Matthew 14: 22-36 provides insight into the events leading up to Jesus, and even Peter, walking on water. Jesus had told his disciples to go ahead of him in the boat while he went off by himself to pray. The scripture reading begins with a since of urgency. It is believed that the urgency was due to Jesus being tired and his need to be alone in prayer. His tiredness can be attributed to his feeding the 5,000 with “five loaves of bread and the two fish. His need to be alone in prayer was that Jesus had just learned of the death of his cousin John the Baptist. When Jesus heard about the death of John, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. Interrupted by crowds he gave selfishly of his time to speak and to feed the gathered crowd. After the 5,000 were fed, Jesus sent his disciples ahead of him while he dismissed the crowds. He did this because he wanted to withdraw again to a deserted place by himself for needed prayer.
As the disciples were traveling across the lake, a strong wind came up and they were frightened. Their strength was no match for the powerful wind and water. Early in the morning, the visibility was poor. When the disciples saw a dim shape of someone coming toward them, they explained the unusual phenomenon by exclaiming, “It’s a ghost!” Whoever it was who could walk on the water had to have supernatural capabilities, for he was more powerful than the choppy water and wind. Jesus heard the fear in their terrified screams. Then they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. He identified himself and said, “Be encouraged!” Peter had the idea of walking on the water toward Jesus. He asked permission, “Lord, if it’s you; order me to come to you.” Jesus said, “Come.” Peter set out with faith but then became distracted by the strong wind. Fear overtook him, and he began to sink. He called out to the one he trusted, “Lord, rescue me.” Jesus grabbed Peter before he was lost in the choppy waters. He did not calm the storm until he and Peter had reached the boat. The disciples did not try to explain away the miraculous events they had just witnessed. They openly confessed their faith in Jesus and exclaimed, “You must be God’s son!”
Remember: ‘Human need requires holy action!!’ God’s gift of a Savior was indeed a holy action, given in response to our human need for salvation. We pray with faith. We trust God with our lives, yet I think we still have a feeling of AWE when we experience the very real presence of the almighty God.
PRAYER: Be encouraged! It's me! Don't be afraid! Without fear anymore, gather up that core part of your resolve, as you see even the scariest things in the world coming toward you. Find courage, and let it pour through you at this moment. As disciples, God needs for you to be courageous, even in the face of disease, loss, conflict or pain. Set aside the fear, because as you look squarely at the difficult thing, for JESUS is right beside you, walking on the waves. We pray in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
Written by Alan Hughes
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