The Gospel of Matthew uniquely includes the episode where Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk on water, and he does so until fear causes him to sink (Matthew 14:28-30). This detail sheds light on Matthew’s particular portrayal of Peter. While other preachers often highlight Peter’s sinking due to doubt, this reflection focuses on why Matthew made this addition.
Yes, this portion of Matthew’s narrative teaches about the significance of faith. But on a bigger perspective it teaches something more.
Among the Gospels, Matthew mentions Peter most frequently. Matthew also records Peter’s profound confession when Jesus asked, “But who do you say that I am?” to which Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:15-16). This confession leads to one of the Gospel’s central declarations:
> “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 16:17-19)
Only in Matthew do we find Jesus explicitly introducing His Church in connection with the Kingdom of heaven. It is no coincidence that Peter became the first to stand and preach at Pentecost, marking the Church’s beginning. (Acts 2:14-41)
The Church is built on the power of Christ’s resurrection. Jesus said in John 2:19, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” which John explains as referring to the temple of His body (John 2:21). The New Testament repeatedly identifies the Church as the body and temple of Christ:
“Do you not know that you [the church] are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)
“Your body [the body of believers] is a temple of the Holy Spirit… glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
“We are the temple of the living God…” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
“You… are members of the household of God… built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)
“You… like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house.” (1 Peter 2:4-5)
Matthew’s Gospel reveals Peter’s highs and lows. He is praised for his confession but quickly rebuked for trying to hinder Christ’s mission (Matthew 16:21-24). He follows Jesus after His arrest yet denies Him three times (Matthew 26:58-75). Still, upon learning Jesus’ missing body, he runs to the empty tomb (John 20:1-4). Peter’s journey mirrors that of many believers—bold in faith yet imperfect—and yet still used by Christ for His glory.
This pattern continues in the Church today. Christ builds His Church through ordinary, flawed but willing people, both those who proclaim His Word and those who support the work as “fellow workers for the truth” (3 John 1:5-8). As Paul states:
> “We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
The Church is a unified spiritual body with diverse functions (Romans 12:4-8). History bears this out: Martin Luther could not have led the Reformation without the support of Prince Frederick III, which allowed him to translate the Bible into the language of the people.
Ultimately, the Church rests on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). God’s Word must remain central. Jesus uses humble and imperfect believers who obey His Word to advance His work. May we take this biblical pattern to heart, learning to serve faithfully in the building of Christ’s Church.
Learning from Peter
Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me more than these?” The “these” could have referred to the food they had just eaten, or perhaps even Peter’s livelihood as a fisherman, because the context of John 21 shows the disciples returning to fishing, catching fish instead of men. (John 21:1-14) Each time Peter responded, Jesus commissioned him: “Feed My lambs,” “Tend My sheep,” “Feed My sheep” (John 21:14-17).
Peter’s answers shifted slightly. The first two times, he said, “Yes, Lord; You know I love You.” (John 21:15-16) But the third reply revealed a deeper surrender: “Lord, You know everything; You know that I love You.” (John 21:17)
This exchange reminds us to surrender fully to Jesus Christ. As Scripture says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6) He alone knows our hearts, our fears, and our struggles. Jesus also declared, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63) His Word carries His Spirit and power. Therefore, remain in His Word and let Him be your strength. Keep your focus on Jesus, and we will not sink. Jesus calls on us Christians to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19), not to become Satan, setting our minds not on the things of God but on things of men (Matthew 16:23).
Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessings!
Psalms 34 and 35, both written by David, should be recognized as a single unit. They were composed after he fled from Saul and following his humiliating encounter with Achish, the king of Gath. You can find an explanation of their background in my previous blog post, “Immanuel, Our Confidence.” This post serves as a continuation. These two psalms express deep trust and confidence in God, even while David was still being hunted by Saul.
> David’s cry for God’s help may be seen through Psalm 35:1-3.
Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of the shield and buckler and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!“
David continued to seek the Lord’s deliverance, and Psalms 34 and 35 were likely written before Saul’s death. The account reminds us that God does not need earthly weapons to bring rescue. As seen in Exodus, He parted the Red Sea, allowing Israel to cross safely, and then let the waters fall back, destroying the Egyptians who pursued them. David, being a man of war, expressed his prayers using the battle imagery of his era, calling upon God to rise and fight against his enemies on his behalf.
