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22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." 28 Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:22-33 NRSV)
Welcome, Monday, to our lives, especially this dear reader, who greets you in faith and hope. May God's blessings be with you is my prayer.
In the old Walk to Emmaus retreat film, immediately after the seating for the Last Supper is determined, Peter finds himself seated away from Jesus in a place that he deems not worthy of his rightful place. The other disciples are not aware nor care that Peter feels bad. And looking around the room, he mutters under his breath, "No one else here walked on water!"
In this passage we find an unexplainable act of faith that Jesus performs and many have been arguing about ever since; how can a full-grown man walk on water? Humans cannot walk on water; humans sink! And as far as recorded history shows, no one besides Jesus has walked on water, with one exception, the Apostle Peter. We'll get to that in a moment.
Jesus spent time in prayer after a long day preaching, teaching, and needed that alone time with His Father. Notice that he spent time away from the disciples and he accomplished this by sending them ahead to the next stop in the boat. By nightfall, He was ready to join them and does so by walking on the sea. This is an unexplainable event. We can also call it a miracle. And by this time a typical wind-driven storm, common to that area and sea, comes up. They were violent storms and the disciples fight themselves fighting the wind and waves, and finds themselves terrified for their lives. Add to that, they see Jesus WALKING ON WATER towards them. At first they believe it is a ghost; so, the notion of there being or not being, ghosts is addressed here, not to any full extent, but even before then, people were discussing the idea of "things that go bump in the night." Jesus answers them and says they should not be afraid because it was Him walking towards them. Peter answers back and says, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." And Jesus answers, "Come." So Peter begins to walk towards Jesus on the water as well, and like a small child taking his first steps walking, looks to Mom or Dad to make sure he's doing it right, but Peter gets distracted by the strong wind and the havoc it was creating with the water, and taking his eyes off of Jesus, begins to sink. Jesus catches him and rebukes him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Upon entering the boat the storm ends and the disciples truly know that Jesus is God, and they worship Him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Our faith has a certain subtlety that one has to admire. Would you be more inclined to believe that Jesus walked on water, or that Jesus could fly? What would have been the reaction of most people is one of the stories had Jesus flying? Would more people believe or not? To have Jesus walking on water has many detractors; imagine Jesus flying? Our comic books, and movies that have come from those have us entertained, if not believing that superheroes have superpowers that allow them to save the world. And the One who can, and does, save the world, is seen in a strange light because He walked on water. The old story of the little boy, visiting a Sunday school for the first time in his life, when the father picks him up asked him, "How was the class? What did you learn?" The boy said, "Dad, it was exciting! Some man named Moses led his people out of Egypt. He had a huge army of tanks, jet fighters, and maybe even an atomic bomb, but the fighting was fierce! The king of the Egyptians was furious and sent his army to fight Moses' army!" The dad listened and as soon as he could said, "Son, did they really teach you that?" The boy blushed and said, "No, Dad, but if I told you what they really said, you would not have believed it!"
We serve a God Who made all things and Who walks alongside us. The events we find in our scriptures underscore the wondrous mystery of life that we will someday fully understand. Jesus spoke of those who would inherit the kingdom are those who have the childlike faith and wonder about God. We're free to question, as we are to doubt; but we undergo those things to help us understand on a deeper level the wonders of God. We serve a God who helps us undergo whatever it is that comes against us.
PRAYER: Loving Father, raise our spirits to the level that helps us marvel and enjoy the awe of all You have offered to us. Grant us the eyes of strong faith to see beyond the how and why, to the yes that You offer. Bless the life of this dear reader and may we all become blessings to others as You lead and direct us. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! See the awe of life today with someone who has lost that ability.
Receive my blessings of peace and joy,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
