Remember the first time you rode a two-wheeler, and one of your parents ran along behind you [before the days of training wheels] and then took one hand away so that you were sailing across the parking lot or down the street alone without realizing that you were really riding all by yourself? That's what it is, this walking on water. Peter is just pedaling, hard, and it is going fine until he looks back and notices that no one is behind him or, in this case, that the wind is still frightfully strong. One look back; one glance around. He didn't need to. He had it; he had the feel of it. But he didn't believe his own balance; he looked back, and fell over, and cried, "Lord, save me!"
And again, the hand is there, catching him up, steadying him on his feet, gently chiding him, although he is too wrought up to hear it clearly. "Oh Peter, you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
They climb back into the boat. None of the others, it seems, want to try their hand at walking on water. So Jesus is back among them, on their level, and, suddenly, the wind stops. And those in the boat, Matthew writes, worshiped him saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
This morning's OT and Gospel reading show us Joseph and Peter sharing a similar experience of danger in the waters of the sea and the uncharted waters of slavery. Joseph is in the situation as a result of his brothers’ hatred. Peter is in the water, first as a result of his faith in Jesus, and then, he starts to sink because of his lack of faith. Now these lessons not only point to the fact of the importance of faith, in all our actions, but more pointedly we see the purpose of the faith. That purpose is the revealing the importance of our FOCUS on the LORD. Focus is all important when you are trying to accomplish great things.
Arnold Palmer was one of the greatest golfers that ever lived. He once recalled the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament. He had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot and felt pretty good about his chances. As he approached his ball, he saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. The friend motioned Palmer over, stuck out his hand and said, "Congratulations." Palmer took his hand and shook it. As Palmer describes it, “As soon as I did, I lost my focus.” His next two shots were terrible. The first, he hit into a sand trap. Then he put the second over the edge of the green. He then missed a putt and lost the Masters. Palmer concluded, "You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the thirty years since." Losing focus was bad for Arnold Palmer and it was for Peter, too. Jesus came to the disciples walking on the water and called for Peter to come out to him. While his eyes were on Jesus, Peter walked on the water. When he focused on the storm, he began to sink. It’s a powerful example for us. Whatever storm might be raging in your life, if your focus is on Jesus, you’ll get on top of it. Lose your focus and you’ll sink. Where is your focus today?
Peter and the disciples recognized that it was the LORD who was active in all the things that were occurring to them and around them. For the past few weeks, we have been hearing of the actions of Jesus as he went about healing and teaching and showing the disciples what the ministry was all about. Last month he taught the disciples and the people through the use of Parables. The point of the parables was to instruct them in the real aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven and what it is like. In describing to the people and the disciples the kingdom of heaven, you would think that they would catch on that here was the Lord in front of them. But for some reason, they did not have the ears to hear him. Last week we heard about the tremendous miracle that is recorded in all four Gospels, the feeding of the 5000. As a result of this miracle we learn, in John's gospel, that the people were about to take Jesus, by force, and make him king. This explains why we read in Matthew's account that Jesus MADE the Disciples get into the boat and go to the other side. He then dismissed the crowds and went up on the mountain to commune with the Father. The people and the disciples had misread the feeding of the 5000. They took a purely secular view of the miracle and rather than a spiritually cosmic view. They saw a new political leader in the feeding of the 5000 rather than The Glory of the LORD. Hear again the Gospel.
