etc. Who does not see that John is relating, as happening afterward, what Jesus had commanded His disciples to do before He retired to the mountain?

St. Jerome: The Apostles had rightly departed from the Lord unwillingly and were slow to leave Him, lest they should suffer shipwreck while He was not with them. For it follows, Now when it was evening he was there alone—that is, on the mountain—but the boat was in the middle of the sea tossed with the waves; for the wind was contrary.

St. John Chrysostom: Again, the disciples suffer shipwreck, as they had done before; but then they had Him in the boat, while now they are alone. Thus, He gradually leads them to higher things and instructs them to endure all things courageously.

St. Jerome: While the Lord remains on the mountaintop, a contrary wind immediately arises, stirs up the sea, and the disciples are in imminent peril of shipwreck, which continues until Jesus comes.

St. John Chrysostom: He allows them to be tossed about the whole night, stirring their hearts with fear and inspiring them with a greater desire and more lasting memory of Him. For this reason, He did not come to their aid immediately, but as it follows, in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking upon the sea.

St. Jerome: Military guards and watches are divided into three-hour portions. When he says that the Lord came to them in the fourth watch, this shows that they had been in danger the whole night.

St. John Chrysostom: He teaches them not to seek a speedy escape from coming evil, but to bear courageously whatever befalls them. But just when they thought they were delivered, their fear increased, which is why it follows, And seeing him walking upon the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a vision, and through fear they cried out.

For the Lord always does this: when He is about to rescue someone from evil, He first introduces things that are terrible and difficult. Since it is impossible for our temptation to continue for a long time, He increases the conflicts of the righteous just as their warfare is about to end, desiring to bring about a greater reward from them. He did this with Abraham, making his conflict the trial of losing his son.

St. Jerome: A confused noise and an uncertain sound are the mark of great fear. But if, according to Marcion and Manichaeus, our Lord was not born of a virgin but was seen in a phantasm, how is it that the Apostles now fear that they have seen a phantasm (or vision)?

St. John Chrysostom: Christ, then, did not reveal Himself to His disciples until they cried out; for the more intense their fear, the more they rejoiced in His presence. This is why it follows, And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. This speech took away their fear and restored their confidence.

St. Jerome: When He says, It is I, without saying who He is, it could be that they were able to understand Him speaking through the darkness of the night, or they might have known that it was He who had spoken to Moses, Say unto the children of Israel, He that is has sent me unto you (Exodus 3:14).

On every occasion, Peter is found to be the one with the most ardent faith. With the same zeal as ever, while the others are silent, he now believes that by his Master's will he can do what he cannot do by nature. This is why it follows, Peter answered and said unto him, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee upon the water. This is as if to say, "You command, and the water will immediately become solid, and this body, which is naturally heavy, will become light."

St. Augustine of Hippo: This is as if Peter said, "I cannot do this by myself, but in You I can." Peter confessed what he was in himself and what he would receive from Him, by whose will he believed he could do what no human weakness could accomplish.²

St. John Chrysostom: See how great his warmth and faith were. He did not say, "Pray and entreat for me," but "Bid me." He believes not only that Christ can walk on the sea Himself, but that He can also lead others on it. He also wishes to come to Him quickly, and he asks for this great thing not from ostentation, but from love. For he did not say, Bid me walk upon the waters, but, Bid me come unto thee.

It seems that after having shown in the first miracle that He has power over the sea, He now leads them to a more powerful sign. He saith unto him, Come. And Peter, going forth of the boat, walked on the sea, that he might go to Jesus.

St. Jerome: Let those who think that the Lord's body was not real—because He walked upon the yielding waters as a light, ethereal substance—answer here how Peter walked, whom they by no means deny to be a man.

Rabanus Maurus: Theodorus wrote that the Lord had no bodily weight regarding His flesh, but walked on the sea without weight. The catholic faith, however, teaches the contrary; for Dionysius says that He walked on the waves without His feet being immersed, having bodily weight and the burden of matter.

