Jesus made the preceding statement in the context of the following event. All day long he had been teaching a great multitude and concluded by miraculously feeding them all with a few loaves of bread and two fish. After dismissing them to their homes, He then instructed His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee in a boat while He went up on a mountain to pray alone. After a while a contrary wind arose that stirred up waves and made it extremely difficult for the boat to make progress. So Jesus descended the mountain and walked out across the water toward the boat. When the men spotted Him, the text says "they were terrified, and said, 'It is a ghost!' and they cried out in fear," (v.26). It was then, to relieve their stress and fear, that Jesus called out to them, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
Fear is an emotion common to mankind. Everyone experiences fear at some time, for there is something that each person is afraid of. There are even special, debilitating fears (phobias) that have classified names: acrophobia (fear of height), agoraphobia (fear of open spaces), claustrophobia (fear of tight places), hemaphobia (fear of blood), arachniphobia (fear of spiders), xenophobia (fear of strangers), and a great many more. Some fears afflict great numbers of people, such as the fear of failure, the fear of losing one's job or income, the fear of growing old and weak, the fear of being alone, the fear of being left out of something important, and the fear of contracting some terrible disease. We live in a world where dangers of all kinds surround us continually, so that it is easy to let fear build up within us and rob us of happiness and peace of mind.
Some fears are constructive, because they help to steer us along the right paths of life. The student who fears failure may devote himself to diligent study. The child who fears playing in the street will not be killed by a passing car or truck. The worker who fears injury will carefully observe safety rules and wear protective devices in areas of danger.
Many other fears are destructive, because they hinder us from making the best use of our time and energy. A young man who fears the inability to reach a goal may choose not to try for it and miss a successful career in medicine, business, or research. A young woman who fears the role of being a good wife and mother may never marry. A businessman who fears the risk in a venture may never establish a strong, flourishing company. A person who fears an audience may never display his talents to their pleasure and appreciation. Such fears as these, and they are legion, are like chains we wrap around us, lock securely, and throw away the key. We cut ourselves off from a great deal of happiness, fulfillment, and worthy achievement because of fears which shackle us.
The wonderful thing about having Jesus in your life as a real, abiding Presence is that He can relieve you of these fears and set you free from their captivity. Having ready access to His unlimited power enables you to cope with the terrible fear until you can master it and eliminate it from your system. What Paul said of himself can as well be said by any devoted disciple of Jesus, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me," (Php. 4:13). Jesus offers His disciples all the strength they need to overcome any fear. And there is more! Just to know that the Spirit of Jesus is always with you causes fear to seem less fearful. Has He not promised each of His followers,"Behold, I am with you always," (Mat. 28:20). A child is not afraid in the presence of his father, and as the children of God we need not be burdened by fear when we trust that He is near.
