Matthew Ch 14 v 22-33 Jesus Walks on the Water
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
“Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith” he said, “why did you doubt?”
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Sermon
Let us Pray: Breath on us, O God, that we may be filled with your Spirit – and led by your living word – Jesus Christ our Lord. Bless the word of my lips and the meditations of our hearts. We ask it in his name. Amen.
You may have heard the story about a man who gets too close to the edge of a cliff and loses his balance, and slips over the edge. Just before falling 1000 feet, he grabs on to a root sticking out from the edge. “Help, Help me!” He shouts “Is there anyone up there? Help me! Save me! Is there anyone up there?”
A voice answers, “I am the Lord. I can save you. Do you believe in me? Do you really want me to help you?” “O, yes, Lord cries the man, I believe in you, more than you’ll ever know. Please help me.”
“OK,” the Lord says. “I’ll save you. Now, let go.” “What?” shouts the man has the tree root begins to give way. “Just let go of that root you’re holding on to, and I’ll save you says the Lord “You have to trust me.”
The man pauses a moment, and then shouts out, “Is there anyone else up there?!”
Which leads to the question: Where does our faith fit in during the difficult times? And those times of testing amongst the storms of life?
There are some who say: if you have faith, life will be smooth sailing. Some also say: If you have faith, God will cure all your ills and guard you from every danger if you have enough faith and if you stay close to God….
In our gospel reading this morning from Matthew, we discover that that is not necessarily true.
Last week we read the account of Jesus feeding the 5,000. You remember, the crowds had gathered to hear Jesus, and as the day wore on, Jesus tells the disciples, “Give the people something to eat.”
They are flabbergasted! And their immediate response is, “We don’t have enough! All we have are two little fish and five small loaves of bread.
That’s not enough! We can’t possibly do what you asked us to do, Jesus!”
Jesus says, “Give the food to me.” They do, Jesus blesses it, and tells the disciples to pass it out. They do, everyone eats their fill, and there are even 12 baskets full left over!
What do you imagine the disciples thought about all that? They were right in the middle of that miracle. Maybe some in the crowd didn’t realize what had happened, but the disciples were right there, all the way through it. They participated in the miracle.
What were they thinking? Did it change them? Did it strengthen their faith?
Well, they do appear to be very slow learners don’t they?
After the feeding of the 5,000 was all over, Jesus dismisses the crowd and sends them home. Then he tells his disciples, “Get in the boat and cross the lake. I’ll join you later, but right now I need to be alone for a while to pray.”
That probably was not too strange a request for Jesus to make. He could always re-join them by walking around the lake – it wasn’t that far. Or maybe they guessed he had arranged for another boat later that night. And so they set sail.
Well, a few hours later we find the disciples caught in the middle of the lake in a wind storm. The waves are rolling, the wind is blowing. And they are getting nowhere fast. It takes everything they have just to try to keep the boat into the wind, let along make it across to the other side.
Now, remember: Why are they out in the middle of the lake in the first place? Jesus told them – really, ordered them, commanded them – to get in the boat and cross the lake.
They are doing exactly what Jesus had told them to do, and by being obedient to him, discover themselves now caught in a big storm!
So does faith and obedience always mean smooth sailing in life? Apparently not. Sometimes we follow Jesus, and it leads us into a storm!
Finally, in the small hours of the morning before first light, Jesus comes walking out to them, actually walking on the water!
The disciples’ initial reaction is one of fear. They’re terrified! “It’s a ghost!” they say.
But then Jesus calls out to them, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Now for whatever the reason, maybe he needed proof or something, but Peter blurts out, “If it’s really you Lord, command me to come out on the water with you.” (He probably regretted it as soon as he said it.)
Jesus answers simply, “Come… come on, Peter.”
It would be like letting go of that root that you’re hanging on to for dear life. At this point, Peter is probably ready to call out, “Uh, is there anyone else up there?”
But Peter is caught. It’s do or die. So he cautiously puts one leg over the boat, then the other, still holding on to the boat. He lets go with one hand, and then the other, and there is Peter, walking on the water, too!
Impossible? No more than feeding 5,000 with a small lunch! As Jesus so plainly said, “With God, all things are possible!”
Contrary to all the laws of nature, the impossible is happening – because the Lord of the universe is there.
But then something happens to Peter. It’s almost as if he woke up and realized where he is.
Often we see in the cartoons: a character runs off a cliff and stays suspended in mid-air until he finally realizes what a stupid thing he just did and then down he goes.
