Resource Detail

2025 Study of Matthew’s Gospel

WHY DID YOU DOUBT?

Matthew 14:22-33

Key Verses 14:31

1. Why did Jesus make the disciples get into the boat while he went up the mountain to pray (22-24)? What does this event reveal about the challenges the disciples faced even when following Jesus’ command?
2. What was the disciples’ reaction when they saw Jesus walking on the lake (25-26)? Why do you think Jesus chose to reveal himself in such a surprising, even frightening, way? What does Jesus’ statement “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” reveal about his identity (27)?
3. What does Peter’s request show about his faith in Jesus (28-29)? What caused Peter to become afraid (30)? How does Peter’s cry “Lord, save me!” reveal his weakness?
4. What does Jesus’ rebuke “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” reveal about the root cause of Peter’s sinking (31)? What kinds of doubts most often weaken your faith? What confession did the disciples make about Jesus (32-33)?

2025 Matthew’s Gospel September 1 , 2025

WHY DID YOU DOUBT?

Matthew 14:22-33

Key Verse 14:31

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

From today’s message, I want us to take away two big lessons—number one: prayer. Number two: faith. Through last Sunday’s message, we learned about the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. Now, the crowd was astonished at this miracle. So, guess what they were planning? John 6:15 tells us they were about to take Jesus by force to make him king. In other words, they thought: “This is the guy. Free food forever. Political leader. Let’s crown him now.” But Jesus didn’t come to be their bread king. He didn’t come to be a political leader. He came to die on the cross and forgive our sins.

So Jesus dismissed the crowd. And he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side. Why didn’t Jesus go with his disciples that night? It’s because Jesus had a different plan. Verse 23 says: “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone.” Jesus—after a full day of teaching, healing, and feeding—slips away to pray. Jesus found rest in the Father through prayer. Jesus discovered God’s will through prayer. Jesus carried out his mission through prayer. I like to think of prayer as recalibrating our GPS. You know how, when you miss a turn, your GPS says, ‘Recalculating…’? That’s what prayer does. It takes our distracted, lost hearts and points us back to God’s direction. That’s what prayer does for us spiritually. Life pulls us in a million directions, the world tempts us, we lose focus, we drift into the wrong path—but prayer recalibrates us. It brings us back to God’s original purpose. Our church gathers for early morning prayer—5:30 a.m., from Monday through Friday. I know, some of you just thought, “5:30 a.m.? That’s not morning—that’s still night!” But for those who join, it’s powerful. Day by day, we meet God. Day by day, we experience Jesus. We start our days walking with Jesus. And that’s my hope for us—that we would be a community of prayer—people who meet God every day in prayer.

So picture this. While Jesus was praying on a mountainside, what was happening to his disciples? Verse 24 tells us: “The boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.” John’s Gospel says they had rowed about three or four miles. If you know the Sea of Galilee, the distance from Bethsaida, where they set out, to Capernaum, where they were heading, was about 6-8 miles. Now, normally, the trip across the Sea of Galilee wasn’t a big deal. These guys were fishermen. They knew how to row a boat. Under calm conditions, they could have made the crossing in just a few hours, no problem. But that night was different. The wind was against them. So they rowed… and rowed… and rowed. Tons of effort, but zero progress. Can you imagine how they felt? Tired. Frustrated. Worried. All they wanted was some rest. They worked hard, they thought, “Finally, I’m gonna get some sleep tonight,” and then—bam—the storm happened.

So here’s a question: the disciples were simply obeying what Jesus told them to do—so why did the storm still come? Shouldn’t life be easier if we’re obeying God? You follow Jesus, you do what he says, and things should go smoothly, right? But no. That’s not the promise. Jesus loves us—deeply, more than we can imagine—but storms can still come. Hardship can still happen.

For some of us, the storms are very real and very painful. Some of our beloved brothers and sisters in this community are suffering from sickness. M. Joseph Han is going through chemotherapy. Becky Song is battling cancer, and her situation doesn’t look good. M. James S. Kim has a tumor in his neck and is scheduled for surgery on September 5th. And we are fervently praying that the tumor is not malignant and that his surgery goes well. Sometimes storms hit in other ways. A faithful believer suddenly gets laid off from work. A family is hit with financial struggles. You study hard, but your studies don’t go the way you planned. You don’t get into that PhD program you dreamed about. You want to obey his word, but you get pushback. You make a decision, “I’m not going to that party. Too much temptation there.” And your friends call you “old-fashioned,” “weird,” or worse. Relationships break. You feel left out. So yes—even people who live by faith face storms. Living by faith with obedience doesn’t guarantee a storm-free life. What it guarantees is that Jesus is with you in the storm. The same Jesus who sent the disciples into the storm was the one praying for them on the mountain. And that makes all the difference.

