Hold Fast—Matthew 14:22-36 Scripture Study
By Pastor Chris Simmons – Trinity Lutheran Church, Paso Robles CA
A reinforcement/supplement study to our Sunday service meant for “Building up the body of Christ… the manifold Wisdom of God made known” (Ephesians 4+3)
For Sunday, October 5, 2025
"Hold fast" is a phrase originating from sailing that means to “hold on tightly” and “stand firm”, especially during a storm.
We see it used similarly in Scripture to be “resolute, holding on tightly” to your beliefs or course of action. Life in the Near East was very dependent on the water nearby, wording and metaphors that have to do with ships and water were not uncommon… to help understand Hold Fast, imagine this for a moment...
You’re on a ship, near the center mast, there are dark grey skies overhead, intense winds are throwing the ship so far back and forth to such an extent you don’t understand how it’s possibly staying upright. The rains are coming down sideways so hard and fast it’s like standing in a flood. The water stings your face, and you can barely keep your eyes open as you pray not to be thrown overboard.
All you hear is the voice of your captain “HOLD FAST!” So, you grab what is good and sturdy, that center mast, and you cling to it dearly, gripping as tightly as you can, knowing that your grip is the only thing that is saving you from that icy cold plunge to Davey Jones’ locker…
Sounds like a dramatic movie scene, doesn’t it? Well, that’s dressed up language for sure, but it’s really not too far off. I bet you’ve had plenty of seasons where life feels just like that, holding fast to the mast in the middle of a storm. “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4”14).
That is what evil does… it tries to throw us overboard. And if we reach out for it, even embrace it at times, it sticks to us. Thanks be to God that Jesus wipes that sin away… and rather than being reliant on how good our grip is on Jesus, we can see it’s his grip on us that pulls us out of the depths and back into life. “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand (into the water) and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”” (Matthew 14:31).
We continue to encourage one another, and build each other us, as we hold fast to what is good. And God is good all the time, All the time, God is good.
Blessings on your study - Pastor Chris Simmons.
Discuss: Have you ever been on rough, choppy waters? What is it like? How does it feel if you have nothing good and sturdy to hold fast to?
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11(NIV), 19-24 (ESV)
9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
(ESV) 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
Through the past few weeks, we’ve built upon Paul’s declaration to “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” by adding (more like continuing) with the verses following that statement. Those statements really give us the sense of “how” to encourage and build each other up… and in the “how” of encouraging and building up others, we are to “hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil”.
It’s interesting to think of… why do I need to be so concerned about myself? I’m supposed to be encouraging others and building others up. As they say, there is no I in Others… (maybe that’s not the exact saying but a similar point). Why does it suddenly shift about what I am holding fast to?
Discuss: How does the state of your heart, what you hold fast to, impact how you serve others? Why does this matter?
You may find a lot of what you engage with and interact with sticks with you. Here are a some practical examples:
Paint or grease on your clothing… that’ll stick with you.
Raw Onion on your fingertips… the smell won't go away for days, no matter what soap you use.
Reputation- it could be your voting party, an organization you volunteer with or work for, good or bad… when you get labeled with “You’re with ______________” it can take a long time to convince people otherwise.
The world is a pretty “sticky” place. God realizes it as well and tells us many times throughout Scripture to not even go near what is evil… yet, because of our sinful nature, we want to go near it, even want it to “stick” at times. Rather than resist it, we let stick to it.
Our Proverbs reading voices more extensively the same warning as 1 Thessalonians 5:22. This Proverb voices it so extensively in fact, I had to select only a few verses for the sake of time. That’s how important it is to steer clear entirely from evil.
Proverbs 4:14-19 (ESV)
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know over what they stumble.
Verse 17 brings up a good point… evil perpetuates evil. It feeds into itself so much so that it must feed into itself by “sticking” to even more people.
Many of you have encountered a scenario just like this…
A person has a bad idea… it could be you or someone you know… it’s something they or you shouldn’t do, but you really want to do it anyway. Whatever that sin may be, they find whatever evidence they may need to try and convince themself that it is a “good” idea. With all the “evidence” gathered, there is only one more piece to this diabolical puzzle… if you can get one other person to say “yes” then maybe you can convince yourself just a bit more this evil is a good idea. If they can give me permission, if I can get them to do it with me, if I can get them to do it first, then I make it a little more ok for me to do it…
16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
The hard part, the truth of the Law is this… admitting at times… that’s been us… when we’ve embraced what we know we should not. It’s stuck to us, and if we can get it to stick to others, maybe we can convince ourselves that it’s ok…
Discuss: What “bad ideas” out there has someone tried to convince you/someone you know of? What happened? How did it turn out in the end?
Isaiah 1:15-18
15b Your hands are full of blood!
16 Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
17 Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land;
20 but if you resist and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Thanks be to God! That even when we do what is wrong, we are given this promise. We can stop doing evil, remove the evil from God’s sight, and seek to do good.
We can look to God’s Word and one another to seek and do what is right, seek justice, plead the case of the widow. Yes, we can come before God and He will make us clean again. It’s like a great informercial.
That grease or paint stain on your clothing… GONE.
