Walking on Water

Matthew 14:22-33

I have to admit to you all that I can get distracted by my phone pretty easily. I know that when I am scrolling away on my phone I can miss out on what my family is doing, what conversations are being had…or if I am in the passenger seat I miss out on what is surrounding me - anyone else ever get distracted and miss out on something? A text might come in or a notification and I think I will just answer real quick - or look up some fact to contribute to the conversation…and then get sucked into other links and stories…does this happen to anyone else? Distraction is a real struggle - we have so many things on our plates that we are pulled in so many different directions that we can struggle to stay on one task. Sometimes when I am overwhelmed at what I need to do - especially around the house - I make a list of each item - write them on a sheet of paper - cut the list into individual slips and place them all in a bowl and just draw one item at a time. I complete the item, and then draw out the next one. This helps me be intentional and stay focused - it also helps me not feel overwhelmed with all that I have to do! Now I do also put some perks in there - maybe reading for 20 minutes, some time just to be outside or just some time to just sit and be! Now if you come to my house and see a small bowl with paper in it - you’ll know what that is! This way of organizing helps me be intentional and finish what I start - and it’s small enough chunks of what needs to be done that I am not overwhelmed.

I think staying focused on something is a work in progress - we have to train ourselves to keep the main thing the main thing - to not get distracted by all the world throws at us. In our scripture today, from Matthew 14:22-33, we have a picture of Jesus, of his focus on prayer and on the disciples and their fear. Please stand for the reading of the Gospel!

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” NRSV

The word of God for the people of God -thanks be to God!

You have probably heard this story about Jesus walking on water - this scripture from Matthew is the only one that has details about Peter though. Now I want to set the stage for this event - Jesus has just heard about John the Baptist’s death, he withdraws from the crowd but the crowd follows him, he has compassion on the crowd and healed the sick and performs another miracle - feeding the 5,000 from 5 loaves and 2 fish. So Jesus is grieving over John, loves the people around him and feeds them, and then he sends his disciples on a boat so he can dismiss the crowds - verse 22 says he made the disciples leave - if you make someone do something, it means they don’t really want to but they listen to you anyways - so he makes them leave, dismisses the crowd and then goes to a mountain to pray by himself. This is important for us to see that he takes time to nourish his soul by prayer - to spend time alone with the father, just as we are to spend time alone with the father. Friends - do you spend time alone with the father?

When I first began studying this passage the word immediately stood out to me. It’s used 3 times and it shows how quickly Jesus acts. This immediacy shows us we can trust him. It shows care in vs 22 - he cared for the disciples and he cared for the crowd as well as for himself to create alone time with God. In verse 27, Jesus reassures the disciples immediately - telling them not to fear and revealing his identity to them. Calming them, letting them know he is with them... and then in verse 31, he immediately grabs Peter’s hand and saves him in the storm. This is our savior who immediately cares for us, calms us, reassures us and ultimately saves us - this is the Son of God who is present in our lives.

In this passage, the disciples were the recipients of this miracle. They were calmed and reassured, Peter was saved. Before this they had been spectators of all other healings and miracles. They have actually already had a similar encounter with Jesus when he calms the storm in Mt 8:26, you may remember Jesus is on the boat with his disciples, he is asleep and a huge storm comes, his disciples get scared and wake him up. Jesus calms the water for them, and then he rebukes the disciples - he says they have little faith, but we do not have the same response from the disciples. In this passage, they are amazed and wonder who this man is that water and waves obey. At this point they have not claimed Jesus as the Son of God, he is a teacher, a healer but they have not had the full realization of who Jesus truly is - demons have stated he is son of God, but the disciples haven’t stated that yet.

Son of God. This claim the disciples make in 14:33 is huge. Jesus is the Son of God and is always with us, even in the storms of life. But why do they claim this now instead of when he calmed the water before? We know the disciples knew their Bible, knew the scriptures, it was knowledge that was in their lives - well the disciples could call upon a few key phrases that Jesus says that would clue them in on this realization about who Jesus is. When Jesus walks up to them on the water, he tells them, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” In Exodus 3:14, God reveals his name to the Israelites - he is the great “I am”. This revelation at the burning bush gives us God’s name. Their first clue is that Jesus uses this name here. Combining the statement of the name and text from Job 9:8 and Isaiah 43:16, we can see that in Job it is said that “he alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea” and Isaiah tells us “Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,” - Jesus did this and the disciples saw this - this is the first time the disciples worship Jesus, the first time humans recognize him as Son of God. The Jesus they worshipped both fed them and preserved them in the storms of life. Their part was to trust. His part was—and is—to save. No wonder the disciples acclaim him afresh as Son of God in the light of both the feeding and the stilling of the storm. The question is - do you declare him as the Son of God - the one who redeems you, transforms you, saves you?

We need to trust that Jesus is always with us, he is never far from us, even when things seem impossible and storms surround us. Earlier I talked about getting distracted, about ways I can intentionally focus on the task at hand - how about when we get distracted from Jesus - when the world creeps in or takes over - how do we keep Jesus our focus - knowing he will save us immediately should we cry out to him? Jesus comes to the disciples IN the storm, with Jesus Peter can walk ON the storms of life - and then he gets distracted, something else catches his attention and he notices that instead of Jesus...but he cries out for saving as soon as he feels himself sinking! Let me say that again - as soon as he felt himself sinking - not after he sunk, not before, but right when it started, he calls out for Jesus. Peter has faith mixed with fear and doubt, which is the typical state of so many Christians. His beginning faith had him step out…he took the first step. The power of faith allows us to do extraordinary actions. A commentary I read said that “Peter started out in faith, failed through fear, but turned once more to Jesus for help.” Does this sound like something that could apply to us? Starting out in faith but letting fear or the world separate us from Jesus? Losing our focus, getting distracted by things not really important...Jesus may ask us to do the impossible - or what we think is impossible - but he is always there with us - keep trusting in him, not getting distracted by the storms of life or worldly ways.

Y’all, today’s passage is about our Savior who we must know truly and fully - our Jesus who is the Son of God, who is with us and is for us - if you are wanting to know this Jesus I encourage you to open your bible, begin your relationship with Christ, get to know him, maybe today you talk to him about rekindling that relationship, Jesus hasn’t left you, he is so close that he can reach out his hand to you should you call for him - take action today for your faith and relationship - call on him, he’s there for you.