In this chapter we will continue the matter of following the Lord Jesus during the period from His rejection in Matthew 13 until the full coming of the kingdom in the future. As we have pointed out, the book of Matthew was not written according to historical sequence, but according to revelation. Matthew selected certain instances of the Lord's walk on earth and compiled them to present a particular revelation. From chapter thirteen to the first part of chapter seventeen, Matthew put several incidents together in order to show us the proper way to follow the Lord Jesus during the time of His rejection and before the manifestation of the kingdom. As we have seen in the last chapter, we must follow Him into the wilderness, where we need to have faith in Him for our living. We live by faith in Him. Also, for our way on the stormy sea, we need to trust Him. In spite of many storms and contrary winds, we may simply have peace in Christ. We have no fear of the winds and the waves because our life is in His hands. Thus, we are at peace.
All of the kingdom people must realize that the Lord Jesus is very practical. He knows when we are hungry and when we are in need. He also knows when we are facing a storm. On the one hand He is praying for us on the mountain, and on the other hand He comes to be with us on the sea. He is the very Jehovah-plus and God-plus. "Behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age" (Matt. 28:20). We need living faith in the practical Lord Jesus. Never forget that genuine faith is simply to realize what the Lord Jesus is. He is real and He is practical. If we truly believe that He is practical, we will be at peace whenever we have a need. He gave us a promise in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." The Lord gives us the kingdom plus something additional—the needs for our daily living. While we are seeking His kingdom, our daily needs will be supplied as something additional. Our way is always secure. However, it may not be secure according to outward situations or circumstances. Outwardly speaking, we may be in danger. We may be in a storm or on a raging sea, but actually we are very safe. The Lord Jesus is safer than a little boat, and He is even more secure than a peaceful sea. All the storms are under His feet. As we look back on the past years, we can surely testify that He is faithful.