The annoying onion smell on your fingertips… GONE.
Your reputation, based off whatever people have labeled you as… GONE.
Yes, all of it GONE…. All for just three easy payments of your willingness and obedience, God will have these stains removed, white as snow, clear as wool, ALL TODAY, WHY DELAY?
All you have to do is repent, turn away from evil, and never turn back… sounds easy right?
Discuss: If we stopped with this section of Isaiah 1, what would be the destiny of humanity? Who does the work of salvation here? How are these verses helpful?
The results of God’s promises in Isaiah 1 are beautiful. If and when evil sticks to us, we do need it washed off! God is the only one who can wash us clean… the problem is we struggle to hold up our end of the bargain. As soon as we are clean, like a dog who has just had a bath, we immediately run out and roll in the dirt again. Sin and Evil stick all the more to what is clean when we don’t resist it. Even Paul reflects on it here in Romans 7.
Romans 7:14-24 (New Living Translation NLV)
- Struggling with Sin
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.
21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?
So even the Apostle Paul finds himself walking down the path of evil, where sin is clinging to him… what can we do? To repeat Paul's questions, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
You may or may not be familiar with this ancient Greek Myth/Epic Poem, but it brings up a very relevant and relatable point. It’s from Homer’s The Odyssey, a story studied by every public high school today. In a section titled Odysseus and the Sirens, Odysseus and his crew are on their boat and are warned by the enchantress Circe about the Sirens, half-bird, half-women creatures whose irresistible songs lure sailors to their death.
To pass by them safely, Odysseus had his crewmen block their ears with beeswax and tie him firmly to the ship's mast with rope. This way he could learn from hearing their song, yet by being held fast to the mast of the ship, he wouldn’t be able to be lured off into the water. The Sirens song drove him mad. It bewitched his heart, making them appear like beautiful women before him, beckoning him to come and join them. What the crewmen saw however, were horrible monsters.
Odysseus strained so hard against the ropes they began to cut him, he yelled and screamed at his crewmen to untie him, to set him free from the mast, so he could plunge into the waves and embrace the Sirens… yet the rope held fast.
Finally, they all made it through the islands, Odysseus came to his senses, learning what he needed to from the Sirens song, and the crewmen untied him from the mast of the ship.
Discuss: What held Odysseus back? Was it his own willpower? Even though he knew what was coming, what would have happened if he wasn’t held fast by the rope to the mast?
Continued Discussion: Why share this story here?
How does it relate to “hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil”? Is it entirely dependent on us?
Matthew 14:22-36
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
34 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
How many of you tried to “walk on water” as a kid? Maybe on top of some floaties or pool noodles? If you have, you probably realized how Immediate “immediately” really is. When Peter cried out “Lord, save me!” it wasn’t during a slow dramatic descent into the water, as he looked around wondering what was happening, as he reached out his hand to Jesus in a Hollywood fashion. It was more like he was able to squeak out a cry quickly on the way down under water, during a storm, fully dressed (an inner garment, outer tunic or wool or linen, leather belt, sandals). With all those garments on, collecting water, fully dressed, the water surely soaking into his clothing, Peter was sinking quickly.
That’s what evil does as it sticks to us. It seeks to stick and sink us quickly, leading to death…. That’s what’s so moving about Jesus' reaction in verse 31 “Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and took hold of him.
Discuss: What saved Peter? Was it his own willpower? Even though he doubted in fear and began to sink, why did he still call out?
Continued Discussion: Why share this story here?
How does it relate to “hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil”? Is it entirely dependent on us? Is it really dependent upon us at all?
Now, I’ve pulled my 47lb daughter out of a pool that was about her shoulder height while she was in a bathing suit. That took two hands, and I wouldn’t call myself “weak”, but that wasn’t an easy lift with all that extra water.
Jesus pulled a fully grown fully clothed adult man out of the water immediately.
We are called to “hold fast to what is good” prospectively, it’s returning the grip on a handshake. Jesus is already holding fast to you.
- That’s Paul’s answer in Romans 8:1-2
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”
- It’s the answer to Isaiah 1:18-19
18 “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good things of the land.
It’s by Christ’s Obedience to God and to the Law, and by His Willingness to go to the cross for our sake that we are saved. That we are washed white as snow, and we are no longer red as crimson, but made new again.
It’s because He holds us fast that we can return that grip. We cling to Him for He is good, as we hold fast to what is good, like Odysseus tied to the mast, we pray for His strength to hold us back and hold fast as we seek to abstain from every evil.
This way, as we seek to Encourage one another and Build each other up we reach out with one clean hand as we hold fast to Christ, rather than one sticky with our own sin and evil. He is the one that holds us fast. Even if we sin, nothing can defile His gifts and His truth, even if they come from a hand that is not always clean. He is that one that holds us fast, we get to return that grip in response.
Discuss: What practical steps can you think of to “hold fast” to Christ that you can share with the group? Practices that help you?
Prayer
We hold fast to Christ, Hold Fast to what is good, so that we may abstain from every evil… sounds pretty familiar doesn’t it? Like something Jesus has already taught us to pray together…. So let us close with that prayer.
The Lord's Prayer.
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.