A Watery Shortcut—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 11A/Proper 14A (Matthew 14)

Fear Not -- Jorge Cocco Santangelo

Matthew 14:22-33 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

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.”

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                The Gospels reveal that Jesus went about proclaiming the good news of God’s realm. For Matthew, that means the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes Jesus revealed the essence of this kingdom/realm through parables, such as the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13). At other times, it’s miracle stories, which John refers to as signs. Whereas Matthew 13 offers us a series of parables, Matthew 14 invites us to consider two miracle stories. The first one describes the feeding of the 5000 (our passage from the previous week). After Jesus fed the 5000, he finally took that needed break, the break he had attempted to take before feeding the 5000, Since he wanted to spend some time alone, he put his disciples into a boat and sent them off to the other side.  As for the crowd that had gathered, he sent them home.

                After the disciples and the crowd depart, Jesus finally gets his opportunity to go up the mountain and spend some time alone with God. Jesus stayed there, up on the mountain, until after sunset and the stars appeared. While Jesus was on the mountain praying, his disciples were out on the lake, making their way to their next stop. At some point in the journey across the lake, a storm came up. The wind began to blow, and the waves pounded the boat, tossing it to and fro. You can imagine what the disciples were experiencing, even people like Peter and Andrew, James and John, who were by profession fishermen. Surely, they had experienced a bit of rough weather in the past. Nevertheless, storms can prove frightening. I was once out on a boat on Klamath Lake in Oregon when a storm came up. Klamath Lake is similar in size to the Sea of Galilee. I was probably around twelve years old. I remember the waves rocking the boat as the rain fell and the wind blew. Being a child, I was afraid. The storm pictured here seems bigger than the storm I experienced, but I can imagine how the disciples felt. That’s especially true since Jesus wasn’t in the boat with them. 

                As we ponder this scene, it’s worth remembering that for ancient Jews, as Ron Allen and Clark Williamson note, “water is a symbol of chaos, death, life, and new life. In Jewish literature of the time, depictions of drowning and rescue were widely used.” They also note that “the image of a boat on a stormy sea is also an ancient image of the church and is used today by the World Council of Churches as its logo. Hence this text is also a word of reassurance to the church in its troubles” [Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews, pp. 64-65].

                When Jesus finished praying, he decided to take a shortcut across the lake. He could have walked around the lake and met the disciples on the other side, but in what is one of the better-known stories in the Gospels, Jesus decided to walk across the lake (and no he didn’t know where the rocks were located). It was early in the morning, perhaps before dawn, when his disciples noticed this figure approaching, walking on the water. Remember they were caught in a storm, and they were frightened. When you’re frightened, you might start seeing things. First-century folks knew that people don’t normally walk on water. They didn’t need David Hume to remind them of the fact. They might have known that God was pictured as walking on the water (Job 9:8; Psalm 77:16, 19). Now, in their mind, this figure could be a ghost. Belief in ghosts was common and the dangers posed by the storm could lead them to that thought. If it wasn’t the storm, then maybe this figure would get them.   

                This figure, according to Matthew (along with parallel readings in Mark and John) was not a ghost. It was, in fact, Jesus. Nevertheless, they cried out in fear, believing that this was some kind of ghost. However, when Jesus heard their cries, he called out to them: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid” (Mt. 14:27). We might remember those epiphanies and angel visitations often lead to words of assurance, telling the recipient of the visit not to be afraid.

                When Peter heard Jesus’ voice, he got excited. The Gospels portray Peter as being impulsive. He’s usually the first to speak. That’s true here. He calls out to Jesus, if it’s you, call me and I’ll come to you. Never mind the wind and waves and water. He was ready to join Jesus on the lake. Jesus responded to his declaration of faith, even if it was rather impulsive, by inviting him to come and join him in his stroll across the lake. Peter responds in faith by getting out of the boat and heading toward Jesus. All is going well until Peter gets distracted by the weather and the waves. He begins looking around and fear takes hold. As the fear takes over for that faith that enabled him to get out of the boat, he began to sink. Whether he can swim or not, these are dangerous waters. Drowning is likely. Fortunately, Jesus is there to save the day. Peter cries out to Jesus: “Lord, save me!” (Mt. 14:30). As Peter cries out to him, Jesus reaches out and pulls him up and into the boat.

