Be of Good Cheer; It is I - Matthew 14:27

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus fed the multitude which included five thousand men plus women and children. Afterward, “Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.”, and in chapter fourteen and verse twenty-seven of his book, Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples, “Be of good cheer; It is I” where we read:

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

The verse reads, “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, ...”. Matthew began with the words, “but straightway” which means “nevertheless, moreover and immediately” “Jesus” whose name means “Jehovah is Salvation” and is “the Son of God, the Savior of mankind and God incarnate” “spake” which means “uttered, declared and proclaimed” “unto them” which refers to “His disciples, students, pupils and attendants”. Matthew shared how Jesus immediately spoke to His disciples.

The verse goes on to say, “... saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Matthew continued with the word, “saying” which means “uttering, declaring and proclaiming”, “be of good cheer” or “have courage and comfort”; “It is I” or “It is me Jesus”; “be not afraid” or “do not be fearful, frightened or terrorized”. Matthew shared how Jesus attempted to comfort and calm the disciples by identifying Himself.

When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus knew the state of the disciples who were in great fear. Jesus told them He was there rather than their imagined apparition. Jesus is able to bring peace, calm and comfort to situations that have people troubled and fearful, and when He speaks, they are reminded that He is in control. This same Jesus desires to have a loving relationship with every person, and when they yield their lives to Him as their “Savior and Lord”, no matter what circumstances or situations they face, Jesus will encourage them by His presence and saying “be of good cheer; It is I”.

Next time we see Matthew shares how Peter says, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come unto you on the water”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.