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There are those events that we cannot explain, but are
simply glad to have been part of it. This must have
been the disciples experience time and time again. They
stood in amazement of all that Jesus was doing. The
disciples were eye witnesses to the feeding of the five
thousand. What Jesus did seemed impossible to them, but
they were beginning to learn that anything was possible
with Jesus. The disciples were filled with a sense of
awe. They were constantly amazed that so many people
would come to see and hear Jesus. They were astonished
at his teachings, for he taught as one with authority.
They were amazed as Jesus healed people.
Our lesson begins “immediately” following the feeding of
the five thousand. With this experience fresh on
everyone’s mind the disciples boarded a boat to sail to
the other side of the lake. Meanwhile Jesus remains to
pray. Remember most of the disciples were fishermen who
spent much time fishing on the lake. Being on water
must have seemed second nature to them. They had no
fear as they began their journey across the lake having
sailed in all kinds of weather. Due to geography this
lake was prone to severe storms.
This particular time was different, it was night and
their boat had been battered by crashing waves with
water spilling into their boat for a long period of
time. We are unsure how long the disciples were in this
situation, however long it was it was too long. Such an
experience could rattle a seasoned fisherman. The
disciples became frightened. Even the strongest of us
in the right or wrong situation can become frightened.
Just the other week I was in an elevator at the
hospital, the door opened and a woman tentatively
entered. She explained that the previous month she had
been stuck in an elevator for forty-five minutes. Being
stuck between floors in an elevator for an extended
period of time can be a frightening experience that will
unnerve the strongest among us. When the door opened at
her floor she breathed a sigh of relief.
That night the disciples’ fears seemed to multiply, out
on the middle of the lake, late at night, in a terrible
storm. In such an experience it is not uncommon for
imaginations to run wild. In this heightened sense of
fright they looked up and saw what looked like someone
walking on the water. “It is a ghost!” they cried.
“They were terrified,” and who could blame them?
It
was Jesus walking on the water. He knew his friends
were in trouble. Jesus tried to calm their fears, “take
heart,” he told them, “it is I; do not be afraid.” He
might very well have had to repeat those words until the
disciples settled down. He was saying the right words
but the wind and the waves continued pounding their
boat.
Peter seems unsure when he replies, “Lord, if it is
you…” Did the disciples not recognize Jesus? Were they
not comforted by his familiar voice? They had been with
him earlier that day. Certainly they should have
recognized his voice. Why was Peter so tentative in
identifying Jesus? At that moment, he certainly did not
inspire confidence in the others. “Lord, if it is you,”
Peter says, “command me to come to you on the water.”
What in the world was Peter thinking at that moment?
“Come” Jesus replies. Peter does the unthinkable; he
leaves the relative safety of the boat and takes a step
out on the water. Just as he takes that step he
realizes where he is and what he is attempting to do.
Once again fear overtakes him and he begins to sink.
Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” “Jesus immediately
reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You
of little faith, why did you doubt?’”
Peter’s problem was not only that he took his eyes off
Jesus, and became frightened, but that he demanded proof
of the presence of Christ. Jesus asked, “Why did you
doubt?” When we think of doubt we think skepticism, but
here in this context doubt could mean vacillation. At
that moment Peter does not know what to believe. In the
middle of the lake Peter’s faith was wavering. In
making this request Peter is putting Jesus to the test.
He should have known better. All Peter needed to do in
that moment was believe in Jesus.
I’ve heard many sermons on this text where it was
stated, “If only Peter had enough faith, he could have
walked on the water!” I know I’ve preached several over
the years with that conclusion. However, faith is not
being able to walk on water, because only God can do
that. Faith is daring to believe, in the face of
uncertainty that Jesus is in the boat with us. Faith is
daring to believe in Jesus in all situations.
With Jesus present with us we can and will make it
through many storms. Even when we are battered by the
waves of problems we cling to Jesus, believing with all
our heart that with Jesus at our side we will make it.
Believe in Jesus. While we appreciate the dramatic
conversion stories of persons who have fallen deep into
sin and then turn their lives to Jesus, this removes us
from the situation. We think to ourselves, good for the
person who escaped from drug use or a life of crime. We
affirm that Jesus can and does change lives. The
question remains, what about us? We are not addicted to
drugs or a life of crime.
We need to believe in Jesus a
little bit more each and every day. To do so might
require that we change our priorities, making more room
in our lives for Jesus. Sometimes our best intentions
crowd Jesus out of our lives. Amazing things happen to
us when we live each day for Jesus—when we open our
lives to Jesus’ transforming power. It takes faith to
believe in Jesus in all of life’s situations. Peter
only needed to believe in Jesus, not walk on the water.
In
the middle of the night, when their fears were getting
the best of them, Jesus walked across the lake to come
to the aid of his disciples. Jesus told them, “Take
heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” That should have
been enough to calm their fears—Jesus was with them in
the midst of a terrible storm. It should have been
enough to convince them—but it was not. Peter wanted
more. He asked to come out on the water with Jesus.
Jesus bid him, “come.” When Peter began to sink Jesus
reached out to rescue him. “You of little faith,” Jesus
said, “why did you doubt?”
After this drama with Peter, Jesus
stepped into the boat. The wind and the rain stopped.
The danger had passed. The lake was calm. The
disciples viewed Jesus in a new light, in a new way.
There in the middle of the lake, in the middle of the
night, the disciples worshiped Jesus, “Truly you are the
Son of God,” they exclaimed.
We come to the Lord’s Table to
receive the bread and the cup, which strengthens and
nourishes our souls, we do not know what lies ahead but
we do know the one who travels beside us—our Lord Jesus.
Amen.
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