Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake… Matthew 14:22-33
Last time, I dwelt on one particular feature of this famous story of Jesus walking on the water: the fact that Jesus watches over us even when he seems not to be with us. He, on the hillside, could see the disciples in their boat even though they couldn’t see him. And exactly the same is true for us in our dark times.
But there are other things worth noticing too about the earthly Jesus. Let me pick out two.
First, there were times when he needed solitude.
The story starts with him trying – if I can put it bluntly – to get away from other people (you know that feeling?).
Matthew tells us that he “made” the disciples get into the boat without him (that word could be translated “compelled”), while he “dismissed” the crowd.
Why was this?
As I said last time, it seems that he’s been going through a hard time – coming to terms with the death of John the Baptist (chapter 14:1-12), and then being called on to preach to and to feed a large crowd of people (verses 13-21). I think he must have been tired and needing to recharge his batteries.
We should never forget the sheer humanity of Jesus – he was human as well as divine. John tells us plainly that the reason he was sitting one day by a well, and therefore in a position to meet the Samaritan woman, was because he was “tired from the journey” (John 4:6). It’s quite ironic, really: the one who later talks of himself as the only giver of “living water” – fresh, life-giving and never running out – himself needs to ask the Samaritan woman for a drink from the local well!
And there are several references in the New Testament to Jesus weeping; picture, please, the tears running down his face – can you get more human than that?
Jesus is the divine Son of God, as he demonstrates by walking on the water; but let’s be encouraged that he is also a frail human being, one who “knows our every weakness”. So when we see him eager to get away from both his disciples and the crowd, and eager to head for the hillside where he can be alone with his Father in heaven, let’s take our cue from him. We too need such times: there is no virtue in overworking, even in God’s service, no value in blowing a fuse or burning ourselves out.
It may be just regular short periods in the middle of a busy week that meet our need; but let’s not deny them to ourselves.
There is another reason why Jesus needed to get away on his own. The parallel story in John 6 tells us that the people “intended to come and make him king by force” – and this he simply knew would be wrong.
Oh yes, the day will come when he will be king, king indeed! But that day still lies in the future, and he refuses to allow himself to be bounced into a situation that would be against God’s will. And so, John tells us, “he withdrew again to a mountain by himself”.
We need to take our cue from him in this respect also: never to let ourselves be railroaded by events, however attractive and tempting, which are not of God’s making. No. Walk in step with God, neither running ahead nor lagging behind, and all will be well.
The second aspect of Jesus’ character I wanted to pick out was that he encouraged the child-like faith of Simon Peter. However naïve and impetuous Peter was, Jesus was obviously delighted with his faith…
You think you’ll be able to walk on the water too? he says. Well, fine, you come! And so he did. But his faith failed him “when he saw the wind” (I love that expression: how on earth can anybody see the wind?). He begins to sink, whereupon Jesus “reached out his hand” (another lovely expression) and saved him.
This pleasure that Jesus takes in someone’s faith is a recurring feature of the Gospels – think of the Roman centurion (Matthew 8:5-13), the woman with the haemorrhage, or the synagogue ruler (Matthew 9:18-26). True, in our story he does express disappointment too: when Peter begins to sink he calls him “you of little faith” and asks “Why did you doubt?”
But the great thing is that he doesn’t rebuke him for initially taking the risk of faith and stepping out of the boat.
The question has been asked in a million sermons: Which is better – to get out of the boat even if you then sink, or to be like the other disciples and to stay in it?
I dare to think that I know Jesus’ answer to that!
Is he calling some of us today to get out of the boat…? I wouldn’t want anyone to do anything foolish or irresponsible, but remember, the word “faith” is sometimes spelled r-i-s-k…
Dear Father in heaven, please help me to follow Jesus in carving out time in my life to be alone with you – and also to follow Simon Peter in sometimes daring to take the risk of faith. Amen.
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