St. John Chrysostom: Peter overcame the greater challenge, namely the waves of the sea, but is troubled by the lesser one, the blowing wind, for it follows, But seeing the wind boisterous, he was afraid. Such is human nature: often holding up correctly in great trials, but failing in lesser ones.

This fear of Peter's showed the difference between the Master and the disciple, and thereby pacified the other disciples. For if they were indignant when the two brothers prayed to sit on His right and left hand, they would have been much more so now. They were not yet spiritual; afterward, when they had become spiritual, they everywhere yielded the first place to Peter and appointed him to lead in the addresses to the people.

St. Jerome: Moreover, he is left to temptation for a short time so that his faith may be increased, and so that he may understand that he is saved not by his ability to ask, but by the power of the Lord. For faith burned in his heart, but human frailty drew him into the deep.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Peter presumed on the Lord, tottered as a man, but returned to the Lord, as it follows, And when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me. Does the Lord then desert him in his peril of failure, when He had listened to him when he first called on Him? Immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him.³

St. John Chrysostom: He did not command the winds to cease, but stretched forth His hand and caught him, because his own faith was required. For when our own means fail, then God's power prevails. Then, to show that it was not the strength of the tempest but the weakness of his faith that caused the danger, He saith unto him, O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? This shows that not even the wind would have been able to hurt him if his faith had been firm.

But just as a mother bird carries her chick on her wings and brings it back to the nest when it has left too early and fallen, so did Christ. And when they were come into the boat, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the boat came and worshipped him, saying, Truly thou art the Son of God.

Rabanus Maurus: This may be understood as referring either to the sailors or to the Apostles.

St. John Chrysostom: Observe how He leads everyone gradually to what is above them. He had rebuked the sea before; now He demonstrates His power even more by walking on the sea, by commanding another to do the same, and by saving him in his peril. Therefore they said to Him, Truly thou art the Son of God, which they had not said before.

St. Jerome: If, then, after this single miracle of stilling the sea—something that often happens by chance even after great tempests—the sailors and pilots confessed Him to be truly the Son of God, how can Arius preach in the Church itself that He is a creature?

Pseudo-Augustine: Mystically, the mountain represents exaltation. But what in the world is higher than the heavens? Our faith knows who it was that ascended into heaven. Why did He ascend into heaven alone? Because no man has ascended into heaven except He who came down from heaven. For even when He comes at the end of time and has exalted us into heaven, He will still ascend alone, since the head with its body is one Christ, and for now, only the head has ascended. He went up to pray because He has ascended to make intercession to His Father for us.⁴

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, that He is alone in the evening signifies His sorrow at the time of His passion, when the rest were scattered from Him in fear.

St. Jerome: He also ascends the mountain alone because the multitude cannot follow Him on high until He has instructed it by the shore of the sea.

St. Augustine of Hippo: But while Christ prays on high, the boat is tossed by great waves in the deep. And since the waves rise, that boat can be tossed; but because Christ prays, it cannot be sunk. Think of that boat as the Church, and the stormy sea as this world.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: When He commands His disciples to enter the ship and go across the sea, while He sends the multitudes away and then goes up the mountain to pray, He is bidding us to be within the Church. We are to remain there in peril until He returns in His splendor to give salvation to all the remnant of Israel and to forgive their sins. Having dismissed them into His Father's kingdom and returned thanks to His Father, He will sit down in His glory and majesty.

Meanwhile, the disciples are tossed by the wind and the waves, struggling against all the storms of this world, which are raised by the opposition of the unclean spirit.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For when anyone with a wicked will and great power proclaims a persecution of the Church, then a mighty wave rises against the boat of Christ.