Jesus was interceding for them, but they weren’t praying. They had Jesus, the Son of God. They had the privilege of calling on him for anything. But they didn’t. They struggled, rowed, complained, sweated, panicked—but they didn’t pray. That’s us so often, right? Jesus is praying for us, cheering for us, interceding for us—and we’re just stuck in the middle of our storms, trying to fix everything ourselves. Listen, if you’re in trouble, that’s the time to pray. Don’t wait until you’ve tried everything else. Don’t wait until you’ve completely sunk. Don’t wait until you’re drowning in assignments, projects, and exams, running on three hours of sleep, before you finally cry out to Jesus. Don’t wait until the stress at work has completely drained you and you feel like you can’t go on. Don’t wait until your marriage feels like it’s falling apart, or the conflict at home is so deep you can hardly breathe. Pray first. You’re not alone. Jesus is with you, praying for you. Prayer matters. Prayer connects you to the one who has power over the storm.

Jesus didn’t just pray for them from a distance—he came near, walking on the water to meet them where they were. Now, why did Jesus walk on the water? Was it because there wasn’t an extra boat? Of course not. Jesus doesn’t need a boat. He chose to walk on the water. Walking on water? For us, that’s impossible. But Jesus is the Creator God. For Jesus, nothing is impossible. The waves that threatened to sink the disciples were like solid ground under Jesus’ feet.

But what was the disciples’ reaction? When they saw him, they were terrified. They cried out, “It’s a ghost!” If they had been seeking Jesus in the storm, they would’ve recognized him right away. If they had prayed, they might have seen him and said, “That’s our Lord! He’s coming! God heard us!” But instead, they panicked.

Jesus speaks into their fear. “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (27) Isn’t that powerful? Jesus didn’t say, “What’s wrong with you guys?” He said, “Take courage. Don’t be afraid. It’s me.” That’s what Jesus says to us in our storms, too. He can give us courage when we’re weak, peace when we’re anxious, comfort when we’re scared. Why? Because Jesus has power. Jesus can solve our problems. The storm that overwhelms us is nothing for him.

Now let’s talk about faith. Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Why would Peter say that? Honestly, this is classic Peter. He sees Jesus, and he can’t wait. He’s just so excited to meet him. That’s Peter’s personality—impulsive, passionate, full of love. He loved Jesus so much that he just wanted to be with him. But I think there was another reason. Peter didn’t just want to see Jesus’ power—he wanted to experience it. He saw Jesus walking on the water, and his heart said, “I want to do that too. I want to experience everything my teacher does.” That’s why he followed Jesus so closely—he wanted to share in everything about his Lord, even the miracles. And yet, Peter knew it wasn’t possible without Jesus’ permission. That’s why he asked: “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come.” He entrusted the whole thing to Jesus’ will. That was faith.

Now, honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t have asked that. Walking on water? That’s not on my bucket list. I’m actually kind of scared of water. One time, I was snorkeling in the Caribbean when I was in Venezuela. It was beautiful—clear blue water, fish everywhere. But suddenly the water beneath me turned dark. I realized I was drifting out into the deep. My heart raced. I panicked. I turned around and swam back as fast as I could. No walking on water for me!

But Peter was different. He was a fisherman. He knew how to swim. Normally, falling in the water wouldn’t be a big deal for him. But not that night. This was a storm. Falling in meant death. Still, he asked Jesus to let him walk to him. That’s how much he trusted him.

And Jesus said: “Come.” Jesus welcomed Peter’s bold, faith-filled request. He didn’t say, “Don’t be ridiculous.” He said, “Come.” And Peter did it. He stepped out of the boat. He actually walked on the water, coming toward Jesus. Can you imagine that moment? One foot out, testing the waves—solid. The other foot—still solid. Step by step, eyes on Jesus, Peter is doing the impossible. Wow. What faith! What courage! This was a miracle. A regular man walking on water! And I bet Peter was amazed himself: “I’m really doing it! I’m walking on water!” That’s the power of faith. When we trust Jesus, when we fix our eyes on him, we can experience miracles we never thought possible.

