"Truly, You are the Son of God."

By Joe Tevington

08/05/2023 • View profile

As per the Gospel reading for Sunday, August 13:

After He had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

After doing so, He went up on the mountain by himself to pray.

When it was evening He was there alone.

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night, He came toward them walking on the sea.

When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea they were terrified.

"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.

At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter said to Him in reply, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

He said, "Come."

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.

But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught Peter,

and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

After they got into the boat, the wind died down [click for a 2017 image of the Sea of Galilee.].

Those who were in the boat did Him homage, saying,

"Truly, You are the Son of God."

But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

In 2017, my wife and I were blessed to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Yet, I was dumbfounded by our tour guide's claim that fishermen of that time could not swim! Any notion that Peter could not swim from Matthew 14 seems immediately debunked by John 21: 4-14. And Peter had been standing atop the very water and not a mere sandbar!

When it was already dawn, [the risen] Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”

So He said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.

So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.

The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish.

When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”

So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three* large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.

Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord.

Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish.

This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to His disciples after being raised from the dead.

When in the Northern part of Israel in 2017, our phenomenal hotel room overlooked the Sea of Galilee.

One evening, there was a tremendous storm. While I find thunder and lightning interesting, this storm had me afraid to look out from behind the curtains!

Yet, my fear would be nothing in comparison to what Peter and the other Apostles felt in a wooden boat on the Sea of Galilee - and not peering from behind a curtain!.

I found those Sea of Galilee storms to be terrifying!