August 9, 2020
Matthew 14:22-33During a typhoon in Okinawa we are safe in our concrete houses. Outside the rain is pouring and the wind is roaring and shrieking and moaning. But we are safe. How about the Disciples out on the Lake of Galilee in that storm? Lake Galilee is in like a bowl, surrounded by high hills and mountains and downdrafts can cause violent storms that can come on suddenly. The disciples were in their boat, the wind was against them, pushing them away from the shore where they wanted to go. The waves were crashing against the boat. They were probably rowing the boat for their lives. They had left shore in the evening and it was now early morning. They had been at sea all night. In the grey, predawn light, Jesus who was on the shore could have seen them, and so he walked out on the water to the boat in order to help them.
The previous evening, on the shore of Lake Galilee after feeding the 5000 with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, Jesus sent the disciple home to the other side of the lake by boat, he dismissed the crowd who walked home along the shore, and then Jesus went up into the hills to pray by himself. I am sure that he prayed for his Gospel mission, for the crowd that had been taught and fed that day, and for the safety of the disciples on the boat. Then sometime after midnight, Jesus started to walk home. Perhaps from the mountain where he was praying he could see the disciples and their boat. He saw their dilemma. And like the previous evening when he had compassion on the crowd and fed them, again he had compassion on the disciples and went to help them.
As the disciples were rowing against the wind and bailing water out of their ship, they were probably praying for God to help them. Then in the early dawn light, they thought they saw a ghost moving over the water. They were afraid of the storm, afraid of drowning, and now, afraid of the ghost. But it was just Jesus in his pure white robe billowing in the wind. Then after saving Peter who tried to walk on the water, he calmed the storm, and the disciples worshiped him as the True Son of God.
Today, people are in their boats in the midst of the storms of life. We are tormented and battered by all kinds of storms: disease, addictions, disaster, school, work, etc. Often we have little or no control over these storms. The possibility of “going under” is very real.
Typically, the response to such torment is the same as Peter’s: fright (v. 30). The disciples are so focused on the tormenting forces that they completely fail to recognize Jesus as he walks towards them and they mistake him for a ghost (v. 26). We too can miss the signs that indicate the true identity of Jesus. Those signs are that he walked on the water, that he fed the 5000, and that he rose from the grave. Like Peter, our faith can be weak, we can doubt the power of Jesus. We try to walk on the water, that is, we try to live by faith. But when the problems of the world get too great, we take our eyes off of Jesus. And then we sink. We despair, we lose hope, we die, we lose salvation.
And yet, Peter knew where his only sure hope of salvation was. Sinking Peter desperately cries out, “Lord, save me!” and wave-walking Jesus grabs hold of him and pulls him out (v. 31). We too must look again at Jesus. We must remember that he is our Savior. We too must have faith and say, “Lord, save me! God, help me!” The wind stops, the danger is over. It is time for worship, thanks and praise.
When the disciples saw how Jesus calmed the strom, they worshiped Jesus an said, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” They knew that Jesus had saved them. However, when Jesus was on the cross, he was mocked. “If you are the Son of God, save yourself, come down off the cross” (Mt. 27:40). One of the thieves said, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Luke 23:39). Here we see the great compassion of God. Jesus took upon himself all our storms, all our sins, all our torments. He was drowned to the depth of hell. Then on the third day, God the Father stretched out his hand and raised him from the grave.
When Peter focuses on Jesus, he loses his fear, gets out of the boat and walks on the water with Jesus. This is what we need to do. We need to focus on Jesus and hold tightly onto his hand. Then we can lose our fear of the terrifying storms and disasters in our lives. We lose our fear and can now defy them. It is like we can walk on the water that would drown us. We can pass through the problems that would plague us – both figuratively and literally. We are not afraid of ghosts because we have the Holy Ghost. The ghosts of our past and the evil spirits of the present are no match for the Holy Spirit, and so we do not fear them.
If you study church architecture, there are special words for the different parts of the church building. The front around the altar is called the “chancel.” The part where the congregation sits is called the “nave.” “Nave” means ship, similar to the word “navy.” So the church is like a ship. Jesus is with us in this ship. He is with us in the storms of life and the days of pleasant sailing. He is our Captain. He is with us as we embark on his mission in life.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church
