Jesus appears to the disciples in Matthew 14:22-33, walking on the waves as they shudder in fear on a boat. He reassures them he is not a ghost and tells them to "take heart." The story is found in each of the Gospels, and Matthew includes the details of Peter joining Jesus in stepping out upon the waves.
To explore this familiar story in context, we will look at how the Gospel writers place it in between two separate stories of miraculous feeding, the feeding of the five thousand and also the four thousand. These are found in 14:13-21 and 15:32-39. These two stories are set among Jews and among Gentiles respectively. I recommend reading all of chapters 14 and 15 to prepare for the story of faith upon turbulent waters.
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