Matthew 14: 22 – 33 (Walking On The Water)
We all remember our dear friend, Peter, when after saying he would risk death to prevent Jesus from being betrayed and crucified, he ran away with the rest of the disciples and denied even knowing Jesus. And this morning we hear about how he nearly drowned because he got out of the boat and tried to walk on water. I just love Peter – he’s so real. I’m sure we can all recall times when we wished we’d engaged our brain before opening our mouth – and the times when we feel a complete and utter failure because we find ourselves falling short of the standard or quality of life we know God wants from us. Our failures can cause us to feel unworthy of serving God or incapable of being used by him.
Years ago, a friend lent me a book called ‘If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat’ by John Ortberg. I remembered it when I read the gospel for this morning, and I must state that I’m using the ideas I recall from the book during this sermon.
The gospel reading today is an interesting story. The disciples obeyed Jesus’ command to get into the boat and go to the other side of the lake while he dismissed a crowd and went to pray. Then a storm came and quite understandably they were scared. And to top it all, in the morning they thought they saw a ghost, which turned out to be Jesus – and he’s walking on the water – through the storm towards them. Peter wants to get out of the boat and join him – Jesus invites him to ‘come.
Imagine that you are Peter for a moment. You can see what Jesus is doing and he’s inviting you to come to you and go on the adventure of your life! But at the same time, you’re scared to death. What would you choose – the water or the boat? The boat is safe, secure, and comfortable. On the other hand, the water is rough. The waves are high. The wind is strong. There’s a storm out there. And if you get out of the boat there’s good chance you might sink! But…if you don’t get out of the boat you will never walk on the water. If you want to walk on water – you’ve got to get out of the boat.
I think there’s something inside us that wants to get out of our boat - to leave behind what has become the comfortable, safe ways of doing things, and follow Jesus on a different path to what we’re used to. But - at the same time, we also feel that to do so is a scary prospect. Your boat is whatever represents safety and security to you, rather than Jesus himself. Your boat is whatever you put your trust in, especially when life gets a little stormy. Leaving your boat may be the hardest thing you ever do. But if you want to walk on water, if you want to respond to Jesus’ invitation to come with him - you’ve got to get out of the boat!
This morning’s gospel teaches us something else. When we’re in the middle of a storm, and if respond to his call, we need to remember that Jesus is with us, and in that knowledge, we can trust him to keep us safe. Peter got out of the boat and for a while it seems that he is doing just that. He and Jesus are together on the water – he’s trusting Jesus. Then it happens – Peter sees the storm. Reality sets in, and Peter asks himself, what on earth was I thinking? He realizes that he’s on the water in the middle of a storm with no boat beneath him – and he’s terrified! Peter’s focus has shifted from Jesus to the storm, and he began to sink.
So, did Peter fail? Well, yes, he did, but he wasn’t a failure. You know, when Thomas Edison was branded a failure in his attempts to create a light bulb he said, ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’ And Winston Churchill was once asked whether he had failed an exam at school. He replied, ‘I’ve never failed anything in my life. I was given a second opportunity to get it right.’
So, did Peter fail? He took his eyes off Jesus and sank. But I think there were 11 bigger failures sitting in that boat. Some people decide never to leave the boat – they decide never to take a risk – they decide to stay where they. The 11 disciples in the boat may have said ‘sit down Peter, you’re rocking the boat.’ But at least he got out of the boat and walked on the water – even if it was for a short while. Whether Peter sank or walked on the water depended on whether he focused on the storm or on Jesus. Eventually Peter did focus completely on Jesus and led others to get out of their boat and walk on the water of faith. It was Peter’s willingness to risk failure that helped him grow. Failure is an inescapable part of learning and growth. Failure doesn’t shape you; the way you respond to failure shapes you.
So where are you this morning? Huddled in the boat with a life jacket on and your seat belt on? Or are you ready to take the risk and face the storms of life and leave your comfort zone? If we want to respond to Jesus’ call to walk with him, we are also called to trust him. He promised to be with us in all aspects of our lives. Whether we sink or walk on water depends on where our focus is - on Jesus – or on the storm.
Let us pray
Lord Jesus, help me to walk with you. Help me to recognise whatever it is that keeps me from coming to you, keeps me from trusting you, keeps me from obeying you. Help me to face whatever it is that I am afraid of and trust you to save me. Amen
