Matthew 8:18 (GNV)

Passage

And when Iesus sawe great multitudes of people about him, he commanded them to goe ouer the water.

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:16 When the Euen was come, they brought vnto him many that were possessed with deuils: and he cast out the spirits with his worde, and healed all that were sicke,

Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet, saying, He tooke our infirmities, and bare our sickenesses.

Matthew 8:18 And when Iesus sawe great multitudes of people about him, he commanded them to goe ouer the water.

Matthew 8:19 Then came there a certaine Scribe, and said vnto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoeuer thou goest.

Matthew 8:20 But Iesus saide vnto him, The foxes haue holes, and the birdes of the heauen haue nestes, but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to rest his head.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iesus", "sawe", "great", "multitudes", "people", "commanded", "ouer", and "water". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iesus" and "sawe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "That it might be fulfilled which was..." into verse 19's "Then came there a certaine Scribe and...", so "iesus" and "sawe" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "iesus" and "sawe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.