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In Matthew 14:22-33 Christ is presented to us as the Escort in the way of following Him. As the Escort, He protects us. Christ pioneers the way, and then He escorts us in the way, leading us on with much protection.
In 14:22-33 the disciples, while sailing on the sea, were “battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary” (v. 24). This indicates that there was a storm. This storm troubled the disciples, but it did not bother the Lord Jesus, who “came to them, walking on the sea” (v. 25).
We should not expect to follow the Lord Jesus in the way without facing any storms or contrary winds. To be sure, as we follow the Lord, we will experience storms. The more we are faithful to Him, the more storms we will have and the more contrary winds we will face. When a storm comes, we should learn to enjoy Christ as the Escort, as the One escorting us through the storm. Instead of worrying or doing things in ourselves, we should trust Him as the Pioneer and as the Escort. We all need to have much enjoyment of Christ in this matter.
Matthew 14:24 and 25 say, “The boat was already in the midst of the sea, being battered by the waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.” The Lord surely took notice that the boat was battered by the waves, and eventually He came to His disciples, walking on the sea. While the disciples were distressed by the waves, the Lord Jesus walked on them. This testifies that He is the Creator and the Ruler of the universe (Job 9:8).
As the Escort, Christ saved His followers from the storm. In response to the Lord’s word, Peter came “down from the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But seeing the strong wind, he became frightened; and as he began to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:29-30). Peter came down from the boat and walked on the waters by faith. However, when he saw the strong wind, his faith vanished. He should have walked only by faith in the Lord’s word, not by the sight of the circumstances (2 Cor. 5:7). When Peter cried out for help, “Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him and said to him, You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31). Since the Lord had said to Peter, “Come” (v. 29), Peter should have stood on that word and not doubted. Hence, the Lord rebuked him.
Faith comes from the Lord’s word and stands on the Lord’s word. As long as we have the Lord’s word, we should simply believe His word and not doubt.
The Lord Jesus not only saved His followers from the storm but also calmed the wind. “When they got up into the boat, the wind ceased” (v. 32). The Lord’s presence caused the storm to cease. This was a miracle that testifies that the Lord is the Ruler of the heavens and the earth and that He cares for the hardships of His followers as they follow Him.
In Matthew 15:22-28 Christ is revealed as the crumbs, the fragments of bread, under the table.
In verse 26 the Lord Jesus said to the Canaanite woman, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” The children in this verse are the Jews, the children of Israel (v. 24). Here the Lord unveiled Himself to the Canaanite woman as bread. Christ came to the children of Israel as the bread of life (John 6:35), who came down from heaven to satisfy the hunger of the world. The Jews, however, refused to receive Him. The holy land of Israel was the table on which Christ, the heavenly bread, came as a portion to the children of Israel. But they despised and rejected Him, throwing Him off the table to the ground, the Gentile country.
In reply to the Lord’s word concerning the children’s bread, the Canaanite woman said, “Yes, Lord, for even the little dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (Matt. 14:27). Here we see that the Canaanite woman, not offended by the Lord’s word but rather admitting that she was a heathen dog, considered that at that time Christ, after being rejected by the children, the Jews, became crumbs under the table as a portion to the Gentiles. She realized that Christ, the children’s bread, had become broken crumbs as her portion. Such a Christ is also our portion for our experience and enjoyment.
We may enjoy Christ as the crumbs under the table through our faith in Him. This is revealed by the Lord’s word in verse 28: “O woman, great is your faith!” This indicates that the Canaanite woman’s dealings with the Lord were by faith, and her faith was great. To receive and enjoy Christ as the crumbs under the table, we need to have faith in Him. Like the Canaanite woman, we need to exercise faith to take in Christ as the crumbs to be our life supply.
In Matthew 16:16-19 we see that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The revelation here is crucial, for it concerns God’s economy, His eternal purpose.
In Matthew 16:16 Peter, receiving revelation from the Father, declared concerning the Lord Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The Christ is a title of the Lord Jesus according to His office, His commission. This title refers to the Lord’s commission for the accomplishment of God’s purpose to have the church. Christ’s commission is to accomplish God’s eternal purpose through His crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and second advent.
Christ is the anglicized form of the Greek word Christos, which is equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah. Both Messiah in Hebrew and Christos in Greek mean “the anointed One.” According to the Old Testament principle, anyone used by God to carry out His administration had to be anointed. For the carrying out of God’s administration, the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the anointed One.
Whereas Christ is the title of the Lord according to His commission, the Son of the living God is His title according to His person. His commission is a matter of God’s work, and His person is a matter of God’s life. The Lord’s person embodies the Father and issues in the Spirit for a full expression of the Triune God.