But then—what happened? “When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (30). The moment he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind, fear crashed in. When Peter was focused on Jesus, he was walking on water—literally doing the impossible. But the second he saw the waves, the storm, the chaos around him—he sank. That’s so true for us, isn’t it? When our eyes are fixed on Jesus, we can face challenges with courage. But when our eyes are on our problems—our GPA, our conflicts, our bank account, our rejections, our fears—we start drowning in anxiety. Faith, at its core, is keeping our eyes on Jesus no matter what’s happening around us. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” But we don’t always do that. We let the storm steal our focus. And so we’re afraid—afraid of failing, afraid of not being enough, afraid that our future won’t work out, afraid we won’t make it. Why? Because we’re staring at the wind and the waves, instead of looking at Jesus.

Now, what did Peter do when he started sinking? He shouted, “Lord, save me!” And that’s exactly what we need to do. I know—we’d like to think we’re strong enough to never sink. But the truth is, we’re weak. We get distracted. We take our eyes off Jesus. And when that happens, don’t wait until it’s too late. Cry out now: “Lord, save me!” And here’s the good news. Verse 31 says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” Immediately. Not when Peter was about to die in the water. Immediately. That’s who Jesus is. He’s always ready to catch us the moment we cry out.

It reminds me of something I once saw at the beach. A dad was teaching his little boy to swim. He would toss the kid into the water, let him kick and paddle, then pull him back up. And then toss him in again. Honestly, the dad’s method looked kind of questionable—I’m not sure if that’s in any parenting manual. Maybe he thought he was helping the boy get over his fear of water. Honestly, I wondered if the poor kid was going to end up with a lifelong swimming trauma. But here’s the thing—the dad never took his eyes off his son. He was always ready, arms out, to grab him. The moment that boy started to go under, his father pulled him out. That’s our God. That’s Jesus. He doesn’t let us drown. The second we cry out, he’s there.

And then notice what Jesus says. He gently rebukes Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” He didn’t say Peter failed because the storm was too strong. No—Peter failed because he doubted. Doubt is simply shifting our trust away from Jesus and onto our circumstances.

So the real question for us today is: What are you looking at? Are your eyes on Jesus—or are they on your situation? For college students, maybe your “waves” are grades, career plans, and student loans. For young adults, maybe it’s the pressure of finding a job or navigating relationships. For families, maybe it’s financial strain or conflict at home. Whatever it is—if you stare at the storm, you’ll sink. But if you fix your eyes on Jesus, you’ll walk. Jesus gently rebukes you, saying, “You of little faith, Why did you doubt?” So turn your eyes back to Jesus. Fix your gaze on the only one who can carry you through the storm.

When Jesus and Peter climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. Just like that—the storm was gone. Calm seas. Peace. But here’s something fascinating. John 6:21 says that immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. Did you catch that? Not only did the storm stop, but suddenly—boom—they were already at their destination. That means the moment Jesus got in, the wind shifted in their favor. The Spirit of God carried them the rest of the way. That’s what happens when Jesus is with us. When we’re rowing on our own, life feels like an endless struggle. You row, you sweat, you grind, you hustle—and you’re still stuck in the middle, going nowhere. That’s life in our own strength. We meet storms, we spin in circles, sometimes we feel like we’re drowning.

But when Jesus is in the boat, and when the Holy Spirit helps us, it’s different. Suddenly, the wind shifts. Suddenly, there’s peace. Suddenly, progress. You find yourself safely at the destination you could never have reached on your own. We all want to reach our goals—graduating, getting the job, finding purpose, and building relationships. And we think, “If I just work hard, I’ll get there.” But let’s be honest—we can row forever and still get stuck in the middle. We can’t do it alone. But with Jesus, with the Spirit’s help, we will get there safely. We’ll get there faster than we thought possible. So let Jesus into your boat. Don’t row alone. Don’t fight the storm by yourself. Welcome him into your heart. Trust him. Obey him. Follow the Spirit’s lead. If you do, your life will be a successful journey. You will reach the destination God designed for you. Amen.