Matthew 14:22-33
There are a lot of things the disciples did with Jesus that I would like to do. Giving blind people given their sight, helping people who were lame stand up and walk, casting out demons and seeing a life restored, these are all things I would like to do. It must have been amazing to take bread and fish out of baskets and the basket never getting empty. It must have been amazing to see Jesus in his heavenly glory along with Moses and Elijah. These things are all wonderful but maybe the most fun of all the things the disciples did would be to walk on water as Peter did.
Imagine what life would be like if we could walk on water. If we could walk on water could we still swim? How would you make the change from walking to swimming? Would there still be bridges? I think so because although we could walk on water, cars and trucks would sink. But when you wanted to go to Sale it would not be necessary to walk down to where there was a bridge, you could simply cut over the Bou Regreg River at any point you wanted. If we could walk on water could we also sit on water? We could head out into the ocean, find a secluded spot and have a picnic. And could we then fish at the same time, maybe even catching our lunch?
There would have to be regulations. How could you have motorboats and sail boats on a lake if there were people walking all over? So there would be no walking signs in the water at various places.
Walking on water, this is a strange story and this encounter with Jesus came at the end of a long day. It began with Jesus receiving word that his cousin John, John the Baptist, had died. Jesus went away to grieve for the loss of his cousin. He got in a boat with his disciples and sailed to a desolate place. But someone saw him on the lake. “Who is that on the boat? It looks like Jesus and his disciples. Where are they going?” As word spread that Jesus was on his way, people gathered those in their family who were sick or lame or disturbed and headed off to see where Jesus had gone. When Jesus arrived at the shore he discovered there were already a lot of people gathered asking for his help.
Matthew says that Jesus had compassion on them and healed their sick. All day Jesus pushed aside his own need to grieve and took care of the needs of others. When evening came the disciples came to Jesus and told him to send the crowd away to go get food in the villages. But Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish and miraculously multiplied them so that five thousand men, plus women and children, ate and were satisfied – with twelve baskets of broken pieces left over.
And then Jesus told the disciples to go on the boat to the other side of the lake. He sent the crowd away and went up on the mountain to be by himself and pray and deal with his postponed grief.
When he came to an end and it was time to move on, it was evening and he wanted to rejoin his disciples. But they were on a boat in the middle of the lake. He could walk around the lake, but that would take a long time. So why not walk on water, take the shortcut? He walked to the shore, stepped out on the water and began to make his way.
Meanwhile, the disciples were straining at the oars, trying to make progress against the wind and waves. Remember that four of the twelve disciples were fishermen. They had spent many hours on the lake in all sorts of conditions. Eleven of the twelve were from Galilee and when you live by a lake you become familiar with boats.
The conditions on the lake were difficult but they were not that much out of the ordinary. There is another incident when Jesus was sleeping in the boat while the disciples battled a storm. On that occasion they were fearful because of the ferocity of the storm. This is a different incident and not beyond the capabilities of the fishermen among the disciples.
They set out from shore as evening approached, maybe about 6 PM. From 6-9 PM, the first watch of the night, they put up their sail and tried to make progress but the wind was too strong and they had to row into the wind. From 9-12, the second watch of the night, they persevered with waves breaking against them. From 12-3, the third watch of the night, they rowed on, taking turns rowing and resting. By the time Jesus caught up to them in the fourth watch of the night, 3-6, they had been rowing for eight or nine hours and had only managed to row three to three and a half miles. This was exhausting. When they were not rowing they tried to sleep but sleeping in a boat in a stormy sea is not easy to do. By the time Jesus caught up with them they were tired, anxious and wondering how long this would last.
The hours between 3 and 6 AM are the most dangerous hours of the day. This is a dangerous time to drive on the roads because of sleep-related accidents. I have driven all night a few times in my life and it is very difficult to stay awake in these hours before dawn. When the sun comes up, all of a sudden I have energy and am awake – but 3-6 is a difficult time. Factories with night shifts have higher rates of accidents in these early hours. We don’t think as clearly in these early hours. Our senses are not as heightened in these early hours. We’re more tired in these early hours.
