The Message, August 9, 2026: "To Walk ... or To Sink," Matthew 14:22-33
Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
August 09, 2026
“To Walk … or To Sink”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Matthew 14:22-33
Previously
in Matthew’s Gospel …
Before we begin our scripture
reading for this morning, I think that it is important to set the scene. Those
of you who were here last week, or those who watched online, you will recall
that the lesson was the passage typically called “The Feeding of the Five
Thousand.” Because the number of people fed was likely much greater than that,
I prefer to call it “The Miraculous Multiplication” or “The Feeding of the
Multitude.” Whatever, we call the passage, let me remind you what happened.
Jesus had just heard that his
cousin, John the Baptist, had been executed. He wanted to get away on his own
to grieve and likely to pray, but the crowds heard or saw where he was going
and they followed him. In fact … they beat him to the location where he was
going and were waiting for him on the shore. But rather than send them away,
Jesus had compassion for them and cured the sick and healed the injured. When
evening came, the disciples wanted to send the throng of people away; send them
to town to buy food for themselves, but Jesus said to them, “No, let them stay.
You feed them.”
And we know how the rest of the
passage goes. The disciples complained because they did not have nearly enough
to feed that many people; they only had five loaves of bread and two fish. But
Jesus took them, blessed them and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to
share. Then the disciples passed the bread … and passed it … and passed it …
until all were satisfied and then collected the leftovers; twelve baskets full.
Our passage for this morning follows
immediately after the feeding of the multitude.
Immediately
he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while
he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the
crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was
there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far
from the land, for the wind was against them. And
early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But
when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It
is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to
them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter
answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the
water.” [Jesus]said, “Come.” So, Peter got out of the boat, started
walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the
strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out,
“Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,
saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When
they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped
him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Immediately Jesus made the disciples
get back into the boat and go ahead of him back to the other shore. Jesus
stayed behind to dismiss the crowd.
Why? Why do you think that is? Why
do you think that Jesus sent the disciples ahead of him?
Looking back at last week’s passage
that was immediately before today’s, some commentators point out that Matthew
does not record the reaction of the crowd following the miracle of the
multiplication. After feeding perhaps as many as ten to fifteen THOUSAND people
with a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, one might expect
some
sort of reaction from the crowd. But Matthew did not include any reaction at
all.
However, John did include the crowd’s
reaction. In John’s account of this event, he tells us that the crowd decided
to make Jesus their king. In fact, they would FORCE him to be their king if
necessary. So, one scholar’s theory as to why Jesus sent the disciples ahead of
him was so that they would not get caught up in that mess. We know … and Jesus
knows … that there were times when the disciples did not react well in certain
situations. They were very protective of Jesus when people pressed in or got
too close. So, the scholar’s theory is plausible.
But I think that the simpler answer
is more likely. Jesus still wanted and needed that alone time. After curing the
sick and healing the injured he was likely exhausted … physically, spiritually
and emotionally. Remember, he had gone there to be alone, to grieve and to
pray. He still needed that time and that space. He knew that he could disperse
the crowd on his own, so he sent them ahead and went up the mountain to pray.
And as we heard, as the disciples
made their way across the lake a wild storm blew in. Their boat was battered
and buffeted by the wind and the waves, and they were not able to make any
headway at all.
Lake storms were fairly common. The
lake was only five miles wide, so as the winds blew, they were funneled down
the hillsides and picked up speed as they moved across the surface of the
water. In turn, the wind whipped up waves with whitecaps on them creating a
very wild and dangerous situation. If anyone has ever tried paddling a canoe
against the wind as a storm blows in, you know how terrifying it can be.
Unlike the other account of the
storm earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, in this account the boat did not seem to be
in danger of swamping or sinking. Rather, try as they might, the disciples
could not make any progress rowing against the wind and the waves. Remember,
only four of the disciples were known to be professional fishermen. It is safe
to assume that the tax collector and the zealot and the others were not
experienced seafarers.
After spending a few hours alone,
Jesus saw the struggles of the disciples and he went to them. Jesus went to
them “across the water” or “on the water” depending upon the
translation. And I pause here for a moment, because as you might expect, there
have been numerous attempts made to explain away Jesus walking on the water.
They
say, ‘It was 3:00 in the morning … it was very dark … the disciples could not
see very well.’
Or they say, ‘Jesus was not walking
ON the water … He was walking ALONG the water. It only LOOKED LIKE he was
walking on the water. With the wind whipping up the water the disciples could
not really see his feet.’
Of course scholars have done word
studies on the Greek words that Matthew used … and so on.
Some people just have the need to
have a “logical” explanation in order for them to believe the story. If they
cannot see it, they cannot believe it. Why can’t we just live in the
possibility of the divine? Why can’t we live with the wonder and awe of God’s
power? There are several passages in the Hebrew scriptures that speak of God
walking on the water.
However, whether we feel the need to
explain the story in some logical way, or allow we allow ourselves to live in
the wonder and awe of God’s power, the essence of the story is the same. Jesus
saw that the disciples were in need of assistance and he went to them. Whether
he walked along the water or on the water … Jesus went to them.
Without getting too deep into the
weeds of Christology … Matthew’s community … and the early Christian community
… had not yet developed the Christological view that Jesus was himself divine.
