In the Center
At the risk of sounding redundant, I share with you again our Gospel text for this day. Only this time, I will fill in around the edges – giving you some of the insight which I gained as I prepared for this morning.
First, it is important for us to realize that this same story is found in the Gospel of Mark. There are some striking differences, however.
That’s understandable since Mark was writing to his followers sometime in the AD ’60s and Matthew was writing probably in the late 80’s AD. Thus, Mark was writing to a people who could still talk with the apostles and the others who had known Jesus – while Matthew was writing to a people in the next generation. . . a Christian people who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus as the Son of God.
Mark portrays the disciples as people who often misunderstand – or didn’t understand at all – what Jesus was talking about or doing. Matthew, on the other hand, refers to the disciples as those who have a special understanding.
The Gospel of Mark is said to contain something referred to as the “Messianic Secret” – you will hear more and often about that next year – beginning with Advent – as you go through the liturgical year that concentrates on the Gospel of Mark.
For now, however, we are in the year of Matthew.
Our lesson follows immediately after the feeding of the 5,000 – and we see Jesus as a tired – maybe even exhausted man. We know what it’s like to feed 50 – but just imagine feeding 5,000!
So Jesus instructs the disciples to get into the boat and go across the lake while he withdraws to pray – a thought for each of us to remember – especially when we are tired and the day is drawing to a close.
Some say that Matthew was extremely good at the retelling of this story – for nighttime is often seen as filled with fearful things – and darkness is often used to portray unkindly things.
So, we can envision this boat moving across the lake – but struggling to do so as the winds begin to blow and the water becomes riled with a headwind, no less!
There are those who would say that the boat, to the author of Matthew, was a symbol for the church! The church that was in the ’80s being tossed and turned by the ill-winds of the day!
Then, according to our text, the disciples see Jesus coming to them across the water. Our text even says that they thought that he was a ghost. Remember, Matthew was writing to a people who would not have recognized Jesus – for they had never seen him!
Some say that the Greek in this text could mean that Jesus was actually walking by the water, rather than on it, but either way, the text has much to tell us. For it goes on to say that Peter, you know, good old impetuous Peter, shouted out over the sounds of the storm – “Lord if that is really you, order me to come out on the water to you.” Jesus looks at him and simply says: “Come!”
How wonderful this part is! You know, we, as Christians, often forget to recognize any humor in the Bible! But this part is especially precious. You know how different languages have different variations or nuances for different words. Well, get this!
Remember now, this is Peter walking on water – you know, the one whose name is Peter or Cephas which means “the rock”. In fact, Jesus tells him later in this very gospel that he is the rock upon which Jesus will build his church!
And, what happens next? You got it! Peter begins to think about what he is doing – and he begins to worry about the wind – and sure enough – he begins to sink! Now, I know there is nothing funny about a man who is sinking into the water – and perhaps about to drown – but every time I read this, I think of the stones we throw into the water and how they splash and then they go glub, glub, glub! Yes, Peter was the rock!
So, now we have Peter, the rock, sinking into the storm-tossed sea – and what does he say and do?
He calls out and says: “Save me, Lord!” The use of the word “Lord” here is another example of Matthew’s writing – for he is reassuring his people that Jesus was, indeed, the Lord!
Now, back to our story. Jesus simply reaches out to him – lifts him up and puts him into the boat – or is that back into the church? And, it is then, and only then, according to the gospel of Matthew, that the winds are calmed, and the storm subdued!
Whew! There’s a lot going on here – both for the people of the 80’s – and for us of the ’20s! But, two points stand out, to my way of thinking.
- Jesus’ first answer to Peter: Come! Jesus bids us to“come” also. Maybe not to walk on water, but certainly to do wonderful and miraculous things. He bids us to follow in his footsteps – to fear not – but to have faith as we seek to do his will. I believe that he bids us become as well . . . to become all that we were created to be, even during a pandemic!
- The second point is Jesus’ response to Peter’s call when he simply reaches out to Peter. But the most important part here is that Peter calls out in the first place – when he says: “Save me, Lord!” It would seem here that Peter then has been transformed – from the person who thinks that he can walk on water – you know the old saying – “Thanks, but I can do it myself!” Instead, he is transformed into the person who opens himself up to receive help from his Lord!
Now, I wish that I could that, if only you believe then all of the storms in your life will be stilled – but experience teaches me otherwise. There are storms in this life that come and go – there are others that will never go away. And I cannot promise you that faith in our Lord will calm all of life’s storms.
So, what hope does this text hold out for us, let alone for an infant church in the storms of the time?
I share an example from the life of someone I know. We will call him James and his wife, Maureen. James was a drug addict – and after he lost his job and his wife, he began to seek help. Like Peter, he opened himself up to the reality that he, too, could ask for help. His ex-employer saw to it that he got the help and the counseling that he needed, and James was willing to learn and to work at becoming well. But, his wife, Maureen, on the other hand, never learned that she, too, needed help – she continued to insist that she could take care of herself! And, to this day, that’s the way it is – she is lonely, and miserable and bitter – while he is now gainfully employed and finding a real sense of community in friends, extended family, and the church – all of which he had once badly mistreated. He was transformed – but all of the storms in his life were not stilled – for he and his wife were never able to rebuild their marriage.
Yet, the Lord is in his life – bidding him become all that he is capable of being and reaching out to him through a sense of community he has never before known. Though the storms are not all still, the Lord continues to be a steadying guide in his life.
It’s much like the story of the servant girl and her bucket of water and the wooden stick. It seems that this servant girl in Africa would come to the community well every morning with her pail and a stick. She would lower her bucket into the well, pull it back up – but before lifting it up over the side of the well, she would throw her piece of wood into the water in the bucket.
A bishop of the church happened to witness her doing this for several days in a row while on a visit to East Africa. He finally decided to ask her why she did this. Her answer was this: “Why to keep it from spilling – to keep it steady.”
He later wrote about this to a friend and added: So, if your heart is distressed and agitated, put the cross into its center – to keep it steady!
James has done this, the early church was encouraged to do this, and we are, too. For it will help to calm the waters as we walk through the storms of life and the current storm of learning to live a “new normal”.
Amen.