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| Lord, save me!! Oh you of little faith. |
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Peter Swims with the Fishes : Matthew 14:22-33
Excerpts from sermons by John Ortberg/Bill Burnett (see below for
details)
Recognize God’s presence in the storms. Jesus wanted to be alone to pray, so they
were sent ahead without him. To them it
was no big deal – they used boats for fishing on a daily basis. But
this huge storm blew in – bigger than most storms. Matthew says that the boat was “buffeted” by
the waves. It was so violent that the only thing the
disciples could do was to keep the boat upright. (14:24)
I can imagine… that
they wished the sides were a little higher and the wood a little thicker. By 3:00 am the storm was getting really
bad. I can imagine that at that point –
they weren’t worried about making it to the other side–they just wanted to stay
alive. Let that sink in. The disciples were in distress. It is about this time that Jesus decides to
come toward them.
It’s interesting… he wasn’t in a boat and the disciples
didn’t recognize him. (v. 25) It’s also interesting… being boatless didn’t seem
to slow Jesus down at all. The disciples
were convinced he was a ghost, so they were terrified and cried out in fear.
(v.26) But Matthew wants us to know that
sometimes it takes eyes of faith to recognize when Jesus is around.
Remember, the disciples were in a storm because they were
trying to be obedient to Christ. Now
that’s not the only reason storms come in the lives of believers. Remember Jonah? He had
to go through a storm for correction, but on this occasion, for the disciples,
this wasn’t a corrective storm because they were doing what Jesus had commanded
them to do. Verse 22 says “Jesus made
the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side.” And they did, or at least they tried to. And six hours later they had not made much
progress. So remember first of all,
obedient water walkers will face storms.
Mark tells us that Jesus “intended to pass them by” on the
water, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost.
Why did Jesus want to “pass by them?”
“He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was
against them.
About the fourth watch of the night he went
out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them” (Mark
6:48) Did he want to race them? Did he want to impress them with a really
neat trick? The verb “to pass by” (parerchomai) is a greek translation of the
old testament “theophanys.” What is a theophany? “ It is those defining
moments when God reveals himself on earth.”
God put Moses in a cleft in a rock so Moses could see God as
his glory passed by. God told Elijah to
stand on the mountain “for the lord is about to pass by.” There is a pattern to these stories. In
each case – God had to get people’s attention… through a burning bush; wind;
fire; or… walking on water. With each
person – God would end up calling him or her to do something extraordinary. In each situation the person that God called
felt afraid. But every time that people said, “yes” to their calling, they
experienced the power of God in their lives. So when Jesus came to the disciples on the
water intending “to pass them by,” he was not just doing a neat magic trick.
He was revealing his divine presence and power. It is interesting that the disciples entered
the boat in the first place at Jesus’ command. (Matthew 14:22). They would have
to learn that obedience is no guarantee of being spared adversity. But
now… the storm has their full attention.
Jesus decided that it was time for the disciples to get to know a little
bit more about the guy who was piloting this storm.
Basically… Jesus wanted them to be able to trust him also in
the storms. The problem was… “they just didn’t get it.” God was visiting them while walking on the
water but they couldn’t see it.
Matthew
wants his readers to know that Jesus often comes when least expected – 3:00
a.m., in the middle of a storm. I
believe that human extremity is a frequent meeting place with God. These are those divinely appointed defining
moments that come into all of our lives.
And… if you’re not looking for
him, you just might miss him.
Twelve disciples sat in the boat and we don’t know how the
other eleven responded to that voice. Were
they confused? Did they respond with
wonder? Disbelief? Or
perhaps… a little of each! But one of them, Peter, was about to become a
water walker. He recognized that God was
present – even in the most unlikely place.
He realized that this was an
extraordinary opportunity for spiritual adventure and growth. So he got an idea. He decided to do something
religious.
Peter blurted out to the water walker, “if it is you,
command me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28) Why does Matthew
include this detail? Why doesn’t Peter
just plunge into the water? I think it’s for a very important reason. This is not just a story about risk taking;
it is primarily a story about obedience. That means I will have to discern between an
authentic call from God and what might simply be a foolish impulse on my part.
Courage alone is not enough; it must be accompanied by wisdom and
discernment. Matthew is not just glorifying risk-taking. This
is not a story about extreme sports. It’s about extreme discipleship! This means that before Peter gets out of the
boat--he had better make sure Jesus thinks it’s good idea. So he asks for clarity, “if it is you,
command me…” I don’t know… but in that darkness – I think
Jesus smiled. Maybe he laughed because
one person got it. Peter had some
inkling of what it is that the master was doing.
Not only that, Peter had enough faith to believe that he too
could share the adventure. He decided
he wanted to be part of history’s original water-walker. “Command me.” Water walkers will face storms. Water
walkers recognize God’s presence. Water walkers discern between faith and
foolishness.
So Peter goes to the side of the boat. The other disciples are watching
closely. They wonder how far he will
take this thing. He puts one foot over
the side, carefully gripping the edge of the boat. Then he puts the other foot. He’s holding on with for dear life.
For a while it’s as if Peter and Jesus are present on the
water. Peter is beaming with
delight. Jesus is thrilled with his student. Like master, like disciple. Then it happens – Peter” saw the wind.”
Reality sets in, and Peter asks himself, what
was I thinking? He realized he was on
the water in the middle of a storm with no boat beneath him – and he’s
terrified!
Now… nothing has really changed. The storm shouldn’t have been a surprise – it
had been there the whole time. What
really had taken place was that Peter’s focus had shifted from Jesus to the
storm.
