Matthew’s narrative of Jesus walking on the water serves to illustrate the saving power of faith, Christ’s always present help, and the issue of testing God and doubt. Peter, the leading disciple in the story, introduces the issue of a divided mind conflicting between faith and doubt as he attempts to walk out to Jesus who is coming to the ship. Jesus’ purpose for walking out on the water is to save the disciples in the ship “tossed with waves” (Matt 14:24 KJV). The waves, representing chaos, serve as a barrier between the disciples and Jesus, representing God’s divine power. Upon walking on the water, saving Peter, and calming the waves with entering the ship, Jesus proves the power of God to overcome all fear and chaos found in matter.
This text offers me comfort in knowing what to do in times of critical need, which is to cry out for Jesus in prayer, a response that could be easily overlooked. Jesus’ action to reach his hand out and catch Peter from sinking shows the prayer will not go unanswered. This gesture is common in other healings, and the idea of Christ being there in times of trouble to respond to our cry by reaching out is a comforting assurance. An additional part of the narrative that provides a sense of comfort is in the sea being stilled upon Jesus entering the boat. The sea, representing chaos, is immediately calmed as soon as Jesus enters. The power of the sea diminishing is a comfort knowing the chaos in our lives too will diminish upon Jesus
The theory of Bildungsroman defines a genre that has been employed in several literature pieces albeit most novels have employed the framework partially. The Bildungsroman literary genre convention dwells on the growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood morally and psychologically. Works that have employed the literary genre can also be referred to as coming of age genres. The novel by Viramontes entitled Under the Feet of Jesus gives an account of the plight of a family that lives as migrants. It has aspects that indicate similarities with the theories of the Bildungsroman. The essay evaluates how and to what extent the events of the novel fit the genre conventions in the Bildungsroman. Furthermore, the essay will delve into the justification behind the choice to use or not to use the genre conventions to enhance the theme of struggle as Estrella and her family experience hardships, focusing on migration and adolescence which characterize the life of the protagonist, Estrella, and her family.
In Chapter 3 of Speaking of Jesus, Carl Medearis says that if we do not really know what the gospel is then we will find ourselves having to explain Christianity. Instead of reaching out to people and showing Jesus, we put all our time and effort into defending our religion. It is like we are on teams and we try to get the most people on our side so we have the biggest team. Medearis put it like this, “In a way, we’re drawing a line in the sand and telling people, “You’re on that side, and you need to believe what I’m telling you in order to cross the line. Once you cross it, you’re saved.” (p.45).This is the kind of mentality of salvation that was also referenced in the introduction to the book. Christians tend to treat salvation like a check
Yet only in Matthew does Peter have a role in the story. Upon seeing Jesus on the water, he calls out, "'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water'"(Mt. 14.28). He almost succeeds, yet he suddenly gives in to fear and begins sinking. Jesus scolds him by saying, " 'You of little faith, why do you doubt?'"(14.31). This draws a strange picture of Peter. He no longer simply listens to Jesus, but tries to become actively involved in his teacher's lessons. This idea is again shown in Matthew 15.15. After the parable of the blind leading the blind, Peter asks, " "Explain this parable to us." Jesus replies with a rather impatient remark, but dives a little further into the meaning. He often comes to Jesus with questions throughout Matthew and these questions always ask for clear definitions of stories or truths about some spiritual detail. Many times Jesus snaps a little at him, but Peter obviously is not swayed by any impatience his teacher bestows. This seems to paint a closer relationship between the two men, where Peter is not afraid of Jesus and Jesus is not simply polite to Peter, as teachers tend to be. Jesus' obvious favoritism of Peter, shown in the transfiguration and throughout the gospel, leads one to believe that the two are indeed close friends with trust and mutual respect, which allows them to be freer with their words to one another. Friends tend to be less polite and more open with
Kobe Bryant once said, “Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise”. This quote is demonstrated in both A Night Divided and A Long Walk to Water as in both books the characters face great challenges that allow them to rise above others. In A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen Gerta and her family are divided by the Berlin Wall. Gerta’s oldest brother, Dominique, and father are in the west and Gerta her other brother, Fritz, and their mother are in the east. They decide to tunnel under the wall to get to the west for a better life and to get back to their family. This is their escape story. In the story, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Salva is in Sudan and his village is under attack by the rebels. He is separated from his family and must learn to survive the harsh conditions of Sudan to get to peace. The Salva’s family gets divided as and he is by himself. This is his account of his escape to the refugee camps. In both books, A Night divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen, and, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park the authors use plot sequence to develop the theme, times of hardships and danger develop perseverance.
When looking into the water he is able to see a reflection of himself and through that image he is able to reconnect to his inner self and look back at what his original plan was. When he sees himself he is reminded of the spiritual muttering “om” and that single word brings him solace and peace. He was able to find his Self once again and continue his journey to enlightenment.