For Matthew, Jesus was a human man. He was the Messiah. He was the Son of God …
empowered by God and imbued with divine power. Jesus was empowered by God to do
things that defied the laws of nature and science. In just a few chapters,
Matthew will include these words that Jesus shared with the disciples, “With
man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew
19:26)
And as we heard, the disciples were
still learning. When they saw the figure coming across the water, they were
confused. “It is a ghost!” “It is an apparition!” They were afraid. Of course
they were afraid. People walking across the water was not a normal, everyday
occurrence. And just as Jesus had calmed the storm in the previous episode,
Jesus spoke to calm the “storm” of their fear. “Do not fear. It is I.”
The wind was still blowing, the
waves were still torturing the boat, but Jesus spoke to their fear. “Do not
be afraid. It is I. I have come to you. You can place your trust in me.”
Then Peter spoke up. “Prove it! Lord,
if it really is you … prove it. Command me to come to you!” We could
stop here and do an entire case study on Peter. He is impetuous … but he is
faithful. He will dent Jesus … but then the church will be built upon him. He
will be the Rock. “Jesus … I am a fisherman. My family are fishermen. I KNOW
that I cannot walk on water. No one can. BUT … if it is really you … command me
to do the impossible. Command me to come to you across the water.”
And we heard Jesus’ reply. “Come.
Come out of the boat, Peter. Come across the water, Peter. Come to me.”
And Peter stepped out of the boat.
Was he foolish? Or impetuous? Or was he faithful? Peter got out of the boat …
and started walking. We do not know how many steps he took. We do not know how
far he got. Peter … a human being just like you and me … got out of the boat
and walked.
Until he sank. Until he took his
eyes off Jesus. Until he noticed that the wind was still blowing and waves were
still lashing. Until that part of him that said, “Prove it,” to Jesus crept
back in. He WAS doing it. He WAS walking. Until he sank.
He sank … until he said, “Lord …
save me!”
And immediately, Jesus reached out
and took him by the hand. Jesus took him by the hand and said, “Why did you
doubt? Why did you question? Why were you uncertain? Why were you pulled
between the faith that allowed you to step out of the boat … and the fear that
dragged you down?”
“Peter … look at me. I am with you.
I will always be with you.”
Over the centuries of biblical
interpretation and scholarship, over the centuries of the growth and spread and
development of the Christian community, a number of allegories have arisen for
this story.
The disciples and the boat represent
the early church.
The
winds and the waves that battered them and kept them from making any progress
represent the world that rejected them and persecuted them.
But faith in Jesus enabled them to
keep “rowing” … keep going.
Do not lose focus upon the call and
mission of Christ.
The allegory is valid but most
likely it is not what Matthew had in mind when he wrote his Gospel. He was more
likely thinking about those first followers of Jesus, the earliest Christian
communities. In many ways, they were out there on their own. Their community
was tiny in the beginning, seemingly insignificant. In the beginning, they did
not have any structure or organization to support them. It must have seemed
that there was no possible way that they were going to be able to fulfill their
calling. No matter how hard they worked, it seemed like they could not make any
progress. There were probably plenty of occasions when they felt as if they
were being blown backwards. All they had was their faith in Jesus. Matthew
wanted to remind them that they DID have Jesus, and not to lose their focus
upon him.
And now, two thousand years later,
we can probably relate to Peter and the disciples. It can seem as though we are
sinking, perhaps even drowning. Whether as individuals or as the corporate body
of Christ, we know the struggle. In our lives and in the world, storms blow in.
We know that storms exist. We know that storms will come. Our faith in Jesus
does not PREVENT storms. Our faith helps us get through them.
Now, this is the point at which I
could insert a number of greeting card platitudes. But the reality is that
there will be times in our lives when we will be just like Peter. There will be
times when we step out in faith and we end up getting bashed and beaten by the
wind and the waves. There may be times when we will lose heart and we will
begin to doubt. There may be times when we will lose faith.
It can be difficult to keep our eyes
set upon Jesus. When pain, and sorrow, and frustration, and anger pull at us;
when temptation and worldy achievements and pursuits pull at us; we can lose
our focus. We can become discouraged. We can become distracted. We look away.
We vacillate, we question, we doubt. We sink.
In the beginning, the “sinking” may
not trouble us. We are only ankle deep. It is like we are wading. We can make
it. We will be fine. “I am okay, Jesus!” But then we sink deeper …
Of course, there may also be those
among us who never get out of the boat. “I cannot sink if I stay nice and safe
and dry in here.”
Jesus calls us, “Come. Come to me.”
Jesus also assures us, “Do not be
afraid. I am here. I am with you. I will always be with you.”
It can seem at times as though Jesus
is asking us to take too great a risk. I can seem at times that what we are
being asked to do is impossible. And there will likely be times when it feels
as though we are not making any progress, and we fear that we never will.
Look around you. See Christ beside
you. See Christ before you and behind you.
Breathe deep. Feel Christ living and
breathing within you.
And pray. Pray for guidance. Pray
for strength. And pray for help when you need it. Do not be afraid. Jesus is with
us.
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on to the light
Take my hand, precious Lord
Lead me home.
Amen.
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