We are all the same.
We start something filled with hope – then reality sets in. Setbacks.
Opposition. Unexpected
obstacles. You see the wind. It should be expected. The world’s a pretty stormy place. But somehow trouble still has the power to
catch us by surprise.
Because of the
wind – some people decide to never leave the boat. If you get out of the boat, you will face the
wind and the storms out there. But you should know… there is no guarantee that
life in the boat is going to be any safer.
Put yourself in the story. Picture in your mind how violent the storm
must have been. It was strong enough to
keep seasoned professionals struggling just to avoid being capsized. Imagine the size of the waves, the strength of
the wind, the darkness of this night – and … no acupressure wrist bands or
sea-legs tablets. These were the
conditions under which Peter was going to get out of the boat. It
would be tough enough to try to walk on water when the water is calm, the sun
is bright, and the air is still. Imagine trying to do it when the waves are
crashing, the wind is at gale force, and it’s 3:00 a.m. in the morning… and you
are terrified!
You have a sudden insight into what Jesus is doing – the
lord is passing by. Jesus is inviting
you to go the adventure of your life.
But at the same time, you’re scared to death. What would you choose – the water or the boat? The boat is safe, secure, and comfortable. On the other hand, the water is rough. The waves are high. The wind is strong. There’s a storm out there. And if you get out of the boat – whatever
your boat happens to be – there’s a good chance you might sink!
But… if you don’t get out of the boat – there’s a guaranteed
certainty that you will never walk on the water. If you want to walk on water –you’ve got to
get out of the boat. I believe there is
something – someone – inside us who tells us there is more to life than sitting
in the boat.
Peter faced a choice, as we all do. The choice to follow
Jesus – the choice to grow – is the choice for the constant recurrence of fear.
You’ve got to get out of the boat a
little every day! Here’s a deep truth about water walking: the fear will never go away. Why?
Because each time I want to grow, it will involve going into new
territory, taking on new challenges. And… each time I do that – I will experience
fear again.
As you see in this
story… you will always have choices… risk and comfort. Every time you get out of the boat, you
become a little more likely to get out the next time. It’s
not that the fear goes away – but that you get used to living with fear. You realize that it doesn’t have the power to
destroy you. On the other hand… every time you resist that
voice, every time you choose to stay in the boat rather than heed its call, the
voice gets a little quieter in you.
When you are serving God, and trying to be obedient to
Christ, you will have to face storms. I’m
not talking about physical storms that are common in nature, but the storms of
trials and difficulty. Even sitting
here today, you may be going through a storm.
Maybe it’s money problems, or problems in a relationship. You might be having family problems, or
problems at your job or school. We all
have storms in life. Anyone who tells
you Christianity is smooth sailing doesn’t understand what the Bible teaches
about serving the Lord. 2 Tim. 3:12 says, “In fact, everyone who wants to live
a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
So… did Peter fail?
Probably. He took his eyes off
the Lord and sank. But I think there
were eleven bigger failures sitting in the boat. At least Peter got out of the water and
walked on water – even if it was for a short while. Why?
Because he got out of the boat. The
worst failure is to never get out of the boat! Water walkers see failure as an opportunity
to grow.
As soon as Peter asks for help, Jesus was there. “Lord… save me.” Jesus helps him physically by pulling him
from the water. But he also helps Peter grow by pinpointing
the problem: “You of little faith, why
did you doubt?” I don’t think Jesus is
being harsh or critical here. Jesus makes this comment to Peter while they
are still out on the water alone. Jesus
didn’t embarrass him in front of his peers. The
problem was clear: whether Peter sank or water walked depended on whether he focused on
the storm or on Jesus.
You and I were made for something more than merely avoiding
failure. There’s something inside you
that wants to walk on the water – to leave the comfort of routine existence and
abandon yourself to the high adventure of following God. So let
me ask you a very important question:
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| Jesus calms the storm |
What’s your boat? ·
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*Your boat is whatever represents safety and
security to you apart from God himself.
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*Your boat is whatever you are tempted to put
your trust in, especially when life gets a little stormy.
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*Your boat is whatever keeps you so comfortable
that you don’t want to give it up even if it’s keeping you from joining Jesus
on the waves.
*Your boat is whatever pulls you away from the
high adventure of extreme discipleship.
Do you want to know what your boat is? Your fear will tell you. Just
ask yourself this: What is it that most
produces fear in me – especially when I think of leaving it behind and stepping
out in faith?
Vocation? Relationship?
Successes? Failures?
]
What area(s) in your life are shrinking back from fully and
courageously trusting God? Fear will tell you what your boat is. Leaving it may be the hardest thing you ever
do. But if you want to walk on the
water, you’ve got to get out of the boat!
“Lord Jesus help me to
walk with you. Help me to recognize
whatever it is that keeps me from coming to you, keeps me from trusting you,
keeps me from obeying you. Help me to
face whatever it is that I am afraid of and to trust you to save me.”
“Jesus was exceedingly beautiful when he spoke the words of
eternal life, accomplished wonders, looked with love, pardoned with mercy, and
caressed with tenderness. But I would like to have seen him while he was
sleeping because I could have contemplated him to my heart’s content, without
the fascination of his gaze distracting me, without the perfection of his
beauty and the glory of his splendor dazzling my eyes and enrapturing my soul.
The beauty of Jesus awake is far too great for my smallness. Who could support
it? I felt it more suited to me veiled by sleep, as the glory of the sun is
more adapted to my eyes when I look at it through a translucent lens” (When
Jesus Sleeps, p.15). 