                Then Jesus turns to Peter, who had to be relieved that he hadn’t drowned, despite his impulsiveness, and asks Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Mt. 14:31). I don’t about you, but I’m a bit sympathetic to Peter. It took a lot of courage/faith to get out of the boat. That he faltered, well, I can see myself doing the same. We have all faced moments when our faith gave out in the face of adversity. We may have started out bravely, believing that God was with us. Then when the winds came up, we faltered. We too are people of little faith, at least at times. It’s one of the reasons churches struggle with change.

                So, what might we learn from Peter’s encounter with the water-walking Jesus? Should we take this at face value, as a literal description of an event in Jesus’ life? Or perhaps it serves as a metaphor? I recognize the difficulty of receiving this as a historical account. On the other hand, sometimes it’s too easy to go with metaphor and allegory. Whatever viewpoint you wish to take on this account, and part of me does lean toward the perspective of one like David Hume who questioned things he had not experienced or were not normal human experiences, what word does this passage have for us?

We live in challenging times, when the winds are blowing, and the waves are rocking the boat. The future for the churches might look bleak. Clergy are finding it difficult to land full-time pastorates, while congregations find it difficult to fund such pastorates. Denominations struggle to fund the ministries that they seek to engage in. At times, the church simply seems irrelevant at this moment in time. So, looking at the world we find ourselves in, how might we respond to Jesus’ call to come to him on the water? Should we, as Lance Pape asks: “stay in the ecclesial boat and take Jesus’ word for it? Do not venture out in search of extraordinary experiences. That is the safest way to believe without getting wet or enduring a humiliating public reprimand about not having enough faith.” [Connections:A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship (p. 519). Kindle Edition]. Yes, the seas may be rough, and they might rock the boat, but at least the boat provides safety. So, the safety of the status quo seems like a good response. Let’s just draw inward and enjoy each other’s company until it’s time to close the doors.

                Or perhaps there’s another way of looking at this. Again, Pape writes:

Peter’s story suggests that you have to get out of the boat in order to fail in such a spectacular, interesting, and generative way. Jesus does not demand that anyone get out of the boat, but he seems as interested as anyone else to see how the venture will end. Even in failure, it does not end in a drowning, but in rescue, and ultimately in grace that swallows up doubt and inspires worship in those who watch from the safety of the boat. On this reading, the scold about “little faith” loses its edge, and we hear in it the good-natured ribbing of one who knows that when it comes to the paradox of faith, a little can go a long way (17: 20). [Connections, (p. 519). Kindle Edition].

Like Peter, we may get distracted, lose sight of Jesus, and fail spectacularly. But as a friend noted: “Change is hard, stagnation is fatal.” Peter was impulsive. This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last. But, despite his lack of faith at times, he didn’t stay in the boat. We too may have our doubts at times. We may fail spectacularly when we lose sight of Jesus. But even a little faith can be sufficient. While Jesus may have given Peter a ribbing about his lack of faith at that moment, Jesus doesn’t leave Peter floundering. Instead, he pulls Peter out of the water and into the boat. So, if the waves and the winds of this story represent the challenges of our lives, we may again, and again, step out on faith, flounder, and then require a little help from the one who is present with us by the Spirit and calms the waters of life.

                After Jesus gets into the boat, pulling a very wet Peter in with him, he calms the sea. All was still. Walking on water and stilling the sea, these are the kinds of things only God can do. At that moment, those present in the boat bowed before Jesus in worship and confessed: “Truly you are the Son of God” (Mt. 14:33). As Alan Culpepper points out, this declaration “marks a major Christological development in this Gospel narrative, echoing the centurion’s confession at the cross in Mark 15:39” [Matthew (NTL), p. 284.] Before long, Peter will make the Good Confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Mt. 16:16). This act of worship, this recognition of the presence of God in Jesus, serves to empower us, so we too can get out of the boat, despite our fears and doubts, and move toward Jesus (even if he’ll need to rescue us from the waters of chaos). Indeed, as Ron Allen and Clark Williamson note: Jesus is the one who works through even Peter, who is a man of little faith. Nevertheless, “we are saved by his grace, not by our faith (although through faith). That we have our weaknesses in no way cancels the unconditional, unfathomable character of God’s gracious love” [Preachingthe Gospels, p. 65]. It is that gracious love that empowers us as we continue the journey.