The Message, August 13, 2023: "I Can Walk On Water!" Matthew 14:22-33

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
August 15, 2023

 

“I Can Walk on Water!”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Matthew 14:22-33

            How do you feel when you watch a television program, or a movie, and you get to the end and three words appear on the screen … “To be continued …”?

            For me, as it likely is for you, it depends upon the situation. I know that there have been times when I was watching a movie and I knew that it was not going to come to a resolution in the next ten minutes. If the film is part of a franchise that you enjoy, you might be excited that there is another chapter.

            There have also been times when I was watching a television program, and those words appeared, and I became frustrated because I did not plan to invest myself in that particular series … but then HAD to watch the next episode to see how it ends!

            However you may feel about those three words appearing on screen, you know that the next episode will likely begin with these words: “Previously on …”

            That is the situation that we find ourselves in this morning. The Gospel of Matthew, like the other Gospels, is a narrative, a continuous story. We read it in short, bite-sized pieces, but the pieces are connected. Our passage this morning begins immediately after last week’s episode.

            So … “Previously in Matthew’s Gospel …”

            Last week we heard that Jesus received the heartbreaking news that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been killed by King Herod. Jesus and the disciples withdrew to a deserted place, but the people from the surrounding villages found out where they were heading, and a throng of twenty thousand people surrounded Jesus and the disciples.

            Jesus did not grow angry, and he did not withdraw deeper into the wilderness. Instead, he had compassion for the people, and he healed the sick. As the sun began to set, the disciples tried to send the people away so that they could go to town and get food for themselves, but Jesus said, “No, let them stay. YOU feed them.” Then they fed the twenty thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Everyone was fed until they were full, and there was enough left over to fill twelve baskets.

            And that is where we pick up our story this morning. Immediately.

            Immediately after the episode of the feeding of the throng, Jesus did something interesting, he dismissed the disciples. He told them to get in the boat and go on without him. Then he stayed and HE dismissed the crowd. There is no explanation given for that. We are left to assume. In my mind, he wanted that moment to interact personally … and as intimately as is possible with twenty thousand people. Then, after that time with the people, Jesus withdrew up the mountain to pray.

            Meanwhile … the disciples were having a tough go. The wind came up while they were still a good distance from the land, and they were struggling. Some translations say that the wind tormented the boat. Others say that it tortured the boat. Whether buffeted, tormented, or tortured … the disciples were in a tough spot.

            If you have ever been on a boat when a storm blows in, you know that it can be very terrifying. Matthew does not give us much detail, but we can imagine what it must have been like. It was dark … the fourth watch of the day … between 3:00 and 6:00 AM. The wind was blowing, the waves topped with whitecaps crashed into the boat. The boat was tossed to and fro. Some of the disciples were experienced fishermen, but not all of them. And even with experienced members of the “crew,” they were unable to make any headway against the wind.

            Fishing boats have low gunwales (sides), which allows them to haul the nets in easier. So, we can also imagine that the waves were crashing over the gunwales into the boat. They struggled against the wind as they sloshed around in the water.

            The drama then takes a turn. A ghostly apparition appeared on the lakeshore and approached them … and they were terrified! Apparently, they were not terrified by the storm. If they were, Matthew does not report it. But they were terrified by the ghostly figure approaching.

            Now, here is where the nitpickers and the naysayers have their party.

             Was Jesus walking ON the water? Was he walking AT the water? Was he walking NEAR the water or TOWARD the water?

            The translation of the Greek is not clear.

            Did Jesus perform a miracle, did he defy the laws of nature and gravity and walk on the surface of the water?

            Or, as the naysayers suggest … it was late, it was dark, the wind was blowing, the waves were crashing, the disciples could barely see … did Jesus just APPEAR to be walking on the water? Was he just walking along the shore, and it APPEARED to the disciples that he was walking ON the water?

            As is often the case, the nitpickers miss the larger point. However one translates the word, Jesus came to the aid of the disciples. Jesus saw their distress and he went to them. He said those frequently offered words of assurance, “Do not be afraid. It is I.”

            Then Peter, borrowing Thomas’ doubt for a moment, said, “Oh yeah? If it is really you, Jesus … prove it! Order me to come to you across the water.”

            And Jesus did the Jesus thing … he replied, “Come. Come to me, Peter. Come to me in your moment of doubt.”

            In that moment, Peter’s doubt, or skepticism, was transformed into faith … and he stepped onto the water. Peter walked toward Jesus ON the water! Until he noticed that the storm was still whipping around him. He took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the waves … and began to sink beneath the water. Perhaps, our minds’ eye can imagine that shot looking up from below the surface of the waves. Peter sinking, then Jesus’ hand reaching down and grasping onto Peter.

            Again, notice that Jesus had not yet calmed the storm. He called Peter forth from the boat in the midst of the storm. It was not until they got back into the boat that the wind and the sea calmed.

            If we were watching this on television, or on the big screen, our hearts would be pounding, we might be holding our breath. What a dramatic scene!

            Peter is often called “impetuous” because he stepped out of the boat. But as we heard, that is really not an accurate description. He did not step out of the boat until Jesus called him to, “Come.”

            As we look at the narrative, Peter really is one of the most relatable disciples. He depicts what many of us experience as Christians. Peter depicts what it means to be a Christian caught in the tension between faith and doubt. He represents those who are exuberant in their faith initially, but then struggle when their gaze is drawn away from Jesus. He represents those who are confident in their faith but then experience struggles that cause them to question.

            It reminds me of those traveling tent revivals that pull into town and get people whipped up with the excitement of the moment, then leave town the next day.

            Jesus does not leave town. Jesus does not abandon us when the winds whip up, he does not abandon us when the storms blow in. Just the opposite … he comes to us, he calls to us in the chaos.

            Peter also represents those with a risk-taking faith. Remember, Peter stepped out of the boat. The other eleven did not. Peter was the one who was willing to step into the chaos of the storm.

            As Christians, we learn to live in the balance. We learn that being a Christian means that there will be times of uncertainty, but we also know that Jesus is steadfast. The uncertainty is ours, not his. And we also know that in the world today … and in the world as it has always been … there is risk believing in Jesus and proclaiming him as our savior.

            This story is the story of Jesus acting on our behalf. It is the story of Jesus responding when we are in distress. The story is also about the faith of Peter. The drama reveals to us that faith is not a noun. Faith is not an object to be grasped. Rather, faith is a verb, it is an action. Faith is a practice; it is something that we do.

            Jesus invites us to step out of the boat. Jesus calls us to step out in faith. The storms will always be there threatening to toss and torment, but Jesus will be there too. Jesus is always with us.

            It is easy to sit in the boat, but Jesus says, “Come … step out. Step out with me.”

            When Jesus calls, what will we do?

            To be continued …

            Amen.

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