It was in these predawn hours that the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the water.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
If this had occurred in the early morning, maybe about 7 AM, I don’t think the disciples would have been so frightened. But in the predawn hours with storm clouds blocking the light of the moon and stars and being so exhausted, the sight of a man walking on water, coming toward them was quite unnerving.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
This should have been reassuring. Jesus would climb into the boat and they would continue the journey. The disciples would be once again amazed at what Jesus could do. (“I can’t believe he walked three and a half miles on the water!”) End of story.
But Peter was not satisfied with hearing Jesus tell him not to be afraid.
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
Why did Peter ask him that question? Why was he not satisfied with Jesus telling them to take heart and not be afraid.? Didn’t he recognize the voice of Jesus?
It must have been difficult to hear with the wind and waves. It must be that Jesus did not say, “It is I,” he shouted, “DO NOT BE AFRAID.”. And Peter must have also shouted his response into the wind. In those conditions it may not have been easy to recognize the voice of someone.
Peter still thought it might be a ghost so he sought confirmation that it was Jesus.
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
Why this question? If he wanted confirmation this was not a ghost, why not ask, “Lord, if it is you, how many loaves of bread and how many fish did we start out with at lunch today?” A ghost would not know that detail. If Peter was looking for confirmation that this was Jesus and not a ghost, why not ask a question like this?
But Peter asked to do something impossible as confirmation that it was indeed Jesus. Peter wanted Jesus to do a miracle.
But this was a bit different from other times when the Pharisees or Herod asked Jesus to do a miracle to prove he was the Messiah. This was not sitting back and watching Jesus do something miraculous. This was Peter asking Jesus to help him do something miraculous.
So once again, why would Peter ask this particular question? “Lord if this is really you, tell me to come and walk on water with you.”
This incident follows the time Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to preach, heal and cast out demons. For some time the disciples had seen Jesus do all these things. Their eyes had popped out of their head when they had first seen Jesus heal someone who was lame or give sight to someone who was blind. After awhile they were no longer so surprised. They knew what Jesus could do.
But then Jesus told them, go out in pairs and you do what I have done. I give you the power to do what I have been doing.
The gospels do not say how they responded when they returned from their trip but in Luke, when Jesus sent out 72 of his disciples in pairs, (Luke 10:17)
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
They were filled with joy. They were delighted. They had been able to do what they had seen Jesus do. That Jesus could do these marvelous miracles they had gradually been able to accept. But now they were able to do the same miraculous things in his name!
Maybe this was what made Peter ask this question, to find out if the person on the water was a ghost or Jesus. Jesus not only did impossible things, he gave power to his disciples to do impossible things. If this was Jesus walking on the water, Peter knew he could also walk on water with Jesus.
Maybe it was that sometimes Peter said things impulsively. It is as if his mouth moved and then his brain connected. Sometimes it was brilliant as when he affirmed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Sometimes is was not so brilliant.
Maybe a part of it was that Peter saw Jesus walking on the water and thought to himself, “That would be a lot of fun!”
Maybe it was a combination of these thoughts but Peter shouted out to Jesus on the water
“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
And Jesus shouted back, “Come.” Come and do what I am doing. Come do the impossible.
It is one thing to say you will do something, it is another to actually do it. You can say you will jump off a 10 meter diving platform, it is quite another to do it. Once I climbed the ladders that led to the 10 meter diving platform. I intended to jump into the pool from there. But when I got to the top the pool looked like a postage stamp and I climbed back down the stairs.
If you want to skydive, you can take the lessons, put on the parachute, go up in the airplane, but then there is the moment when you have to step out into the air.
Jesus said come. The boat was heaving up and down with the waves and the wind. Peter put one foot out over the boat and then another. Now he was sitting on the side of the boat.
Where were Peter’s eyes focused? The account says he got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
When Peter was sitting on the side of the boat, did he look down at the water? Did he test one foot and then another to see if he would be supported? Did he look at the wind and waves and think to himself, “This is crazy. Who am I kidding?” I don’t think so. I think he was looking into the eyes of Jesus. He sat on the side of the boat, stood up and began walking toward Jesus, never taking his eyes off Jesus.
