Bread on the Hillside
But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27 · Berean Standard Bible
Jesus immediately calls out to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' Three commands that cut through every storm you'll ever face.
When fear grips you, listen for His voice. He doesn't scold you for being afraid. He speaks into your fear with His presence and reassurance.
Jesus speaks boldly to His terrified disciples across the waves.
Jesus doesn't wait for them to figure it out. He speaks first, breaking through their panic with His voice. His presence is the answer to their fear.
Jesus' response contains three elements: tharseite ('take courage'), egō eimi ('I am/it is I'), and mē phobeisthe ('do not be afraid'). The phrase egō eimi echoes the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (LXX).
The egō eimi declaration is a theophanic formula used in Isaiah 41:4, 43:10, and 46:4. Whether the disciples grasped the divine allusion, Matthew's readers would recognize the christological claim.
Jesus speaks immediately and authoritatively to calm His disciples' terror.
Jesus responds to their fear with words that carry layers of meaning. On the surface, He identifies Himself. At a deeper level, He reveals His divine identity.
25During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea.
26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
28“Lord, if it is You,” Peter replied, “command me to come to You on the water.”
29“Come,” said Jesus.
Read all of Matthew 14 — A king's guilty banquet ends with a prophet's head on a platter. Hours later, Jesus feeds thousands and walks on water through the night.
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