Sink or Swim
Matthew 14 verses 22 to 33.
Romans 10 verses5 to 15.
Last Sunday Richard preached from the same chapter of Matthew. If you were not with us, the verses today follow on immediately after the account of the feeding of the 5000 and the news that John the Baptist had been killed at the command of Herod. Richard explained that this passage had much to say to him personally, as well as the rest of us. He spoke of the deep nourishment the Father wants to bless us with, providing us with physical, spiritual, and emotional care so that we can experience strength, healing and the support needed to stay strong in our faith in God. My decision to continue in this chapter is also because I feel that it contains truths that are important for me to hear and, if that is true, I believe it is likely others may find exploring these 11 verses useful also.
When I was training to be a teacher, I had to pass one area of the curriculum that filled me with horror. It was compulsory and non-negotiable. A vital part of Primary school training. PE. For me, athletics was a no, as was anything requiring much skill with a ball. I was ok at hockey but nothing else. Jumping over a horse or climbing ropes I hated with a passion. But worst of all was the dreaded swimming. I have never learnt to swim, and here I was faced with 10 sessions on how to teach children from 5 to 11 the art of swimming. I prayed we would learn from the poolside, as that is how most swimming was taught. But no, we were assessed on our personal skills, which included ducking your head under the water and using a float between your feet. Horror. Believe me or not, I went along to every lesson, entered the individual cubicle, but never put my foot into the water. I was terrified of being found out, but there were 50 of us, so I got away with it and was given the highest grade for Physical Education in a Primary setting. I listened really carefully to all the instructions, and in my 40 years I have taught countless children to swim with loads of verbal encouragement and a long pole with a hook on it and a whistle.
So, you can understand my interest in the event in our verses today. I want to present to you this morning with another word. My word is COME. Much that I have to say are my personal thoughts, and as such they are for you to perhaps ponder.
There is not much in the biblical books I have about walking on the water. I have searched in everyone, including a number of commentaries and am amazed that they say nothing, or almost nothing, about this event. In fact, three gospel writers include the story but only Matthew mentions Peter.
We learnt much about the context of this chapter of Matthew last week from Richard, which gave us a good understanding of the events at the time. I just want to highlight the 22nd verse. Jesus was exhausted and grieving the death of his cousin John the Baptist. The leftovers from the meal picked up, Jesus wastes no time. He sends the disciples away to the opposite shore, and HE remained and dismissed the crowds. At this time, he knows he must find solitude. A place where he can be with his Father, by himself. He needs this time so he can grieve, order his thoughts and feelings, and draw renewed strength, so he can continue to minister to the people. When things crowd in on us, I believe it is a good idea to find a place, as Jesus did, to be alone with God to rest in his love and find peace.
Meanwhile, the bible tells us clearly that the disciples were being tossed about by the waves, because the wind was so strong. It was between 3 and 6 am apparently the 4th watch. Some versions say it was the darkest part of night; others say it was just before dawn. Either way, when they saw this figure in the distance, they were terrified and panic set in. Why? Because they thought he was a ghost. They didn’t recognise Jesus and were afraid. Why didn’t they recognise him? Perhaps it was because they didn’t expect him to meet up with them in that way. He wasn’t with them when the storm set in, and so their faith was faltering. Their fear of the storm was shaking their faith. At times that can happen to us all. Those times when we don’t recognise Jesus in our situations, we may miss the way he is working in us or around us. Jesus speaks to the disciples and reassures them it is him and they have no need to be afraid. But I think that we could miss an important truth from verse 27. They can do nothing about the storm even though they were fishermen. They were no match for the wind as they struggled with the oars. They had seen Jesus perform many miracles and were present as they heard him teach the masses, but against the storm they were failing. That rings a bell with me. Sometimes the storms of our lives may seem insurmountable, and the sound of the wind and the might of the waves seems overwhelming. We long for Jesus to join us and help us in the violence of the storm. Can you think of a time it was like that for you.? I can, when things outside of your control suddenly tear your life apart it can feel like you are drowning and wherever I looked I could find no life ring.