This argument of an eternal presence working through people to generate change where there once was destruction is why Caine feels "the Samaritan had compassion and so he went” to signify that someone (Jesus) had once done the same act of compassion for him (Samaritan) (Caine, 8). This movement of showing compassion for those caught in the midst of destruction gives the Bible credibility in society today.
The excerpt from “Under the Feet of Jesus” by Helena María Viramontes illustrates a young girl named Estrella who, in learning to read, transitions from ignorant and flustered to competent and analytical. Viramontes displays this character development by using selection of detail, figurative language such as imagery, and tone that correspond with Estrella’s experiences and situation.
As soon as Crusoe is washed up on the shore of the island he looked up and thanked God for his life. I would too if I were him because the way he described it, the boat was mighty far away and the waves were massive. It was a miracle he was still breathing considering everyone else had perished in the wreck. After, on page 104, he eases his mind by writing out the comforts and miseries of his current situation. He states, “But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to the shore, that I have got out as many necessary things as will either supply my wants or enable me to supply myself, even as long as I live”. Crusoe is acknowledging God’s presence in his survival and how caring he really was. Despite Crusoe’s lack of belief before the incident, God still had mercy on him and for that he was thankful. Furthermore, on page 152, Crusoe states he began to seriously read the Bible every single day for as long as his mind let him. This drove him to throw his hands in the air and cry, “Jesus, thou son of David! Jesus, thou exalted Prince and Saviour! Give me repentance!”. He revealed this was the first time he had truly prayed in all his life. Crusoe at this point is now
Unlike the first song, Jesus Gave Me Water, this song gradually goes into call and response. The lead singer starts to sing and then the beat starts. After the beat starts is when the rest of the group starts to sing their own verse. When they start singing, it seems like it is in response to what the lead vocalist is singing. They respond with “ooohs” after the lead singer ends a verse. This seems to put more emphasis on what is being sang. The conclusion of the song ends with call and response.
Peter’s life as a disciple of Jesus could be characterized best by his own personal story of coming to Jesus on the Sea of Galilee. At times he would say and do things that had him “walking on water” or “sinking in the waves”. By this I mean that Peter would one minute be doing something that required profound faith and the next minute forget everything and sink in the waves of everyday life. We can look no further than the very instance of when Peter walked on water in Matthew 16:30 to see this contrast of the summation that is Peter’s life. In Matthew 16:30 we see
However, their understanding of Jesus and his teachings wasn't very good. They understood neither the amazing powers Jesus possessed nor the wonders he could perform. Even though he "would explain everything to them", in situations such as The Calming of the Storm and when Jesus walked on water, they just didn't have the strength to believe or the depth to understand. When the boat was filling with water in the Calming of the Storm (Mark 4:35-41), the disciples awoke Jesus to say, "Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?", Jesus said back to his disciples "Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?"
In the first comparison that I will look review, the story of Jesus walking on water both in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52. Starting with the verses in Mark, the story of Jesus walking on water, was rather anti-climactic (Martin, 2012). In both versions Jesus dismissed the disciples, to go to the other side of the sea, while he cleared the crowd out and then goes to the mountain to pray alone. The first difference between the two versions is that Mark has him standing on the shore looking out at the boat that was far out to sea. In Matthew’s version, there is no mention of Jesus watching the boat, just coming to it. The second difference is the type of trouble that the disciples are having. In Mark, there is a heavy wind that they are struggling to row against. In Matthew, there is a bit more danger, his is a heavy wind that is battering the boat while they are far from
Just as Christ was crucified and died, our submersion in water symbolizes us too dying with him. In turn, our removal from the water symbolizes our rebirth and connection with Christ giving us our first divine-human encounter. The depth of such an act clearly portrays how vital of a part cleansing of sins by way of water is important and used in our faith since the beginning of time and an example of initiation into Christ’s life. Water has, since the beginning of time, been used to symbolize cleansing and new beginnings and in turn a major reason why this sign is seen as such in the symbolic ritual.
He was trying to convey the message that the Kingdom of God belonged to every individual without looking at status or riches. One of his most recognizable gesture was when he walked on water. Peter, who was already his disciple at the time saw him walking on water and decided to also try and walk on water. At the beginning, Peter was able to walk on water but he became afraid and his faith struggled. When his faith started to struggle Peter started sinking and Jesus saved him from the water. Jesus was trying to express the importance of faith in him and God, and how having unshakeable faith will be beneficial.
This is a summary of a No Travel Seminar on a Study of the Gospel of Matthew. The seminar was lead by Dr. John Dunaway who is a professor at NTS and has served as a pastor for over 50 years. After his brief self-introduction, he began his presentation with an overview of the Gospel of Matthew, followed by a more elaborated narrative summarizing the gospel, and he finished with brief closing remarks. Throughout this enthusiastic presentation, Dr. Dunaway made reference to remarks by multiple prominent commentators, which added substance to his narrative, even though none were explicitly stated upfront.