This coming Sunday is the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time. In biblical thought, only God walks on the sea (Job 9:8 – “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the back of the sea”; Ps 77:20 – “Through the sea was your way; your path, through the mighty waters, though your footsteps were unseen.”). But by treading on the sea, Jesus now takes a role that the Hebrew Bible had reserved for God alone.

25 During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. 

(An unnecessary note: many translations offer “early in the morning” vs. “fourth watch of the night” an ancient nautical term and still used in navies even today. Go Navy!)

Remember that the Apostles had left Jesus on shore. Apparently, it had not occurred to them that Jesus could know their plight, walk on water to come to them, or catch up with them in a storm! To their credit, however, the fear issue seems to be solved once they recognize that their teacher is with them. They knew him enough to know that if he was there, he would bring them through their storm.

Jesus responds: “At once (Jesus) spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Precisely in the midst of this story, Jesus is already doing what only God can do, and now speaks with the voice of God, saying ego eimi, literally “I am.” The formula is first one of simple identification, “It is I” – not a ghost as you fear. But the phrase also evokes the self-identification of God, Yahweh (YHWH) the one who says absolutely “I am” (see Exod 3:13-15). Scholars argue whether this means that Matthew here claims that Jesus is Yahweh  given that he had just pictured Jesus as praying to God.  Some argue “either or” and hold that Matthew only intends that the divine presence and assurance is mediated by Jesus, as promised in 1:23. Others adhere to a “both-and” view and hold that Matthew intends both.

Image credit: Jesus and Peter on the water – Gustave Brion, oil, 1880 | Public Domain