St Nicholas – 9:30 P&P
Emmanuel – 11:00 Matins
9/8/26
Romans 10: 5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
We are certainly getting a lot of mileage out of Romans & Matthew this summer. The parables of the weeds, wheat, pearls, treasures, mustard seeds, bread and fish are about Jesus taking very little of something and making it very, very big. They play with our imaginations and basic human needs. The real miracle of these stories show us God’s power displayed through Jesus in the provision to those who follow after him.
Jesus was having to continually prove himself to both the disciples and the crowds who have been following. They are still doubting and not getting who Jesus really is. This theme carries on in the Gospel reading today as Jesus is not recognised by those who are closest to him.
At the start of this morning’s Gospel, Jesus has sent the disciples across the lake in a boat and dismissed the now stuffed crowd to home. At last Jesus gets to be alone with God. Remember this is what he was trying to do just before the crowd found him.
I am sure we have experienced those times when besieged by requests and demands threaten to overwhelm us and we just want some time to be alone. To rest, to think, to make a plan or just get away from the situation for a while.
The story of Susanna Wesley (the mother of Methodist founders Charles & John Wesley) who had 19 children is inspirational. When Susanna needed to pray or have some ‘quiet’ she would simply sit down and pull her apron up over her head. This physical signal was her prayer tent. The children knew this meant that she was with God and must not be disturbed.
Jesus also had great need to be with God; his friend and cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded. He intended to go away; but his compassion overruled and he spent the day preaching and feeding the hungry crowd physically and spiritually.
The disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee which is really a giant lake in Israel; it is beautiful. I visited 11 years ago (those are my feet above) and was a bit disappointed that I could not walk on it! That afternoon was very calm and peaceful but in a few minutes the wind came up and it was very rough and choppy. This is known to happen with great speed. This is what appears to have happened to the disciples that night.
At this point in the story the disciples are well across the lake, far from land and a strong wind is blowing. We should keep in mind that at least 4 of the disciples (James, John, Peter & Andrew) were Galilean fishermen. This was their lake, they had all spent many a night on the water. These seasoned fishermen are struggling with the wind and the waves. We are not sure how long they were on the water for; probably most of the night.
Many of us here know what it is to struggle – we have had our share! But what is it to struggle when we are in our comfort zones? Struggle in something that we know. Those men knew the boat, the water and the weather. It can somehow feel almost worse, more disempowering to struggle in something that we know about. If we struggle in a new situation it could be expected if the learning curve is steep.
It is entirely possible that Jesus was watching the disciples in the boat from where he was praying. The Sea of Galilee is surrounded by hills like a bowl. If Jesus was up the mountain, he could have seen them. Did the disciples contemplate that Jesus is out there, having some quiet time and maybe ignoring them or worse watching them. Maybe some of us have had that experience, we are in a struggle with everyone watching but no one helping.
Jesus then approaches the boat, doing what no human person could do, walking on the water. So the reaction of ‘it’s a ghost’ is a reasonable one. Jesus’ reply of ‘take courage’ probably would have annoyed me.
The first one to speak to Jesus is Peter. Always Peter. ‘Lord, if it is you…tell me to come to you on the water.’ Peter is not sure if it is or not. But when the reply comes Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water. How amazing!
He did not immediately start to sink so he went some way. He got close enough for Jesus to grab hold of him when he began to sink.
Many people tend to focus on Peter’s lack of faith. Almost there but not quite; Poor Peter, another failure, didn’t go all the way. Peter did what the other 11 did not; Peter got out of the boat. That took courage and the amazing experience of walking on water.
Peter’s issue was that his attention moved from Jesus to the storm. The commentary I researched stated that ‘Matthew says, he saw the wind, which means, of course, that Peter saw the effects of the wind; he perceived the wind; with the movements of the waves and the boat, the spray and the feel of the wind, there was no doubt that it was boisterous.
As Peter perceived all this, it came home to him that to be on the water in a storm like the one he was experiencing and to be outside the boat was to be in a position of some danger. The result was that Peter became afraid (panicked) and the onset of fear was accompanied by the beginning of sinking.’
Peter then cries out for help and Jesus immediately reaches out his hand and catches him. Once Jesus and Peter were in the boat the wind calmed down. Maybe Peter thought he was alone in that storm. He took his eyes off Jesus, maybe forgot how close he was, the disciples in the boat had stayed where they were.
How easy it is to think that we are all alone in those stormy moments. No one will understand what we are going through, no one can – or worse – wants to help us. It’s all over!
Jesus knew exactly where on the lake that boat was. What a relief that God knows exactly where we are at. I have taken huge comfort in this assurance in the last couple of weeks. We cannot escape his reach either. We may have to wait but he will come to us.
The wind stopped when Jesus got into the boat. This should remind us that we need to make room in the boat for him. That might mean finding some time alone to pray. It might mean moving things around, chucking some things overboard (physically or metaphorically). We might even have to get out of the boat; especially if it is a little too comfortable. Our security is not in the boat – it is in Jesus.
