Father Gregg Wood
Today's gospel is the story of Jesus calming the sea. Now Jesus had recently learned of the death of his cousin and mentor, John the Baptist. He would like to get away to grieve for John by himself, but, as we saw in last week's gospel, that is not possible. He is being followed by a crowd of people looking for healing and teaching from Him and, even when He tries to get away by boat, He finds them waiting for Him when the boat lands. He tends to them. He even feeds 500. But He still needs to get away.
Jesus gathers his disciples and sets them in a boat. He climbs back up the mountainside alone, stopping first to send the crowds away. He lets them touch Him and thank Him, until finally, He gets to rest, to pray, and to grieve for His friend John the Baptist, and to focus once more on His mission and ministry.
Meanwhile, back in the boat, the disciples are having trouble navigating against a strong wind. Suddenly, whom do they see but Jesus walking toward them on the water. They are afraid, but Jesus reassures them.
At this point Peter says, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." Jesus says "Come", so Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking toward Jesus. But soon, he becomes frightened and he begins to sink. He cries out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reaches out His hand ans catches Peter saying "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Then Jesus and Peter climb into the boat and the wind ceases to blow.
This story is in three of the Gospels but Matthew is the only one who includes this episode of Peter jumping out of the boat. Why this emphasis of Peter? It is important to understand some of the background of the little Christian community to which Matthew is writing. The Christian community of which Mathew is a part is suffering persecution from those around them. In the terms of Social and Political Science, the winds were against them. But faith can weather the storm. That is the message that Matthew wants to convey--not simply that Jesus was a Messiah, for His listeners would already have believed that, but that faith in Jesus has power.
Peter had to leave the ship and risk his life in the sea in order to learn about his own weaknesses and the power of faith. If Peter had never taken the risk, he would never have learned the power of faith.
I am sure that most of us believe, in a general sense, that God is with us. But when it comes to putting that belief to the test, when we are asked to step out of the boat and to walk on the water, we have our doubts. Is God really on our side? Or will God put us out on a limb and leave us there? We are afraid that, in the midst of the storm, we will be overcome.
One of the great fears of the ancient people was that God would fall asleep. When the prophets of Baal could not get their gods to rain down fire on the top of Mount Carmel, Elijah taunted them, "maybe your god is asleep," he said. On the other hand, the Jews took great comfort in the fact that the God of Israel, neither slept nor slumbered.
When Abraham set out for the promised land, turning his back on everything familiar, God spoke to him, "Fear not Abram, I am your shield and your reward will be great."
When the Israelites stood at the Red Sea and could see the chariots of the Pharoah coming over the horizon, they cried out that they would all be slaughtered, Moses said to them, "Stand still, fear not, and see the salvation of the Lord."
When the angel of the Lord came to Mary and said she would bear a child, she trembled with fear. What would become of her? The angel said, "Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God."
Fear not, fear not, say our scriptures. This is repeated over seventy times; fear is the emotion referred to more than any other. So if you have your fears, you are not alone. Paul, writing to the young disciple, Timothy, said, "God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind."
Faith and love cast out fear.
Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the staircase."
The Christian missionary E. Stanley Jones said , "Faith is not merely your holding on to God--it is God holding on to you. God will not let you go!"
And the reformer John Calvin had this to say, "Faith is not a distant view, but the warm embrace of Christ."
Peter what do you think you're doing? You cannot walk on water. But Peter does, albeit briefly.
I don't know what storm of life will come your way this week, or what storm you may be enduring at this very moment. But I know this: even as the storm rages around you, if you listen carefully with your heart, you will hear a gentle voice saying, "Take heart, it is I; Do not be afraid." In time, the storm will pass. And Jesus will still be there.
There is a saying: If you feel distant from God, who moved?
Jesus comes precisely when we are rowing against the wind and making no headway at all. He tells us not to be afraid. He calls us to come to Him. Some get out of the boat and test the water. Some take a step or two. Peter was ok as long as he had his eyes on Jesus, as long as he had faith and conviction. Faith involved our venturing out, doing things we never dreamed of, trusting that God will take care of us.
When have you felt sideswiped by a raging storm and been frightened? What were the winds and waves that battered you? Did you have companions in that storm? What was a focus of help? Did you pray? Did doubt cause you to sink into anxiety and to fall into adversity? And how did Jesus appear, holding out His hands, inspiring you to splendid action, even risk-taking inspite of the storm? When were you in the boat, battered and fearful, and then, saw Jesus walking toward you?
Faith is not just a passive trusting that God will come to us when we are down and out. Faith is an active process of living a vital and full life: going places we would never go, loving people we would never love, living life to the fullest because we know the Lord Jesus.
I think each of us has the opportunity to walk on water. It is going to mean something different to each one of us. For one person it may mean overcoming an obstacle that you never thought you could overcome. For another person, it may mean undertaking a task that was once thought impossible. For some else, it may mean initiating a relationship, or mending a friendship that seemed beyond all hope. So walking on water will be something different for everyone. But we can say this much, it always means moving out of our comfort zone. It always means dealing with fear. And it always means acting in faith in response to a call.
May your fears diminish, and your faith increase, so that you too can respond to that scary exciting call.
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