How Did Jesus’ Actions Support His Claims of Divinity?
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| Jesus and Saint Peter, Gospel of Matthew 4.18-20 Français : Jésus et Saint Pierre, Évangile selon Matthieu 4.18-20 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage!l It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,”n he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”Jesus’ words, although impressive, were sometimes ignored or dismissed;
however, the miracles he performed were difficult to discount or dispute.
Among Jesus’ many extraordinary powers was his authority over the natural
world.
Matthew 14:22–33 records the miraculous event of Jesus walking on the windy
surface of a stormy lake to reach his disciples. In addition, with Jesus’
urging, Peter was miraculously empowered to also walk on the water. When Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the wind immediately became still, which caused the disciples aboard the boat to exclaim, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33). A similar passage in Mark 4:39 reports that with the
simple phrase, “Quiet! Be still!” Jesus quieted the furious squall. The
disciples were stunned and terrified (see Mark 4:41). What kind of person,
they wondered, possesses such power that even the forces of nature obey him? They knew the answer: only God himself.
Although words can be compelling, actions provide powerful evidence to
reinforce one’s words. In Jesus’ case, he made bold claims, and as his
disciples could attest, his actions reinforced his authority as the Son of
God.
