Doves On Distant Oaks

The Divinity of Christ

In Matthew 14:22-33, we find another famous story, the story of Jesus walking on water. There are so many lessons we can learn from this event in the life of Jesus. There's constantly looking toward Jesus in times of trouble, obeying Jesus when He commands, taking the first step in faith, unleashing the power of faith, faltering with fear will sink you, and knowing Jesus will always come when you call out in distress.

I'm sure there are others, because this story contains a wealth of meaning about our Lord. That said, the one that has always been the most meaningful to me is proof of the divinity of Christ.

It's hard to say proof at this point in the story of Jesus because he had already done so many miracles. In fact, he had just finished feeding 5,000 people with 5 loaves of bread and a few fish. That right there should have been enough. But it was when he walked on the water that was a turning point for the disciples. It was at this point that they truly recognized the divinity of Christ.

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they worshiped him and called Him the Son of God. But this was no simple worship, like singing hallelujahs or raising their hands, rejoicing. They prostrated themselves before Christ in abject submission and humility. The Greek word is proskyneō which literally means "to get down in a prone position." In the Bible, this Greek word is only used for the worship given to God and to God alone.

It means, at this point, the disciples finally came to realize that Jesus was God. He was both human and divine. This is important for all of us to recognize—that Christ is divine. He was not just a teacher, a rabbi, a miracle worker, a healer, and a prophet. He was truly God who walked among us.

Sometimes we get so caught up in our problems that we forget Christ is to be worshipped simply for who He is, not for what He can do for us. We all come to that point in our walk with Christ when we realize He is not just someone we turn to when we or people we know are hurting or are facing trials. He is someone with whom we simply want to be in His presence and ask nothing of Him. He is someone we worship with all our hearts because he is worthy.

Christ is worthy of this worship, not simply because someone says so, but because real people—the men in that boat—authenticate it with the testimony of their actions. Because of that, we also worship Him by falling proskyneō.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

– Colossians 1:15-16

Keywords: Christ, Disciples

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