Matthew 14:26-30

Afraid of Having Faith by Chelsea Page

Have you ever been in a row boat and tried to row against the wind? You don’t get very far, do you? That’s the situation the disciples are in in our gospel story today. When Jesus dismissed the crowds after the miracle of the loaves and fishes, he made the disciples get into a boat and go before him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. After some hours of prayer, Jesus saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. Finally, in the middle of the night, while they were still getting nowhere, he came toward them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, says the version of this story in the gospel of Mark. He must have believed that the disciples would follow him and eventually catch up through their hard work and perseverance. He had faith in them. But he was also in a hurry. Unlike them, he was able to make quick progress heading into the wind, and he must have been eager to reach the other side for his next ministry destination. But the disciples caught a glimpse of him walking by and cried out in terror. So Jesus stopped and spoke to them, saying, “Fear not! It’s just me. Don’t be scared” (Mt 14:27b).

Friends, we have an odd faith. We worship a God who was a guy at some point, and not just any guy; a guy who could walk on water. In our society today, this is not a serious compliment. Have you ever been accused of admiring someone too much and the accuser says, “I bet you think they walk on water, don’t you?” It’s just a little too much for most people to believe. Then the story gets even weirder. Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking on the water too! His desire to meet Jesus is like a shot of adrenaline that overcomes his fear for a moment. I feel that way too when I look at current events and feel powerless, crying out “Jesus, I need you!” It’s a burst of energy. But when Peter notices the wind again, he becomes frightened again and sinks.

When have you tried walking against the wind? How far did you get? When has jumping into the deep end of the water turned out well for you, or not? Having faith takes courage, and God does not guarantee short-term success. In our Old Testament lesson today, we learned that Elijah found that being a prophet did not guarantee him any success in, and in fact got him into a lot of danger. He was a failure, and so were the disciples in this moment. I think that’s why they didn’t recognize Jesus walking on the water and thought he was a ghost. I imagine their blood sugar was low and their nerves frayed after rowing hard for hours without making any progress. Perhaps they are afraid that Jesus would be annoyed with their failure to follow his instructions, so they do not recognize the loving One approaching them.

People who feel alienated from Christianity today also aren’t able to recognize the Jesus we know and serve, because they have been taught to expect a judgmental God. But Jesus is not just able to walk on water; he is the One who is able to walk into the wind to reach us, and who will always do so out of love for us. When the disciples were afraid, Jesus stopped and comforted them. When Peter was overcome by fear and sank, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. In the gospel of John, it says that the disciples were glad to take Jesus into the boat because the boat immediately arrived at the shore where they were going. God will get us there. “Fear not,” Jesus says. I’ve got you.

Aart suggested that Peter sank because he was out of touch with himself; he didn’t know how afraid he was until he had already gotten himself in deep water. I think perhaps he sank because he took the focus off of Jesus and began worrying about how he looked to the disciples in the boat. The writer and Presbyterian pastor Frederick Buechner gave us some sound advice. He wrote, “Stop trying to protect, to judge, to manage the lives of those around you. Remember that the lives of others are not your business. They are their business. They are God’s business. Even your own life is not your business. It is also God’s business. Leave it to God. Unclench [your] fists… and take it easy.” Amen.