Are You Drowning?

Our Coffee Break Bible Studies continue in familiar territory this week with Jesus walking on water after trying to escape from the crowds. But why doesn't he just calm the storm, rather than walking out in it? Or was he walking out there (on the water) to check if his friends were okay? It's nice to think he might be walking around (in the Spirit) to check if I'm okay when I'm drowning in things that go wrong.

(42) Are you drowning?

Jesus has just preached to and fed 5,000 people. At least some of his disciples must be asking now if he’s Moses, Elijah or Elishah. Some of the crowd as well. Can you imagine how rumors might fly, and how dangerous the result might be for a preacher? So he slips away… or perhaps the disciples do…

Read Matthew 14:22-23, Mark 6:45-46, John 6:16-17

1.       Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone?

2.       When might you want to be alone with God? What can you do/has God done to make it happen?

Read Matthew 14:24-26, Mark 6:47-49, John 6:18-19

1.       Why was Jesus walking on the water? (And why didn’t he just solve their problem? Read Matthew 8:24-25)

2.       The disciples were scared when they saw Jesus; can you list what might be frightening them?

3.       When has God’s providence for you felt like it was making things worse?

Read Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50, John 6:20 How do you imagine the scene?

1.       How noisy is it at sea in a storm? How easy would it have been for them to hear Jesus?

2.       When has the Spirit told you “Do not be afraid”?

3.       How easy is it for you to hear God? What can you do/has God done to make it easier?

Read Mark 6:51, John 6:21 Jesus has calmed a storm before hasn’t he?

1.       When has Jesus calmed physical storms in your life?

2.       When has he calmed mental or emotional storms?

3.       Does this reading make it easier to believe he will calm our storms?

4.       Read Matthew 14:33, Mark 6:52 Did this make it easier for the disciples to believe who Jesus was?

Did you remember which gospel is the only one that tells the story of Peter? Can you think of any reason why it might only be Matthew? Or why the whole walking on water story isn’t in Luke? (Luke follows the feeding of the 5,000 with “Who do you that I am?”)

Read Matthew 14:28-31

1.       We’re told not to put the Lord our God to the test (Read Luke 4:12). Is Peter disobeying this?

2.       How crazy is Peter’s action? Has God ever asked you to do something crazy?

3.       How natural is Peter’s fear? Have you ever set out to obey God and felt overwhelmed?

4.       How often have you prayed “Lord save me!”? What happened?

5.       After God has helped you, how often have you beaten yourself up for not trusting him in the first place?

6.       Does it help to know Peter, the Rock, was described as being “of little faith”?

7.       What happens to the smallest seed of faith? (Read Matthew 17:20)