Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

14:22 other side. See note on 8:28.

14:23 by himself to pray. In preparation for his mission into Gentile regions (see 15:21), and with his trials in Jerusalem impending, Jesus spends the evening and night in concentrated prayer with his heavenly Father.

14:24 long way from the land. The disciples are probably about 3 miles (4.8 km) out into the lake (cf. John 6:19), which would have been 4-5 miles (6.4-8.0 km) wide at that point, depending on exactly where they crossed (cf. Matt. 14:34; also John 6:17).

14:25 fourth watch. The Roman military divided the night into four watches of three hours each, from 6:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. The fourth watch would have been between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m., which means the disciples had been battling the storm for over nine hours (cf. "by this time," v. 24).

14:26 Ghost represents phantasma, a Greek term for spirit appearances or apparitions. The disciples may have thought an evil spirit was trying to deceive them.

14:27 It is I (Gk. egō eimi, lit., "I am") may recall Yahweh's voice from the burning bush (Ex. 3:14), which when spoken now by Jesus provides assurance to the disciples of the Lord's presence in their midst as Savior (cf. Isa. 43:10-13).

14:28-33 Lord. By walking on water in a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates that he indeed is the Lord over all creation, and so there is no need to be afraid (v. 27) or to doubt (v. 32). The only fitting response is to worship Jesus and to acknowledge that truly he is the Son of God, which is the only time in Matthew that the disciples use this full title to address Jesus.

14:34 Gennesaret. Either the town or the plain on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, south of Capernaum, known for its fertile soil and abundance of walnuts, figs, and olives.

14:35-36 recognized. There is no record of any prior ministry by Jesus in Gennesaret, but its people had certainly heard about him, knowing that even touching the fringe of his garment could bring healing.