Our Gospel today picks up right where our Gospel last week left off. Jesus had just learned of John the Baptist’s death and went by himself to pray over this sad event. But, his popularity was rising, and the crowds were determined. Jesus had compassion on the crowd and taught them and then rather than sending the people away to find their own food, Jesus miraculously provided a full meal from just a few portions of food. But first a short story:
A parish was assigned its first Deacon and immediately ran into a concern from two parishioners who were dead against having a Deacon in their parish. They were used to competing in The Bronte Salmon Fishing Derby with the pastor. What should they do? Invite the Deacon? Well, they do – and he accepts. The fateful day arrives; they got in the boat, and headed out. When they had got a ways from the shore, they realize they had forgotten their bait. The Deacon jumps up and says he will get it. He steps out of the boat and walks across the water to shore – as if it’s nothing. One of the men said, “I told everybody all along this whole thing was a mistake, this having a Deacon in our parish… He can’t even swim!”
Jesus had a powerful lesson to teach his disciples that night on the Sea of Galilee. Your faith like every other component of your life needs focus. Without focus, there is no faith. Faith’s most basic definition is trust, but if your trust is scattered all over the place, it doesn’t actually trust in anyone or anything. Jesus urges us and the Holy Spirit helps us keep our faith’s true focus.
When Peter steps out of the boat, initially all is good. As he moves toward Jesus, walking on the water with the waves and the wind all around him, all is fine. So, why does Peter sink? Or maybe I could ask: Why, when you have been making it through the struggles of life, do you suddenly sink? Fear is the great paralyzer. It can take a confident Peter, who is amazingly walking across his turbulent waters just fine, and cause him to doubt and sink. “Lord, save me!” Peter cried out. “I just can’t do this…it is too much!” We cry out in the face of our own uncertain and fear-filled futures. Now, I fully understand, that fear can be a good thing. But, here is the thing about fear. Fear of someone can easily turn into anger.
Fear is inherently selfish. It thinks only of the self. It only seeks to protect the self. Fear disrupts the movements of love for other people in the kingdom of God. So, how does Jesus respond when his people sink into fear?
Immediately, Jesus reached out to save Peter from the mess that his fear had caused. After-all, the answer to fear is not more fear or the anger and hatred that can follow, rather the answer to fear is love. Jesus looks upon Peter with love and pulls him free so that he can once again be the disciple he was meant to be.
“Have no fear.” “Love your enemies.” “Pray for those who persecute you.” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” These are all invitations from Jesus to live out of love rather than fear.
1 John 4:18 states: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” In Jesus there is no fear. In Jesus we find only love. In Jesus we see someone who went to the cross, not with a sense of fear, but with a sense of love. And, that love saved the world. When the world is sinking, Jesus responds with love. That is the way of the kingdom of God.
As the disciples are being knocked around by the storm — as they’re shaking with fear at what they see out on the water — Jesus brings comfort by focusing their faith. It’s Jesus, but it shouldn’t surprise them to see Jesus out on the water, because he is God. Jesus in the midst of that storm takes them back to the Old Testament, to Moses and the Burning Bush. There God promised Moses that he was the one that always had been with them, was with them now, and would be with them in the future. Because he’s not the God of the past tense, as if he did his work and now it’s over, nor is he the God of the future tense that will get to his work when he’s good and ready. He’s the God of the present tense, always there to help, protect, support, and forgive his people. Jesus shows himself to be that ever-caring and protecting God by doing something no person — not even a Deacon — could ever do — walk on the stormy sea.
God continues to be there for us as well. We may well feel like our lives in this Covid 19 world are a stormy sea, and we’re being buffeted by the waves as the disciples’ boat was. We may well be in great danger or trouble, filled with sadness and apprehension. But Jesus comes to us in the middle of all that torment and says, “Take heart, It is I, do not be afraid.” And no matter what disaster has come our way, our faith can focus on Jesus. No matter what disaster has beset us, he is able to help, with his power, through his Word, and the powerful reminders of his love and forgiveness that are ours.
I identify with Peter far more than I’m comfortable admitting. Maybe you do too. I don’t always trust God. I don’t always trust that his will is being done and that he’s working everything that happens for my eternal good. I think that my own strength needs to protect me or work things out for me, and then I don’t know what to do when my own strength is shown to be weak and my power proved to be lacking.
Notice what Jesus did. He didn’t let Peter drown and say, “Oops, you really should have trusted me. Sorry.” Nor did he even let him “suffer” a little bit in that water before ultimately rescuing him. No, Matthew who as one of the disciples was an eyewitness to all of this says that Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him.
We often lose the focus of our faith when we’re more focused on the problems than the solutions. At times perhaps we’re more interested in showing off our faith rather than showing off the one we believe in. Either way, our attention and focus goes away from Jesus and focuses on ourselves and our individual strengths or weaknesses or on the problems that then seem insurmountable. They seem insurmountable because, on our own, they are.
Are problems weighing you down? Focus on your Savior who takes care of all things for you. Are you worried about the future? Focus on your Savior, who will be there to help you, no matter what storms may arise. Find that focus in his Word, which reminds us of the unending love and forgiveness for us all. Lord, help us to keep our focus on you today, tomorrow, and forever.
-Dcn. Terry Murphy