I titled today’s short commentary “Walking through the Storm” because that is what I visualized in my mind when I read the scripture from Matthew (14:22-33.)
Matthew’s story starts
immediately after the feeding of the 5000. Jesus sent the disciples out
on the Sea of Galilee while he went up a mountain to pray.
That evening the wind came up strong against them. Throughout the night,
the storm’s fierce waves battered the ship. I can imagine the stress and
fear of all aboard that small boat as the storm’s fierce waves battered its
sides. We are then told that the disciples saw Jesus walking towards them on the sea early in the morning. Afraid and truly exhausted, I am
sure they thought they were seeing a ghost.
Jesus offered simple, powerful words. He said to them, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
At this, Peter asks the
Lord to command him to walk on the water, and Jesus does. We are told
that Peter got out of the boat, started
walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.
Verse 14:30, however, is a bit problematic; of course, the famous line is where Peter notices the storm's winds, becomes
frightened, starts to sink, and calls out, "Lord, save me!"
Jesus does, of course, reaching out his hand, catching him, and saying, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" They got in the boat, and the winds ceased.
This is a famous and great story of the power of faith. When Peter’s faith was shaken, he needed the Lord to lift him up. Let's come back to that in a minute.
However, let's look at other witnesses to this story. One of the amazing truths of the four Gospels is how they complement each other. Like any good lawyer or historian would tell you, witnesses are essential to the story. The fact that witnesses sometimes differ in what they remember is valuable. I teach this to my students while working on National History Day projects. No one person saw everything: different witnesses offer a different view of an event. Together, these different testimonials create the collage that becomes our view of the story. In this case, the storm on the Sea of Galilee is also told in the Gospels of Mark and John.
Let's now hear the same story in Mark 44-51:
Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsa. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea. And when they saw Him, they supposed it was a ghost and cried out. But immediately, He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.
Peter’s walking on the water is left out in this shorter version of the story. However, the scripture emphasizes that Jesus saw the disciples straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. He came to them walking on the sea, and though they feared seeing a ghost, He told them to “Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid.” The winds immediately ceased. When I read this, I visualize Jesus looking out at his friends in the storm's juggernaut, understanding their fear, and walking out to where they were, walking out to them to calm the storm.
Now let's hear John’s
account in Chapter 6: 16-21
When evening came,
his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off
across the lake for Capernaum. By now, it was dark, and Jesus had not yet
joined them. A strong wind was blowing, and the waters grew rough.
When they had rowed
about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the
water, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be
afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and
immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
John’s account reinforces the distance from land, the
exhaustion of the disciples, and the Lord’s walking out to them. Again we
learn that He calls to them through the storm; “It is I, Do not be afraid.”
Also, in John’s story, note that with Jesus, the boat reached the shore where
it was heading.
A daily devotional of the De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute reflected on this account: John talks about having faith in Jesus even in somewhat hopeless times. It was hard for the apostles to believe it was Jesus, though He assured them it was He. But when they opened their eyes, they saw that they had arrived at their destination. It may seem impossible to see Christ in times of chaos, but if we believe, we will be led forward with Him, even if we may not notice or realize it.
My personal takeaway from all three accounts, what I visualize when I read these stories, is Our Lord Jesus going out to his friends to quiet the storm. In each case, He sees their fear, their turmoil, their storm. He personally goes out to meet them, to quiet the storm, to get in their boat with them, and to take them to the shore.
In Mark and John’s
accounts, I believe we see the story from the point of view of our Lord,
who went up to the mountain to pray and saw from afar his disciples in the storm.
But, Matthew’s story feels more to me the point of view of the frightened men who spent the entire night on the boat as the storm raged. They were tired and exhausted, and when they saw him coming, they feared a ghost; perhaps they feared even more danger.
Revisiting that story of Peter walking on the waves, I may have, in the past, misread the story. Jesus indeed admonishes Peter when his faith weakens, and he starts to sink. But perhaps Jesus was also proud when Peter asked to be commanded to walk out on the waves. Perhaps Jesus was proud that Peter was reaching out to his lord during the frightful storm.
I like how preacher Jeffery Poor of RethinkNow.Org summarizes the story: Peter’s walk on the water teaches us that in the middle of storms, we can have peace if we keep our eyes on Jesus. The storms of life give us good reason to be afraid. But Jesus is bigger than even the scariest of storms. Peace is not found In the absence of the storm but In the presence of Jesus.
In our modern world, the nightly news, newspapers, and social media bring us daily accounts of local and world tragedies and natural and manmade disasters. The awful deadly fires in Maui are a sad example of this. The truth is that Life is full of storms, from strong gales to our own Hurricane Katrinas. We all experience difficult, painful, and scary events. Some of us, or our family or friends, are now in the midst of storms. For me, Matthew’s story is reassuring. In the heart of the storm, Jesus says to his friends, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