Rabanus Maurus: Therefore, it is well said here that the ship was in the middle of the sea and He alone on the land, because the Church is sometimes so oppressed with persecution that her Lord may seem to have forsaken her for a time.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Lord came to visit His disciples, who were being tossed on the sea, in the fourth watch of the night—that is, at its end. For since each watch consists of three hours, the night has four watches.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The first watch was therefore of the Law, the second of the Prophets, the third His coming in the flesh, and the fourth His return in glory.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Therefore, in the fourth watch of the night, that is, when the night is nearly over, He will come. At the end of the world, when the night of iniquity has passed, He will come to judge the living and the dead.

But His coming was with a wonder. The waves swelled, but they were trodden upon. Thus, however much the powers of this world may swell, our Head shall crush their head.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: But Christ, coming at the end of time, will find His Church weary and tossed by the spirit of the Antichrist and by the troubles of the world. And because their long experience with the Antichrist will make them troubled by every new kind of trial, they will be fearful even at the Lord's approach, suspecting deceitful apparitions.

But the good Lord banishes their fear, saying, It is I, and by the proof of His presence, He takes away their dread of impending shipwreck.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Or, when the disciples say, It is a phantasm, this represents those who, yielding to the Devil, will doubt the coming of Christ. That Peter cries to the Lord for help so that he would not be drowned signifies that He will purge His Church with certain trials even after the final persecution, as Paul also notes, saying, He shall be saved, yet so as by fire (1 Corinthians 3:15).⁵

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, that Peter alone, out of all the number in the boat, has the courage to answer and to pray that the Lord would bid him come to Him on the waters, represents the impetuosity of his will during the Lord's passion, when, following the Lord's steps, he attempted to attain a contempt for death. But his fearfulness shows his weakness in his later trial when, through fear of death, he was driven to the necessity of denial. His crying out here is the groaning of his repentance there.

Rabanus Maurus: The Lord looked back upon him and brought him to repentance; He stretched forth His hand and forgave him. Thus the disciple found salvation, which is not of him that willeth or of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy (Romans 9:16).

St. Hilary of Poitiers: That when Peter was seized with fear, the Lord did not give him the power to come to Him, but held him by the hand and sustained him—this signifies that He who alone was to suffer for all, alone forgave the sins of all. No partner is admitted into that which was bestowed upon humanity by one alone.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For in one Apostle, namely Peter—the first and chief in the order of Apostles, in whom the Church was represented—both types were to be signified: the strong, in his walking on the waters, and the weak, in that he doubted. For to each of us, our lusts are like a tempest.

Do you love God? You walk on the sea; the fear of this world is under your feet. Do you love the world? It swallows you up. But when your heart is tossed with desire, then, so that you may overcome your lust, call upon the divine person of Christ.⁶

Remigius of Auxerre: And the Lord will be with you to help you, calming the perils of your trials and restoring confidence in His protection, and this will happen toward the break of day. For when human frailty, beset by difficulties, considers the weakness of its own powers, it sees itself as in darkness. But when it raises its view to the protection of heaven, it immediately beholds the rise of the morning star, which gives its light through the whole of the morning watch.

Rabanus Maurus: Nor should we wonder that the wind ceased when the Lord had entered the boat; for in whatever heart the Lord is present by grace, all wars cease.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Also, by this entrance of Christ into the boat and the resulting calm of the wind and sea, the eternal peace of the Church is indicated, as is the rest that will come after His return in glory. And since He will then appear manifestly, they all rightly cry out now in wonder, Truly thou art the Son of God. For there will then be a free and public confession by all people that the Son of God has come, no longer in the lowliness of a human body, but that He has given peace to the Church in heavenly glory.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For it is shown to us here that His glory will then be made manifest, since for now, those who walk by faith see it only in a figure.⁷

1. De Cons. Ev., ii, 47
2. Serm., 76, 5
3. Serm., 76, 8
4. App. Serm., 72, 1
5. Quaest. Ev., i, 15
6. Serm. 76
7. Quaest. Ev., i, 15