The Lord’s person as the Son of God is for the producing of the many sons of God to be members of the church. Christ is the One to accomplish God’s purpose to have the church. The Son of God is the One who produces many sons of God to be the many members formed into the church as the one Body. It is in this way that God has the church.
The church is built upon this revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God. Immediately after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, the Lord said, “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church” (v. 18a). This rock refers not only to Christ Himself but also to the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God which Peter received from the Father. First, the rock refers to the wonderful person of Christ, the Son of the living God. Second, the rock refers to the revelation of this person. When we see this revelation, it becomes the rock upon which the church is built. Wherever we go, we must preach and teach the Christ and the Son of the living God so that many more sons may be produced to be the members of the church, the Body of Christ.
The church built upon the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God deals with the gates of Hades and establishes the kingdom of the heavens. In verse 18b, the Lord, speaking of the church, says, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” The gates of Hades refers to Satan’s authority or power of darkness. Because Satan’s power of darkness attacks the church, there is spiritual warfare between Satan’s power, which is his kingdom (12:26) and the church, which is God’s kingdom. The gates of Hades cannot prevail against the church built upon the revelation of the Christ and the Son of the living God. God wants to have the church with the intention, the goal, to deal with His enemy Satan and his power.
Such a church not only deals with the gates of Hades but also establishes the kingdom of the heavens. This is indicated by the Lord’s word in 16:19: “I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and whatever you bind on the earth shall have been bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on the earth shall have been loosed in the heavens.” The kingdom of the heavens here is used interchangeably for church in verse 18. This proves that the genuine church is the kingdom of the heavens in this age.
These verses reveal that the church has a twofold purpose. On the negative side, the church deals with the power of Satan. On the positive side, the church establishes the kingdom of the heavens.
The church is built upon the revelation of the Christ and of the Son of God through our following Him. “Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wants to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (v. 24). Before the Lord’s crucifixion the disciples followed Him in an outward way. But after His resurrection we follow Him in an inward way. Because in resurrection He has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) dwelling in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), we follow Him in our spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25).
We follow the Lord by denying our self. To deny our self is to forfeit our soul-life, our natural life (Matt. 16:26; Luke 9:25).
In Matthew 16:23-25 three things are related: the mind, the self, and the soul-life. Our mind is the expression of our self, and our self is the embodiment of our soul-life. Therefore, to lose the soul-life is the reality of denying the self.
In Matthew 16:24 the Lord Jesus speaks of the taking up of the cross. The cross is not merely a suffering; it is also a killing. Christ first bore the cross and then was crucified. We, His believers, have first been crucified with Him and then we bear the cross today. To us, bearing the cross is to remain under the killing of the death of Christ for the terminating of our self, our natural life, and our old man. In so doing we deny our self that we may follow the Lord. Through this kind of following of the Lord Jesus the church is built up.
In Matthew 17:3-8 Christ is revealed as the only One whom we should hear. The Lord brought Peter, James, and John “up to a high mountain privately. And He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with Him” (vv. 1-3). Peter proposed that he make three tents, one for the Lord, one for Moses, and one for Elijah (v. 4). “While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is My Son, the Beloved, in whom I have found My delight. Hear Him!” (v. 5).
Moses represented the law, and Elijah, the prophets. The law and the prophets were the constituents of the Old Testament as a full testimony of Christ (John 5:39). Today, since Christ has come, we should not listen to Moses or to Elijah.
Peter’s absurd proposal was to put Moses and Elijah on the same level with Christ, which means to make the law and the prophets equal to Christ. This was absolutely contrary to God’s economy. In God’s economy the law and the prophets were only a testimony to Christ; they should not be put on the same level with Him.
In Matthew 17:5 the voice from out of the cloud said that we should hear the Son. In God’s economy, after Christ came, we should “hear Him,” no longer the law or the prophets, since the law and the prophets were fulfilled in Christ and by Christ.
“When they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone” (v. 8). Peter proposed to keep Moses and Elijah, that is, the law and the prophets, with Christ, but God took Moses and Elijah away, leaving “no one except Jesus Himself alone.” The law and the prophets were shadows and prophecies, not the reality; the reality is Christ. Now that Christ, the reality, is here, the shadows and prophecies are no longer needed. No one except Jesus Himself alone should remain in the New Testament. Jesus is today’s Moses, imparting the law of life into His believers. Jesus is also today’s Elijah, speaking for God and speaking forth God within His believers. Today we do not have the law or the prophets. We only have a living person, the all-inclusive Jesus Christ. This is God’s New Testament economy.
