Luke 12:28

| Luke 12 |

28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, l O you of little faith!

Matthew 8:26

| Matt 8 |

26 And he said to them, “Why are you i afraid, j O you of little faith?” Then he rose and k rebuked the winds and the sea, and l there was a great calm.

Matthew 14:31

| Matt 14 |

31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, t “O you of little faith, why did you u doubt?”

Matthew 16:8

| Matt 16 |

8 But q Jesus, aware of this, said, r “O you of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread?

Luke 17:6

| Luke 17 |

6 And the Lord said, e “If you had faith like f a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this g mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

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Matt. 8:1–9:38 The Authoritative Power of the Messiah: Kingdom Power Demonstrated. Jesus has shown himself as the Messiah in word through his teaching (chs. 5–7) and now shows himself to be the Messiah in deed through the performance of many miracles, demonstrating that the kingdom of God truly has arrived.

Matt. 8:1–9:8 Healings, Discipleship, and Overpowering Satan's Strongholds. Jesus' mission involves ministering to the marginalized (8:1–17), disappointing the messianic expectations of some who wanted to follow him (8:18–22), and overthrowing Satan's strongholds (8:23–9:8).

Matt. 8:26 Little faith (Gk. oligopistos) is not “no faith” (Gk. apistos), but “ineffective,” “defective,” or “deficient” faith (cf. 6:30). Jesus calls the disciples to a clearer understanding of who he is. rebuked. Jesus is able to command even the forces of nature, just as God in the OT “rebukes” the sea, showing his sovereign control over the natural world (2 Sam. 22:16; Ps. 18:15).

Matt. 13:54–16:20 The Identity of the Messiah Revealed. This section marks a major new emphasis in Matthew's narrative as Jesus' messianic identity is increasingly clarified.

Matt. 14:22–36 The Son of God Worshiped. Jesus walks on the water (vv. 22–27), saving Peter and calming the storm (vv. 28–32), with the result that the disciples worship Jesus as the Son of God (v. 33). After the storm, the Son of God heals at Gennesaret (vv. 34–36).

Matt. 14:28–33 Lord. By walking on water in a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates that he indeed is the Lord over all creation, and so there is no need to be afraid (v. 27) or to doubt (v. 32). The only fitting response is to worship Jesus and to acknowledge that truly he is the Son of God, which is the only time in Matthew that the disciples use this full title to address Jesus.

Matt. 16:1–20 Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In response to the Pharisees and Sadducees' demand for a sign, Jesus announces he will give no more signs (vv. 1–4) and warns his disciples about the spiritual “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees (vv. 5–12). Jesus then asks his disciples about the identity of the Son of Man (vv. 13–14). Peter rightly confesses Jesus (vv. 15–16), and Jesus in turn makes a pronouncement about Peter (vv. 17–20).

Matt. 16:6–12 In contrast to 13:33, here leaven is a negative metaphor to indicate how the evil of corruption can infiltrate and ruin what is good. Cf. Ex. 12:8, 15–20. We brought no bread. The disciples are so preoccupied with their physical needs that they fail to understand that Jesus' reference to leaven is figurative, intended as a spiritual lesson. Following Jesus' rebuke, they finally understood.