Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the 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.’ He 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.’

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The Sea of Galilee is known for the terrible storms that occur on its waters. Most people would expect that a small lake would not have storms similar to those that occur on oceans, but the Sea of Galilee is an exception. The disciples in the boat with Peter had probably seen a similar storm before, but that would not have lessened their anxiety about the waves that lifted their small fishing boat high into the air, threatening to dump them all into the water many times throughout the night.

The disciples struggled hard against the storm. When the time reached three in the morning, they must have been exhausted from struggling all night to keep their boat upright. Never mind heading in the right direction; they simply wanted to survive. Their biggest focus was staying alive and staying upright rather than paying attention to where they were going. Keep in mind that these men who struggled worked on the water every day. They fished for a living and had doubtlessly dealt with many squalls during their time on the Sea of Galilee. But this storm was different – a ghost appeared. The disciples probably thought they were hallucinating due to mental and physical exhaustion. Perhaps they thought it was an angel because they were all about to die. Either way, terror struck them as they saw something approaching them across the turbulent sea.

Back up a few hours. This text immediately follows Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. He sent away all of the people and the disciples, and took time for himself to pray and clear his thoughts. He went up a mountain to meet God. The author of Matthew used mountains as a place where the people saw Jesus encountering God, and water as a place where the people encountered Jesus in a new way. So immediately after Jesus’ time on the mountain, he went down to the sea. Here, the author of Matthew continued a string of miracles in his text. In this miracle, Jesus walked on the sea to display his power over nature and to reveal himself to the disciples in a new way.

Jesus walking on water is an awe-inspiring event. It is not just a neat magic trick, but a revelation of his nature and his relationship to God. But it is not the main focus of the story. The disciples were certainly surprised by the site they saw before them – that’s why they thought Jesus was a ghost – but readers are not surprised by the statement that Jesus walked on water. As unpredictable and rebellious as Jesus’ actions often were, readers are more surprised by the actions of Peter and the inaction of the other disciples. Peter may have doubted Jesus’ identity or presence, but he also made a bold leap by asking Jesus to command him onto the water.

Throughout the gospels, Peter struggled in his faith and often acted impulsively. He wanted instant assurance or retribution (but don’t we all?). That’s why Peter quickly asked Jesus to call to him in this story, assured Jesus he would never betray him when Jesus told Peter that he would be the one who betrayed Jesus three times, and was quick to cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant in the Garden of Gethsemane. While Peter acted somewhat recklessly but still remained true to his word as he clamored out of the boat, the other disciples sat in the boat either out of disbelief or out of unbelief.

When I was very young my family lived in a huge limestone manse next door to the Presbyterian Church where my father was pastor. At about four years old, the age that I started watching the evening news with my dad and began to be more aware of the world outside of our small town, I began a practice that even my parents did not know about. When my family came home in the evenings after being out for some reason, I hated to be the first one upstairs when it was dark outside. Instead of waiting for someone to go upstairs before me, I would bravely climb the big staircase, singing at the top of my lungs. I thought that by singing I was giving anyone who may be in my house enough time to hide. I certainly did not want to run into some person sneaking around my house. While my actions were completely foolish, I thought I was being brave in the midst of the terrible fear that I had but would not let overcome me. Perhaps Peter acted out of the same general motivations. He was afraid but boldly stepped out of the boat so as to not let his fear overcome him.

But Peter must have been very afraid while climbing out of the boat. He probably wanted to experience the thrill of walking on water, especially with Jesus, whom he recognized as the Son of God. But Peter was able to do very little. Consider the conditions. We often picture Jesus walking smoothly and slowly on a cool glassy sea like a bride walking down an aisle. Not in Matthew’s account. Jesus probably leaned against rough waves as they swelled before him. Peter wanted to simply be out of the boat, on the water with Jesus, so Jesus gave him the opportunity. But before Peter exited the boat, Jesus calmed him by saying, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid”. It was not the waves that Jesus calmed to make Peter’s journey easier. It was Peter.

So he began to walk on the waves toward Jesus. And then Peter lost his focus. He had forgotten for a moment about the storm, but when the howling winds and crashing waves became the focus of his attention, he forgot who gave him the ability and opportunity in the first place. As unnatural and odd a sensation as walking on water must have been, it was not the walking that Peter was uneasy about or afraid of. Jesus had told him that that part would be okay. When Jesus called Peter out of the boat, he immediately gave him the power to walk on water. Jesus gave him the ability he needed to succeed at the task to which Peter had been called. Jesus did not call Peter out of the boat so that Peter would sink.

Rather than being afraid of walking on water, it was the storm that threatened to capsize Peter, just as it did while Peter was still in the boat. So he cried out for help and then realized that Jesus’ hand was already there to help him. Once again Jesus calmed Peter in the midst of the raging storm. Thank goodness Peter’s rescue was not dependent on his faith or his focus. He became fearful twice in the story, and twice Jesus calmed him. It was not faith that saved Peter, but the grace extended to him. That grace means that Jesus is continuously reaching out for us to help us when our faith is too frail to push us forward or support us.

We often expect that God will instantaneously calm the storm around us if only we have enough faith, read the correct scripture, or have enough people praying for us. How often does that actually work? It is not the storms that God calms, but rather it is ourselves, in the midst of those storms that dash us about the open seas and those places where we are most vulnerable. It is there that God makes us upright and solid. Instead of being the means to our rescuing, faith is the response to the grace-filled rescue that we have already been given. God rarely directly removes us from the midst of our sufferings, failures, disappointments, and heartbreaks. But he does calm our hearts, quiet our souls, and provide rest for the restlessness of our spirits when we reach out and ask for help.

I am a worrier. It’s a family tradition. Every generation has one big worrier, and evidently I am it for my generation. Ask the youth of our church how often I worry about details or about their safety. But my biggest worry right now is the move I will make in three weeks, 1700 miles away from the home you have all helped me create here. As I’ve had conversations about my move to Princeton, I have realized that the storm I’m heading into will last a while. There will be times of smooth sailing and there will be times when the waves pound, but you have all helped me get out of my boat to test my faith and walk boldly to the place God is calling me. Thank you for all of your encouragement and support. While there is little you can do to calm the storms I will face in the future, you have calmed me, and I know that without your continuous affirmation of my gifts and abilities, I would have had a much harder time seeing that this is one time when I must get out of my boat, the boat that gives me comfort. We often talk about the church as the body of Christ and the duty we have to be Christ-like to each other. Thank you for reaching out your hands and calming my fears.

Just as you all have encouraged me to test myself – to discover new gifts, to try new forms of ministry, to escape comfortable places and habits – you must be willing to leave your boats and acknowledge that you could sink if you want the opportunity to walk on water. All too often we avoid taking risks because we fear failure. What is your boat? What are you scared to risk for the sake of God? Do you take more comfort in that than in God? You must get out of the boat to get to where Jesus is. Jesus was risky and rebellious and unpredictable. He encouraged similar behavior in others, so you must climb out and take risks to reach him. You must choose between risk and comfort, and along with that decision, you choose between growth and stagnation.

God has entrusted to you everything you need to fulfill the purpose for which you were created. Along with these gifts comes great responsibility. You must have the courage to take risks and the wisdom to know when these risks must be taken.

Consider the risk you take every time you approach the Lord’s Table. By approaching, you declare your belief in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and you seal yourself as a member of the body of Christ. You climb out of the boat, making a bold statement of faith, claiming that you are ready to remember Jesus and to serve him. Are you ready to take that risk? As you approach the table today, be willing to listen to God’s call. He just might be calling to you to climb out of your boat and take you on the walk you thought was impossible.