> Next, David justified his call for God’s help – he was innocent of any wrongdoings, yet his enemies wanted him dead. See Psalm 35:4-8.
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life! Let them be turned back and disappointed who devise evil against me! Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away! Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them! For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life. Let destruction come upon him when he does not know it! And let the net that he hid ensnare him: let him fall into it – to his destruction!
> Actually David wasn’t simply calling for God’s help, he sought God’s justice. See Psalm 35:9-16.
Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD, exulting in His salvation. All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?
Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know. They repay me evil for good; my soul is bereft. But I, when they were sick – I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest. I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother; as one who laments his mother, I bowed down in mourning.
But at my stumbling they rejoiced and gathered; they gathered together against me: wretches whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing; like profane mockers at a feast, they gnash at me with their teeth.
Background: The lad David first served as armor-bearer for Saul (1 Samuel 16:21), while also tending his father’s flock in between (1 Samuel 17:15). Later, he sought Saul’s permission to confront Goliath, at a time when no soldier in Israel dared to face the mocking Philistine champion (1 Samuel 17:31-37). After his victory, David continued to fight Saul’s battles and succeeded, earning the people’s song: “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7). This stirred Saul’s jealousy, and he began to seek David’s life (1 Samuel 18:7-8, 18:25). As a result, David fled from Saul (1 Samuel 20:1). Clearly, David had done no wrong against the king. It was in the face of this injustice that he cried out for God’s urgent deliverance (Psalm 35:17-21).
How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! I will thank You in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise You.
Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!”
You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Awake and rouse Yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
Hebrews 2:12 cites Psalm 35:18, a reference to the perfect church of Jesus Christ, as noted in Hebrews 12:22–24; similar to Psalm 111:1, Scripture says, Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
> “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. Full of splendor and majesty is His work, and His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wondrous works to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and merciful.” (Psalms 111:2-4)
> “The works of His hands are faithful and just; all His precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. He sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and awesome is His name!” (Psalms 111:7-9)
Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, speaks of God’s work: “My Father is working until now, and I am working (John 5:17).” What, then, have the Father and Jesus been working on? They are engaged in the New Heaven and the Earth, His New Covenant Creation, as seen in Genesis 2:1–3: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that He had done in creation.”
Continuing on with Psalm 35, David calls on God against his foes in Psalm 35:19–21. In Psalm 35:22, LORD appears first in full capitals as “YAHWEH/YHWH,” Hebrew Strong #H3068, noted initially in Genesis 2:4; this name connects to the LORD God who created the first heaven and earth through Adam’s account. Then, Lord is “Adonay, H136,” in Hebrew.
“Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause. For they do not speak peace, but against those who are quiet in the land they devise words of deceit. They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha! Our eyes have seen it!” You have seen, O LORD; be not silent! O Lord, be not far from me! Awake and rouse yourself for my vindication, for my cause, my God and my Lord!” (Psalms 35:19-23)
Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament suggests Adam likely recognized God by a personal or covenantal name from the beginning, which the English Bible renders as “LORD” in all caps to convey the Covenant Name of God.
In Psalms 34 and 35, David uses the LORD’s covenant name twenty-five times. Within Psalm 35 alone, the word “Lord” appears three times as “Adonay” (Hebrew Strong’s #136). According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions, Adonay serves as a reverential title for YHWH (translated “LORD” in all capital letters) in Jewish tradition. This distinction is evident in Psalm 35:23, where David calls out, “my God and my Lord!”—a phrase echoed in the New Testament when Thomas addresses Jesus in John 20:28, saying, “My Lord and my God!”
Similarly, the Septuagint’s Greek translation of Psalm 35:23 uses the same words for “Lord and God” found in John 20:28. This suggests David was seeking more than just physical deliverance from his enemies; he was appealing for vindication on the Day of Judgment. As he writes in the following verse, “Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!” (Psalm 35:24).
I noted earlier that David appeared to link Hebrews 12:22–24, the perfected Church of Jesus Christ, with Psalm 35:18. Scripture in Hebrews 10:30 declares, “For we know God who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’” Paul addresses who will judge His people in 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
David’s appeal extended beyond physical rescue. As Jesus remarked to his contemporaries, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad (John 8:56).” David sincerely pursued God’s salvation and deliverance in Christ Jesus.
“Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to Your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me! Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, our heart’s desire!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.” Let them be put to shame and disappointed altogether who rejoice at my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me!”
