Faith in the Storm

Here we are one week after Easter. Even though the church throughout the world did not commemorate Easter in ways that usually happens, the resurrection story of Jesus remains unchanged. In the weeks following resurrection Sunday, we are reminded once again that we in the church are now resurrection people. We are people who live in a world which is now on a collision course with resurrection. All things are being made new through the resurrection of Jesus. This is the time for those of us in the church to ask the question and consider what that new resurrection life we have in Jesus looks like.

Perhaps for some people in our world, the thought of resurrection life only applies to an afterlife. After all, Jesus only experienced resurrection by going through death. The Bible promises in the book of Revelation that all will be raised from death at the last day when Jesus returns and God makes all things new again. Yet at the same time, the apostle Paul consistently writes in his letters to the church about new life in Christ already being experienced here and now in the present time. Throughout the years, biblical theologians have spoken of this new resurrection life in Christ as being already-not-yet. There is a piece of resurrection victory in Jesus that has already begun and has already taken root and is already beginning to grow in the hearts and lives of his chosen people. But we also acknowledge that this resurrection will not find its perfect completion until Jesus comes again.

All of that leading then to our consideration of what it means for you and me to live right now today as resurrection people during this in between time of the first resurrection of Jesus and the final resurrection when Jesus returns. What does a life of resurrection faith look like for us in our world today? Maybe that question is especially necessary today while we continue living through a time of global pandemic. How does the faith that we profess take shape and show up in our world right now?

Consider today this story of faith that comes from Matthew 14.

Matthew 14:22–33 NIV

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Navigating Stormy Waters

new resurrection life in Jesus: already-not-yet

I must admit, I have caught myself in these last few weeks framing my faith in ways that has struggled to keep hold of the already-not-yet. What I mean by that is the not-yet part has completely taken over and the already part is losing its place. Think with me for a bit today about how we see this balance of faith taking shape in the apostle Peter in this story.

The setting is this; Jesus has just provided a miraculous dinner. Many thousands of people are given food by Jesus from only a few loaves of bread and some fish. The crowds of people all disperse to go back their homes before nightfall. Jesus goes up on the ridge overlooking the lake to be alone and pray. And he gives instructions for his disciples to go in a boat and cross over the lake to the other side during the night. The lake we are talking about here is the sea of Galilee. It is in northern Israel. This lake is about eight miles across from west to east at its longest point. It seems more likely that this scene takes place in an area where the lake might have been anywhere from two to five miles across from the west shore to the east shore. We do not know the exact locations around the lake where the disciples left the shore and eventually arrived on the other side. We assume they are crossing from west to east because in that area the strongest winds on the lake come from the mountains on the east side of the lake; and we know that the disciples were struggling to row against a strong headwind through the night.

So, here the disciples are working all night long to do what Jesus requested—cross over the lake to the other side—and it feels like they are making very little progress. Jesus comes out and walks on the water to them shortly before dawn. The Greek tells us it is in the fourth watch of the night, somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 AM. Our Bible tells us that the boat is a considerable distance from land. The Greek here says it is a distance of many stadia. One stadia is the length of about two football fields. So, it is possible that they are somewhere between one and two miles from shore.

It’s not the first time that the disciples have been caught in bad weather out on this lake. The last time we know of happened when Jesus was with them in the boat but was asleep. That time the storm was so bad that the boat was in danger of being swamped and sinking. We don’t get the sense this time that the boat is in threat of sinking. Matthew does not describe it in his gospel as a storm; all he says is that there is a strong wind and high waves. Here in Michigan we know what that looks like. I think we have all seen times when there is a strong wind on Lake Michigan which can kick up some pretty large waves. This is what those disciples in that boat were fighting against all night.

disciples see a ghost (phantasma = vision, dream)

The disciples are frightened when Jesus comes near on the water. I suppose this makes sense; people usually don’t walk on water unless it is winter and the lake is frozen. So, they think it is a ghost. The Greek term is phantasma—where we get the word phantom. It does not actually mean ghost as we think of it in our culture. It more often refers to a vision or dream. But now the disciples are terrified and Jesus must reassure them that they are not dreaming.

Peter’s step of faith - “Lord, if it’s you…tell me to come to you on the water.”

And here is where we see an interaction between Peter and Jesus which gives us a lesson in faith for today. Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you…tell me to come to you on the water.” Let’s pause right here for a moment and consider the setting.

Step of Faith

You and I are about one month into a health crisis here in Michigan which has also been occurring around the world. Does it feel right now as if we are living in a boat cut off from shore and miles from anyone else? And is it starting to feel like we are not making any steady headway, as though a strong wind is pushing against us? Are we caught in moments of wondering just how long it’s going to take us to get the other side of this thing? When can the world open up again? When can I go back to work? When will it be safe to get back together with groups of people again?

When will this storm be over?

Much of what I have been reading and seeing from people right now seems focused on that. We are looking to get to the other side. Everything we are doing right now is just meant to get us through this crisis and over to the other side. And could it be that we might be wrapping our faith into this same get-to-the-other-side mentality? Are there moments in which we focus our walk with God right now as a walk that merely gets us through a storm?