How was that for Peter? Exhilarating? I would think so. Amazing? Certainly. “Look at me! I’m walking on water!”
But then Peter saw the wind. Perhaps a wave came up and splashed his face and made him ask himself, “What am I doing? This is crazy!” He took his eyes off Jesus and saw the wind and he said to himself, ”This is impossible!” and he began to sink.
he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Peter asked, “Lord if it is really you,” and he discovered that the man walking on the water really was Jesus, the Son of God.
Let me pull out of this story three lessons for us.
The first lesson is that the reason we walk on water is because we want to be with Jesus.
In John 12:26 Jesus said:
If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also.
Followers of Jesus want to be with him, so if you want to be with Jesus, where do you go? Peter asked this apparition on the water if it was really Jesus and when Jesus told Peter to come, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water to be with Jesus.
Later on, at the Seder meal before Jesus was arrested, Jesus told his disciples he was going to be leaving them. (John 13:36–37)
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Peter wanted to be with Jesus. He wanted to be where Jesus was.
Even after Jesus was arrested and the disciples fled, Peter followed at a distance. He was afraid but he wanted to be where Jesus was.
If we love Jesus, if we know what Jesus has done to save us, if we know how dependent we are on Jesus, then we will want to be where Jesus is.
So, in this day and age, where is Jesus to be found. I’m not talking here about the presence of God in our lives. As followers of Jesus we have the Holy Spirit at work in us. But where do we find Jesus?
What is the work of Jesus? Jesus works unceasingly to draw men and women, boys and girls into his kingdom. When we hear reports of people having a dream of a man dressed in white, who is it they are dreaming of? It is Jesus. Jesus is at work to bring people into his kingdom.
So why do we share our faith? Why do we go to a foreign land to work? Do we do this out of a sense of obligation? Is this a duty that must be fulfilled? Is this a command that must be obeyed?
Some people are motivated this way, but this is a poor motivation. Our obedience too easily becomes an external obedience and there can be a disconnect with the heart that still wants to be at home. Why should we be motivated to go where Jesus is at work rescuing and saving people? We do this because we want to be with Jesus and this is where Jesus is to be found. When we feed the hungry and clothe the poor and heal the sick and care for those who are oppressed and share words of hope and encouragement, when we tell the amazing story of Jesus, then we are working with Jesus. We are present with him and that is the best place for us to be.
The second lesson is that Jesus helps us to do the impossible.
Peter said, “If this is really you, then help me to do something that is impossible for me to do. Help me to walk on water.”
When Peter began to sink, what was the problem? Did he doubt this was Jesus standing on the water? No. There was Jesus, standing and waiting for him. Where was Peter’s problem? He looked around and saw the wind and the waves. He began to doubt that he was capable of doing what Jesus had invited him to do.
Let me tell you a more modern story of a woman who walked on water, who did what seemed impossible to do.
Gladys Aylward was born in 1904. As a young woman, at a revival meeting where the preacher spoke of dedicating ones life to the service of God, she responded and soon after became convinced she was called to preach the gospel in China. At the age of 26 she became a probationer at the China Inland Mission Center in London. But there were a few obstacles. She did not have much of an education and failed the examinations of the center. She was unmarried and it was not considered wise for a single woman to go alone to China. And she had no money. That seemed the end of it. But despite the rejection from the mission, she persevered. She worked hard as a maid and saved her money. She studied about China and then she heard of a 76 year old woman in China looking for a younger woman to carry on her work.
Although she did not have enough money to pay for passage by boat, she bought a train ticket. In October of 1930 she set out from London with her passport, her Bible, her tickets, and two pounds ninepence (the equivalent of 50 pounds or 640 dirhams today), to travel to China by the Trans-Siberian Railway, despite the fact that China and the Soviet Union were engaged in an undeclared war. She arrived in Vladivostok and sailed from there to Japan and from Japan to Tientsin, and then again by train, then bus, then mule, to the inland city of Yangchen, in the mountainous province of Shansi, a little south of Beijing.