Well, here is Peter, walking on the water toward Jesus. Everything is fine, but then he takes his eyes off Jesus and begins to look around.
And what he sees are big waves and a driving wind, and there he is in the middle of it, unprotected, without a life jacket.
He becomes afraid, and he begins to sink.
The name “Peter” means rock. But now instead of being a solid rock of faith, he’s sinking like a rock.
In desperation, Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!”
Have you ever been there before? It is the elemental cry of every human being when we are confronted with that which is beyond our strength, beyond our ability, and beyond our control.
In the midst of our helplessness and powerlessness, we cry out, “Lord, save me!”
Jesus reaches out and grabs hold of Peter, pulls him up and helps him back into the boat: “Why did you doubt, Peter? Where is your faith? Didn’t you believe me?
Suddenly the wind dies down, the waves settle. The disciples are filled with awe and amazement. Falling to their knees they declare, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
As I hear God speaking to us this morning through the Scriptures, what I hear is the Lord saying to Peter and the disciples and to all of us:
Life is full of adventures and encounters and accidents and experiences that remind us over and over again – if our eyes are open to see it – that God alone is God, and we are totally dependent upon the Lord as our source of life and hope and strength.
And even when we are certain that God is leading us and we are acting according to God’s will, we dare never think that therefore we can go it alone, relying solely upon our own resources and abilities.
The disciples were only doing what Jesus had told them to do. If they would have remembered that, they could have pressed onward without fear, even in the middle of the storm.
Peter only did what the Lord invited him to do. He was actually doing the impossible, by worldly standards.
But it was only when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm raging around him that he began to sink.
Jesus tells us, “Without me, you can do nothing….but with God, all things are possible.”
I’m sure Peter never forgot that moment. There were still other times of doubt and testing in his life, and he wasn’t always successful, but where he floundered he always ended up crying out, “Lord, save me! And the Lord was always there to reach out and save him. He always found the help and the strength he needed.
Life is full of adventures and encounters and accidents and experiences that remind us over and over again that ultimately we are completely dependent upon God for our life, our hope, our salvation.
Ultimately, finally, we discover that there isn’t anyone else up there, and the only choice we have is to let go, and then let God work his will in our lives.
As a congregation of God’s people, we often are faced with opportunities to let go and let God’s will be done in our midst.
Every time we bring a little baby to the waters of Holy Baptism, every time we gather around the table of the Lord, every time we have to decide how to spend the money God has entrusted to us, every time we face a new challenge, a new opportunity for ministry and every time we gather at a funeral to mark the passing of one of God’s faithful servants,
Every time we do these things we face again the temptation to doubt and falter, to focus on the storms that rage around us, or to focus instead upon Jesus, the Lord of life, the Master of the winds and the waves.
We do know that Christ is calling us forth as his people, and God invites us to trust him, to let go and let God in.
And so we continually seek to be God’s faithful people, trusting and depending on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and always keeping our eyes focused on the One who is our source of life, hope, and salvation.
Amen
Prayers
Blessed are you, Lord our God for you are a very present help in times of trouble.
You are ready to hear our cry and come to our aid.
Lord, help us not to be afraid but to put our trust and hope in you.
May we ever rejoice in your love and care.
Blessed are you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God for ever.
Lord in the storms of life hear us and help us
Lord, you have created us out of love and for your love.
We ask for your protection in the troubles and storms of life.
Bless all Christians who are struggling against great odds.
We pray for those who are suffering from persecution, violence or ridicule.
We remember those whose lives are at risk and those who are exhausted.
Lord in the storms of life hear us and help us
We give you thanks for the safety and protection of our homes.
We pray for all who are struggling with problems of debt or fear of losing their jobs.
We pray for the work of those who care for the homeless and for those people who live on the streets of our towns and cities.
Lord in the storms of life hear us and help us
Lord, we pray for your blessing upon the world weary, the worried and worn, all who feel overwhelmed and unable to cope.
We remember all who are ill at home or in hospital and those who care for them.
We pray especially for any involved in accidents or whose illness finds no cure
Lord in the storms of life hear us and help us
Lord, stand by us when the last great storm seeks to overwhelm us and we feel we are sinking beneath the waves.
Help us to know that in you we will not perish but have everlasting life.
To you we commit all our loved ones departed, may they rejoice in your presence and in your peace.
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen
And we seal our prayers together in the words that Jesus taught his disciples… 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, the power and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen
Revd Kevin. Priest at St.Wilfrid’s and St.Thomas
