Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 14:26

"And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear." — Matthew 14:26 (ASV)

The Romans divided the night from sunset to sunrise into four watches (reflected here). Jesus’ approach to the boat therefore occurred between 3:00 A. M. and 6:00 A. M. The disciples were terrified, thinking they were seeing an apparition or ghost. “Take courage!” and “Don’t be afraid” bracket the central reason for his calming exhortations: “It is I.” Although the Greek words for “It is I” (“I am”) can have no more force than that, any Christian after the Resurrection and Ascension would also detect echoes of “I Am,” the decisive self-disclosure of God (Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 51:12; cf. Jn 8:58). Once again we find Jesus revealing himself in a veiled way that will prove especially rich to Christians after his resurrection .