The two women decided to start an inn and use that as a place to tell the stories of Jesus. This woman who lacked the proper education and was told by the mission she was unqualified, became fluent in Chinese. She grew to have great influence in the area where she lived, helping to abolish the practice of foot-binding of women and improving social conditions. I don’t have time to tell her whole story and I encourage you to look up her story for yourself. (http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/73.html)
When the Japanese invaded China in 1938, she took 100 orphans under her care over the mountains in a very difficult and dangerous journey to safety.
One of these orphans got married and went to Vietnam as a missionary. During the war between Vietnam and the US he left for Canada so his sons would not be drafted into the North Vietnamese army. There his daughter got married to a man of Chinese descent who started a diplomatic career. They came to Rabat and attended RIC and one year I had the privilege of meeting her father who had walked with Gladys Aylward over the mountains to safety.
In 1957 a book was written about her life which was made into a movie called The Inn of the Sixth Happiness, starring Ingrid Bergman. When Newsweek magazine reviewed the movie, and summarized the plot, a reader, supposing the story to be fiction, wrote in to say, “In order for a movie to be good, the story should be believable!”
Gladys Aylward did the impossible and she did it because God called her to come.
The story of Gladys Aylward is a dramatic one, like Peter walking on water, but in many lesser ways, God calls us to do the impossible. A couple years after I began following Jesus I heard the call to go to seminary. I resisted this. For three or more months I resisted this call. One of my objections was that I was not good at teaching. I was working with junior high students at our church and was not very successful. I was very uncomfortable standing up before people and speaking. It seemed impossible that I could do the things a pastor had to do.
Maybe you don’t think you could start a Bible study at your work or school. Maybe you don’t think you could teach lessons from the Bible. Maybe you don’t think you could get some people together to begin to pray for your colleagues at work or school. Maybe you don’t think you could speak up for Jesus in a conversation with someone and explain why it is you follow him.
Maybe you are unsure about what you are doing here in Rabat. Maybe you are feeling completely overwhelmed by learning a new language. Maybe you are feeling that it will never be possible for you to learn to read and study in a new language.
Maybe you are feeling that it would be good to help lead worship but are too afraid to try.
I am currently working on a Dmin, reading lots of books and writing papers and although the reading is stimulating, I have a lot of anxiety about being able to write a paper worthy of the program.
Here is the question: Are you doing what God has called you to do? Did Jesus tell you “Come, this is what I want you to do”?
If Jesus has called you to do something you think is impossible or at least too difficult for you to do, you need to have faith that because Jesus has called you, he will make you sufficient for the task.
The third lesson is that when we fail, as we almost inevitably will do at some point, Jesus will be there to pick us up and bring us to safety.
In remembering this story, what we most often focus on is Peter’s failure – he sank and had to be rescued. But don’t forget that Peter got out of the boat and walked on water all the way over to where Jesus was. How many steps did he take? Ten? Twenty? Peter had an exhilarating journey. But then he took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the wind and waves and he sank into the water.
This was not the last time Peter sank and needed to be rescued. After he boldly told Jesus he would follow him, even to death, he denied him three times. But then, after Jesus resurrected, Jesus came to Peter, pulled him up out of the waves and told him, “Feed my sheep.”
Like Peter, there will be times when we will sink. We may be leading in worship or in a Bible Study and things will not go well. We will feel embarrassed and not want to try it again. Sometimes when we share our faith story with someone the conversation will not go well.
We are not alone and deserted, suffering our failure all by ourselves. Jesus is there to pick us up and keep us safe. Our failure is no excuse for not walking on the water when Jesus calls us to come.
Jesus is always our safety net, there to extend a hand and pull us to safety. But setting out to do the impossible to be with Jesus is the best journey you will ever be able to take. When you sense Jesus telling you to do something and you step out in faith, despite the obstacles, despite your apprehensions, you will be on a fulfilling, rewarding and life-giving course.
This is where you will find life. This is where you will find Jesus.
Where is Jesus calling you? Don’t be afraid to step out of the boat and do what seems too difficult or impossible. Because it is Jesus who has called you, you too will be able to walk on water.