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Matthew 14: 22-33
In the early morning hours the disciples saw Jesus coming toward them WALKING ON THE SEA of all things. Now they were terrified and full of fear. Only Peter is bold enough to venture out on the water, even if it is only for a little while that his faith is strong enough. Peter gets frightened by the wind and waves and starts to sink after walking out to Jesus. He has to cry out, "Lord, save me!!" Jesus responds to his cry by grasping his hand and saying to him; "O man of little faith, why did you doubt?" Why did you lose your FOCUS? Now comes the point of the story, when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." Finally, at last the disciples get the point of whom Jesus is. Even though, he has miraculously healed people, cast out demons and fed 5000 people with five loaves and two tiny fish. They still had not realized, just who he is. It took walking on the stormy water and Peter being rescued before it dawned on them. This is the Son of the Living God. In the gospel of Matthew we are presented with Jesus being recognized and designated "the Son of God" in specific places by certain persons. In the beginning, the angel tells Joseph, in a dream, that his name will be Emmanuel. But in Luke, the angel Gabriel says directly that he will be called the Son of God. Matthew is not that direct and he waits until the Baptism of Jesus and has God Almighty call Jesus his beloved Son. Thereafter, we see Jesus called the Son of God by the devil as he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, and by two demon possessed men who lived in the tombs. Jesus is called Son of God by God the Father and then the Devil and his demons. Finally, his disciples catch on after the feeding of the 5000 and the water walking display of his power over nature. This opens their eyes of faith because later at Caesarea-Philippi, when Jesus asks them "Who do you say that I am?" Peter declares, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Immediately thereafter, Peter, James and John are privileged to accompany Jesus up on the Mount of Transfiguration where see Him in all, his Glory. Seeing Jesus in his glorified state rewarded them for their affirmation of faith. Psalm 29 tells us to:
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord, the glory due his Name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
To ascribe to the Lord the glory that is due Him is the very purpose of our worship here every Sunday. As St. Paul reminds us, that "When we cry, 'Abba, Father!' it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God... so that we may also be glorified with him.' If what we do or are involved in does not glorify God it is pointless and worthless. If we have faith, we will see the glory of God. In the gospel of John when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead we have a classic example of three kinds of faith that is displayed by Martha, the sister of Lazarus. When Jesus arrives after the death of Lazarus, Martha meets Jesus and says to him,
"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." [John 11:21-22]
Martha’s faith was LIMITED in that she thought Jesus had only the power to raise her brother from the sick bed but not from death. The death of Lazarus meant the death of her faith. LIMITED faith is controlled by circumstances and motivated by fear of failure. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." And in response to that statement Martha displayed her FUNDAMENTAL faith, her creed if you will. She replied,
"I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [John 11:24]
Jesus then moved to bring her to an UNLIMITED faith in him. He said,
"I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" [John 11:25-26]
Now we find someone outside the inner circle of disciples affirming and declaring Jesus, relationship with God. Martha has moved a bit closer to that unlimited faith in Jesus. She says,
"Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ,
the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." [John 11:27]
John's gospel is filled with the word Believe, in the context in which Jesus asks the question of Martha, it is not an esoteric intellectual exercise. Believe for Jesus means action. It is faith that moves and does something. It is the works that issue out of faith. Martha sends for Mary and when they are all outside the tomb Jesus tests Martha’s UNLIMITED faith in him, when he says, "Take away the stone." Martha protests because he has been dead four days and there will be an odor. Jesus goes back info his teacher mode and says to her,
"Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" [John 11:40]
Martha moves back into unlimited faith in Jesus when she consents to have the stone rolled away from the tomb. She believed and waited to see the glory of God. She was not disappointed. Having faith in life’s really tough situations of poor health, poor finances, and poor relationships is something we all experience at one time or another. The day-to-day faith we need is the UNLIMITED FAITH in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Jesus told the disciples that if they had faith as small as mustard seed they could move mountains. Does our faith look like Martha’s? Is it LIMITED, or FUNDAMENTAL or is it UNLIMITED and rooted in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God? What does it take to acknowledge him as the Son of God and Lord of our life? Matthew records that the High Priest confronted Jesus at his trial with the question "Are you the Christ, the Son of God?" When Jesus answers truthfully that He is, they use that as the charge to condemn him. They revile him on the cross with the last temptation of "If you are the Son of God come down from the cross.... and we will believe in him." But he does not fall for that temptation, not here at the whole point of his passion. He is hanging on the cross, for the glory of the LORD. The final evidence that Matthew presents is the fact that even his executioners, the Romans standing by were filled with awe when they saw the earthquake, the tombs being opened and all that was happening as Jesus died for our sins, they opened their mouths and uttered the unchangeable truth of all the ages. "Truly, this was the Son of God." What do you say about him? Is he the Son of God or not? Is he Lord of your life or not? Loving Jesus requires UNLIMITED Faith in him. Back to the word FOCUS, I believe it could be an acronym Faith Overcoming Circumstances and Ugly Situations.
Let us pray.
The Rev. Dr. Kurt Miller
10th Sunday after Pentecost-Year A [9 August 2020]
Proper 14 [St. Augustine’s]
Genesis 37: 1-4, 12-28
Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b
Romans 10: 5-15
Matthew 14: 22-33
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