David’s appeals for justice rested not on his own righteousness but on Christ’s through faith in Him. In Psalm 35:27, Jesus Christ answered, “Let those who delight in My righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, ‘Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of His servant!’”.
Have you personally encountered the fullness of God’s grace in your life?
Many Christians often miss how Christ Jesus speaks through the Scriptures, particularly the Old Testament. Job is introduced as a man who is blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:1). He suffered greatly due to Satan’s attacks, yet not because of any sin. When his friends insisted that his pain was caused by wrongdoing, Job defended himself passionately and questioned God (Job 3-31).
God’s response was to point Job toward the wonders of creation, revealing His power and sovereignty (Job 38-41). This humbling encounter led Job to declare, “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). Similarly, David’s relationship with the Lord deepened as he realized his human limitations and God’s ability to save and deliver. Finally, despite Paul’s power to heal and even raise the dead, he confirms in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God’s grace suffices for every weakness, because His strength is clearest when we are weak.
Likewise, for us Christian workers or pastors, Paul states in the amplified Bible version: “We Christian workers hold this precious treasure—the divine Light of the Gospel—in fragile, human vessels of earth, so that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be seen as coming from God rather than from ourselves.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
David’s distress toward his enemies led him to foresee in Psalm 35 the salvation found through faith in Christ Jesus. By Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, He took His place at the Right Hand of God’s power (Matthew 26:64; Hebrews 1:1-3). This idea aligns with Jesus’ remark in John 2:19: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” John clarified Jesus talks about the temple of His body, the Church (John 2:21; Colossians 1:18) In this context, Jesus refers to His church founded upon His resurrection (Matthew 16:18), so the gates of Hades or death will not overcome it.
David therefore rightly ends his Psalm, saying: “Then my tongue shall tell of Your (Christ Jesus’) righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.” (Psalms 35:28)
Where would David sing His praise in Psalm 35:28? Scripture states, “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (Hebrews 12:22-24, NASB)
Christ Jesus’ Day of Judgment then encompassed people who have passed away and were waiting in Hades, the place of death for both the righteous and the wicked, just as it was illustrated by the Lord through His parable of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16:19-31).
It was a mistake to teach that the righteous would go straight to heaven after death even before Jesus Christ’s return at His Second Coming. See John 14:3; Jesus Christ told His disciples, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may also be.”
Then in John 14:6, Jesus assured the disciples saying, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Despair not, for Jesus also told Peter with regards to John, “If it is My will that he [John the apostle] remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” (John 21:22)
Jesus Christ hinted that His return would be during the lifetime of the apostles (Matthew 10:23; 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27), specifically while John was still alive. If Jesus Christ failed on His words, then He can’t be the Great Prophet Moses spoke about; see Deuteronomy 18:15. “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you, from your brothers – it is to Him you shall listen.” Would you rather listen to your pastors or follow the traditional teaching concerning the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, or believe Jesus Christ our Lord and our God?
The apostle Peter, preaching in the Temple area, confirmed that Jesus Christ indeed was the prophesied Great Prophet of God, see Acts 3:19-23.
Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago, Moses said, “The Lord God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to Him in whatever He tells you. And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that Prophet shall be destroyed from the people.”
Here is the challenge: Should we rely on Jesus Christ and His Word, or on modern Christian teachings that imply Jesus is arriving soon?
In the face of such profound questions, we can look to the enduring faith of those who came before us. David, for instance, could have easily lost faith in God when Saul pursued him and when he suffered humiliation before Achish, king of Gath. Although he was known as a mighty warrior of Israel, he pretended to be insane before Achish out of fear (1 Samuel 21:12–15). Yet, David did not give up; he held firmly to his faith.
Our life’s journey will always have its ups and downs. There will be times that we may lose control of our lives, tossed to and forth by the waves of our circumstances. In the midst of great storms or great waves of the sea, the sun remains but is covered by darkness. Similarly, Jesus Christ our Lord is not missing in moments of uncertainty or despair. Trust God, especially when all seems to have been lost.
In conclusion, David sought the justice of God rather than the judgement of men. It is far better to appear wrong in the sight of people yet remain righteous before the Lord. We must not seek human approval but God’s, for ultimately, it is Him to whom we are accountable. David’s confidence lay not in his own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord, whom he foretold in Psalm 35.
Note: We haven’t explored Psalm 34. Lord willing, that shall be my next blog writing.
Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessings!
