19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 7, 2011
First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs
Rev. Joe Hinds
Matthew 14:22-33
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Way In
My Experience
Lifeguard Lessons: Alpine Camp, ca. 1972
Had to find a big rock (ca. 20 lbs.) and bring it to the surface
Very tired in the water, was afraid of drowning
Drowning as a universal expression of helplessness
we can all relate to fear of drowning
going down for the last time
“breathing” in lung-fulls of water
Surprised to learn that many of the avid fishermen I met on Long Island, even the commercial fishermen; the ones who make their living from the heart of the sea
were not swimmers
some simply did not enjoy it after working all day on the water, there were others who never learned
heard stories of falling overboard wearing heavy gear, waders filling with water
Horrifying and touching story in the paper last week
2 women caught in the undertow while swimming in Lake Ontario
Literally did not believe they would make it out alive
my own experience of Gardiner’s Bay in the boat in rough water
You know what I mean. Open water, rough water, it’s a scary place to be
Bridge
Keep those in mind while we think about today’s lesson
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Tell the Story
Context
After Jesus heard of John the Baptist’s execution at the hands of Herod, he went away by boat to a quiet place.
Sea of Galilee, Lake Gennesaret
The crowds found Jesus
he responded to their needs
had compassion for them and cured their sick
evening came, disciples asked Jesus to send the crowd away so they could buy themselves some food
Jesus said to let them stay and give them something to eat
A miraculous feeding
Disciples could only find 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish
Jesus blessed this much food, and told the disciples to start feeding the crowd
By the time they were done everybody had enough to eat
There were 5,000 men there, plus women and children who were not counted
Today’s reading begins that same evening
Dismissals after supper
Jesus sent the disciples across the lake in the boat
He stayed behind and dismissed the crowds
Jesus went up the mountain (again) to pray
Meanwhile that evening out on the boat
Evening = not as late as night, prob. before 9 p.m.
Boat was far from land
Many stadia (stadi,ouj pollou.j)
Stadium, Greek unit of measure
about 200 meters, 650 ft.
standard for a foot race in ancient Olympic event (stadium, name for arena)
So the boat was far out, many stadia from land, “many” x 200 meters, and the wind was against the boat
Boat was battered by the waves
the storm lasted all night
Jesus walks on the water
Early the next morning, Jesus came walking up. On the water!
Disciples’ reaction; terrified, thought he was a ghost, cried out in fear
Jesus, “Take heart, it is I, do not be afraid.”
Peter tries it
“Lord if it’s you, get me out there on the water, too.”
And Jesus said, “Come on out.”
Peter started walking, but became afraid when the wind picked up
Peter started to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me.”
Jesus responds
Immediately reached out his hand and caught Peter
“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Jesus and Peter got back in the boat, then the wind stopped
Everybody in the boat worshipped Jesus, saying, “Truly you are the son of God.”
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So What?
The Big Idea
The disciples recognized Jesus
One who does miraculous things, like God does.
As in walking on water
When he said “It is I,” that is reminiscent of how God identified himself to Moses at the burning bush; “I am.”
Peter speaks/acts on behalf of the others: represents their strengths and weaknesses
Jesus said that Peter had “little faith.” This is not to say he had no faith, just not as much as he could have
Yet this is Peter, the one upon whom Christ will build his church
Jesus Christ, the one who gives us the assurance, even in times of great fear, that we are able to follow his ways as long as we rely on him.
Conclusion
Faith
Peter had enough faith to step out of the boat in the first place
His fear of the dangerous water overcame him, his calling out to Jesus saved him
We need life preservers for the water
Life jackets
Lift us up, keep us from drowning
Buoys
Channel markers that show the way
Lights
Mark dangerous waters, rocks
For us
We have the faith to step out of the boat in the first place
Yet, like Peter, our faith is still little
And, like Peter, it is still enough to get us by for a moment
But we need the help of Christ
Who always reaches out to save us
Faith is what we need for the long haul
It took only the regular amount of faith for Peter to step out of the boat in the first place
Yet he needed to reach out to Jesus for the journey the rest of the way
When we decide to follow Jesus, to live as he teaches, to see him in others, and to be a living reminder of his ways of peace, community, and justice…
We need to know his presence: seen/known in the church – the Body of Christ
Charge: Let us be Christ for each other, supporting one another in his name along our journey of faith.
We had enough to get us to step out of the boat in the first place
Let us look to him, finding him in others, being as Christ for others in our own journey.