I imagine it this way. What if the story here in Matthew’s gospel were different? What if the disciples see Jesus out on the water, and Peter says, “Jesus, how about you do that thing to make this storm go away? Jesus, we are just trying to do what you asked us to do and get to the other side of this; it sure would help if you tell that headwind to stop throwing waves into us right now.” In fact, there might even be a moment of faith here to get out of the boat and walk on the water to Jesus. But I’d feel a whole lot better about it if you would just take care of the storm first.

little faith - not small in size, but ineffective in application

Of course, we see in the gospels that Peter is always the impulsive one who doesn’t look before he leaps. So, he does not hesitate to get out of the boat walk on the water to Jesus when Jesus tells him to come. But Matthew tells us that the wind and the waves cause Peter to become afraid and start to sink. Jesus pulls Peter up and into the boat. And Jesus tells Peter, “You of little faith…why did you doubt?” Little faith. That term needs some explanation. It is not little faith in the sense of small in size or amount. It is not that Peter has a very small amount of faith and that all he needs is more faith. This Greek word can mean that, but it carries deeper meaning as well. It is also little in the sense of being ineffective or insignificant. We get that too. Sometimes when a person is so distraught that no word of consolation help, we might say that those words are of little comfort; not that those words of comfort are small in size, but that they are ineffective in that moment and at that time. And that is what is implied in this context; it is that Peter’s faith is ineffective at the moment in which he is walking to Jesus on the water. The wind and the waves of the storm crippled Peter’s faith in that moment. The surrounding storm is what caused Peter’s faith to be ineffective.

Peter did not need faith to get through the storm; Peter needed faith to be in the storm

You see, Peter did not need faith to get through the storm. Peter needed faith to be in the storm. That’s the lesson here.

I think we mean well. It’s not wrong to have a faith which trusts God to get us through times of crisis. It just leaves out the larger application of faith—a faith which trusts God to hold us, to form us, to shape us while in times of crisis. If all my faith is focused on getting through hardships, then my faith becomes rather ineffective at acting in the middle of hardships.

Peter takes a step in that direction. Peter shows us a glimpse of faith that reaches into action right in the middle of the storm. But ultimately, the crisis of the moment takes over and Jesus tells Peter that his faith has become ineffective to keep him standing afloat in that moment, to keep him from being swallowed by the surrounding storm.

Jesus reaches out and holds Peter when his own faith cannot hold him up

The moment when Peter’s faith falters and he begins to sink, Jesus steps in. It is not as though a moment of weak and ineffective faith results in Jesus shaking his finger at Peter as though to say to him, “too bad for you, too bad you do not have the faith you need right now; I guess you’re on your own; I guess you’re just going to have to sink.” That’s not what happens. Even in the moment when Peter’s faith falls flat, Jesus is still there, Jesus grabs hold of Peter and pulls him up. Even in moments when our own faith might prove ineffective in the middle of a storm, even in moments when it might feel like our faith has nothing to stand on, Jesus still reaches and takes hold of us; Jesus still holds us up when our own faith may falter.

not faith to get through a storm, but faith to take a step closer to Jesus

How about then? What does it look like to have faith that is effective in the middle of the storm? Not just a faith that looks to get through the storm to the other side, but a faith that forms and shapes us to stand strong in the here-and-now, right in the middle of a surrounding storm. In the middle of that storm on that lake in that boat, Peter was not looking for a faith to make the boat miraculously transport over to the other side. Peter was not looking for a faith to make the storm miraculously disappear. No. Peter was looking for faith to simply take a step toward Jesus even in the midst of a stormy lake.

That’s helpful for us to see today. What does it look like to have faith that is effective in the middle of the storm? It is a faith that takes a step closer to Jesus right now; not later, not when this is over, not when we get to the other side, not when the storm goes away, but right now. How does your faith take a step closer to Jesus right now today? Jesus gives his followers an instruction about how to follow him. He says in John 13,

John 13:34–35 NIV

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Loving others as Jesus loves you is taking a step closer to Jesus in faith. Show God’s love to someone else today. If you are at home with other family members, find a way today to express an act of love. If you are by yourself, consider reaching out by writing a letter or sending a card or making a phone call. Love as Jesus loves. It may be more difficult to take those steps right now. It may be more difficult to step closer to Jesus when it feels like we are in the middle of a storm. It may feel easier to put it off and to say I’ll wait to take a step closer to Jesus like that; I’ll wait until this storm passes and we get to the other side.

But remember today, Jesus does not leave you out in the middle of a storm alone. He is not waiting on the other shore for you to find your way through to the other side. Jesus comes to you right in the storm. His hand is reaching out to you to hold you up. Whenever or however it is that you find a way right now today to take a step of faith closer to Jesus, be assured that he will not let you sink; he will not let you go. Jesus not only invites you into a faith that gets you through this time, he invites you into a faith that holds you up in this time, today—right now.