November 12, 2021 - If You Want to Walk on Water. . .
Matthew 14:22-33, NRSV - Immediately he made the
disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he
dismissed the crowds. And after he had
dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening
came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was
far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking
toward them on the sea. But when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a
ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But
immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be
afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the
boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he
became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and
caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind
ceased. And those in the boat worshiped
him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Quickly notice that Jesus, whose
intended break earlier (14:14) got cut short, now takes some “me and God” time
after he dismissed the crowds. He put
them first, but afterwards, He still took care of Himself. He sent the disciples out in the boat so that
he could be alone to pray. So this is
what sets up the walking on the water. After
his intentional prayer time, he walks out on the water to rejoin His buddies.
This totally freaks out the buddies;
they think Jesus is a ghost. Jesus tells
them to “chill” and lets them know it’s just their fearless leader. It’s at this point all of the disciples are
awestruck, but Peter wants to join in the fun.
Notice the faith in his request; “command
me to come to you on the water.”
Jesus indulges him and tells him to come. And then . . . Peter gets out of the boat and
WALKS ON WATER!” This is Peter who, on
another occasion is associated with Satan by Jesus. It’s Peter who would deny Jesus three times
after the crucifixion. But in this
moment, Peter walks on water on the command of his Lord. The faltering Peter shows up a few seconds
later when he loses his faith and focus and begins to sink. But notice how quickly the faith returns. Peter calls to Jesus for a rescue and Jesus pulls
him back up out of the water.
Even Peter, one of the greatest of
the first apostles, was a mixed bag of faith and doubt. I have to say that this fact is somewhat comforting
to me. If Peter can have doubts and
missteps while still being in the center of God’s plan, than there is hope for
you and me. However, this is not possible
because of who Peter, you, or me is, but because of who Jesus is. The disciples in the boat proclaim this truth
when they exclaim, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The ”impossible” becomes possible
when Jesus tells us we can do it. But
too many of us stay in the land of possibility.
Peter had faith that it was possible for him to walk on water before he
ever lifted his foot over the side of the boat.
But that possibility never becomes reality UNTIL he actually lifts his
foot over the side of the boat, shifts his weight overboard, and lifts his remaining
foot out of the boat. It's one thing to
believe that it’s possible to do the impossible with the Lord’s help. It is another thing entirely to risk that
belief by actually attempting the impossible.
Faith + Action = transformation of impossible to possible.
Question: Where in
your life do you need to “lift your foot over the side of the boat and step
out?”
Prayer: Lord, command
me to do that “impossible thing” that I feel led to do and that I believe is
possible to do with your help. Help me
get my feet “out of the boat.” Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for your neighbors today.
Song: Walking on Water – Needtobreathe