What about water then? Over recent weeks we have seen people lose their lives at the hands of the sea and yet water is essential to us. What does The Old Testament have to say about water These are 2 of my favourite incidents. In Job chapter 9 it tells us God stretched out the heavens and trampled on the waves of the sea. By walking on the water, Jesus reveals that he is clearly the Son of God by doing what Job says only God can do. Then, of course, in Exodus, God parts the Red Sea in order that the Israelites could walk on dry land and are rescued from Egypt. Was Jesus calming the storm by walking on it, or is he, as I believe, showing his authority even over the seas?
Looking at what happened, let’s remember Peter was with all the other disciples in that boat on a stormy sea, and it is Peter who pipes up first. If it is really you, let me come to you, he yells to the ghostly figure walking on the water. Matthew’s gospel alone includes Peter. In all the commentaries I have, they only want to tell us that Peter, by nature, was impetuous, foolish, etc. The New Bible Commentary says it was typical of Peter, forgetting the difficulties and committing to things he could not achieve. Ok it is probably accurate to say that he tended to act before thinking things through. I know I can be like that. Many may think of Peter being either full of faith or just plain foolish. As Christians, do you, like me, find our faith can be strong at times until doubts turn into worry and worry becomes unease and even fear. Yet I believe God has much to teach us through Peter.
Here are a few thoughts I have about the rest of the story.
1. Jesus doesn’t wait for the storm to pass; neither does he stop the storm. The storm still rages. Peter is to walk on the raging waves.
2. When Peter asks to go to Jesus. Jesus just says 'Come'. Here it is: my word. COME. He doesn’t say, 'No, I will come to you', or 'wait until the storm calms down a bit, when it will be easier'. Neither does he say, 'Ok I will just talk you through some important safety issues'. He doesn’t say, 'Get going when you feel secure standing up, or tell yourself you can do it'. He doesn’t even say, 'Stay where you are; it's too dangerous'. He does not promise that Peter will not go under the water. He gives no instructions.
3. Peter doesn’t move until Jesus tells him to, with this one word: Come. Immediately he got down and began to walk towards Jesus on the water. I personally think that was faith, not foolishness. He responds to Jesus. Now we do discover that when he saw the wind, fear got to him and he started to sink. Notice he saw the wind. He didn’t merely hear it. His attention goes from Jesus to the violence of the storm. Ok, but what had really happened? The storm was still the same, but Peter stopped looking at Jesus. Where he was looking changed. He saw the waves and heard the wind, and sinking fast, he needed saving. But despite all this, we have to remember that Peter REALLY DID walk upon the water. I love this sentence. Immediately, without delay, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him - just his hand. When Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water; when he didn’t, he began to sink. I don’t think this is a criticism of Peter; it is just a fact.
Here is where I really began to think about what was meant when Jesus used the word come to Peter. This is how I looked at these verses. They are not theological statements. Jesus says come to Peter. And Peter heads off towards his Lord and friend. As he moves towards him, his faith flounders, and Jesus catches him before he goes under. Then it says they got into the boat. I imagine them hand in hand walking on the water, returning to the boat, and as they got into the boat, the wind died down. Come to me, says Jesus, in all your fear and doubt and let’s turn around and walk together. What a wonderful way Jesus interacts with us. Wherever we are and whatever the Lord asks of us, when we respond to his call to come to him, he turns us in the right direction and comes with us into all the many challenges he lays before us.
Now he may not come at the time
we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him the most. Jesus had
waited until the boat was as far from land as possible and when they were feeling hopeless. A bit like children
in the water losing their prop, the dreaded arm bands prop. Perhaps Jesus walked
on the water to show His disciples and us as we read this account that what we
all fear, the might of the sea in this event, was only steps for Him to come to
us and walk with us.
What does all this have to say to us? Much I believe. Maybe when we find
ourselves thinking we do not have enough faith to get us through the difficult
times we need to come to Jesus, so that he can say, Come on let’s go together.
Then, with the disciples, who in that boat realised he really was the Son of
God, who could even command the elements, we can worship him.
Sue F