I have recently finished reading a book by a Chinese Christian, who is known across the world as brother Yun. Brother Yun is a wanted man and at the moment he and his family are exiles from their own country. Yun is a man of great faith. But because of his faith he has undergone much hardship and has spent many years in prison because the Chinese authorities saw him and other Christians as a threat to the state. In China today religion is suppressed and Christians are persecuted. The Chinese authorities will allow you to follow the faith of the state, which is governed by them but anything else is seen as evil. Yet despite all of this there seems to be a great revival, which is taking place in China and the Christian faith is growing each day at a rapid rate. The people who are Christian leaders place themselves and their families at great risk each time that they either teach or lead worship. Yet despite all of this people are more than willing to turn to God and follow Jesus and his teachings. It is reported that because of the great faith of these devoted Christians many miracles are being performed in China. Brother Yun has undergone beatings, torture, humiliation, hard labour, disease, fear and uncertainty and yet during this time of trial he remained strong in his faith, knowing that God was with him all of the time. As onlookers it may seem horrendous when we think about all of the things that has happened to this man. Yet to Yun it was a time of development, learning and outreach to others and in many cases conversion. If anyone wants to know the meaning of faith I would suggest they read his book “The Heavenly man.”
Throughout the Bible we see many examples of peoples faith and because of their faith great things have happened. The blind have been made to see, the lame have walked and the dead have been brought back to life. When Jesus met people he recognised who had faith and who did not and as he meets with us today he still recognises the faithful amongst us. Is our faith strong whilst we are here in this building and then as soon as we walk out of the door does it begin to grow weak? Do we need to be constantly reminded about God’s power?
In our reading today we see that Peter had faith in Jesus but at a moment when he lost his concentration and began to doubt himself his ability to walk on water began to weaken and he began to sink. Then he called out to Jesus to save him and he was saved. As a child I remember seeing a picture of Peter and Jesus on the water. It’s the painting where the artist has placed Peter in the middle of a sea of huge monstrous waves. He is half way submerged in the waves with his arms both raised above his head, and he is looking terrified. Beside him on top of the water is Jesus. Jesus looks as though even the wind is not touching him. He stands calmly looking at Peter and reaching out his hand to him. But as I have read this part of the gospel I find that there are three things that I want to share with you today:
Act on impulse for God
My wife tells me that I often act on impulse. When I go shopping I always manage to get things that we perhaps don’t really need and I usually spend more than is necessary. She says to me “Why have you bought these things? We’ve already got so many of them in the cupboard already.” I am the sort of person who needs to go shopping with a list and stick by it so that I am unable to get things we can do without. Peter was a man who also acted on impulse. He spoke before he had thought about the situation he was in, and he had acted before counting the cost. He did it when he confessed his undying love for Jesus then he denied him when challenged by the authorities. But Peter was ruled by his heart. Here we get a very good picture of what Peter was like. He was someone who was eager, someone who loved Jesus and someone who had absolute faith in him. He along with the other disciples was in a boat out on the lake. It was being buffeted about by the wind then suddenly before their eyes they saw this figure coming towards them on the surface of he water. You can imagine their fear as they had this apparition before their eyes. But then imagine their joy as they realised who it was. They saw Jesus walking towards them on the surface of the water and yet without a thought Peter wanted to go out to Jesus.
Different commentators on scripture have interpreted Peter’s actions in different ways. Some have said that Peter was totally out of order here. He was trying to be God himself, wanting to be able to walk on water like Jesus. He wanted to be equal with Jesus, able to do what only Jesus could do because of the power of God within him. Was Peter overstepping his human boundaries and limitations? Others say, “No, Peter was testing Jesus.” In essence, Peter says, “If it is you, then you will prove it to me by helping me walk on this water, too.” So Peter commands this of Jesus, according to Matthew’s story. It sounds exactly like Satan in the wilderness saying to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread. If you are the Son of God throw yourself off this high temple and see if God will save you.” Perhaps Matthew was building the tension in his story, looking toward the time when Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan.”
Others say that Peter was showing great faith in holding out his hand to Jesus and putting his life at risk. Peter was showing his faith by being willing to stake his life on Jesus being Jesus. After all, how many of us would step out of a boat in the middle of a stormy sea regardless of who we saw standing there? Peter was courageous and deeply trusting.
These different interpretations certainly tell us that there are many ways of seeing this story. We interpret the story and Peter’s actions from what we have learned and know about God, and from our own understanding and experience of the world.
Where do we fit into this story though? What is our reaction when life becomes a boiling sea? Do we try to bargain with God? Saying “If you do this one thing for me, God. Just save him this one time. Just once overcome this illness. (You’ve done it before.) If you do I’ll go to church every Sunday and pray three times a day and be one of your most devoted disciples.”
Do you ask God to give you a sign, just to prove that God is there? “It’s almost morning, and my daughter isn’t home yet. She promised me she would be home by midnight. What has happened to her? She left the party at 11:30 and no one has seen her since. Please, God, bring her home safely. Prove to me that you are my God, that I can trust you. Please, God, I know I can believe if you just do this one thing.”
Do you stay in the safety of the boat, like the other disciples did, with your loved ones and wait to see what will happen?
Do you leave your community of friends and step out, alone? Or does your stepping out of the boat look more like an act of trust in God? “Yes, the waves are huge and the wind enough to blow you down. You may be so afraid but you know you can face it. You have to take that first step, just keep your eyes on Jesus and you can do it, even if you are desperately afraid.”
Focus on God. As Peter climbed over the side of the boat he had his eyes fixed on Jesus. All about him was water that was lapping hard against the boat. It was splashing his clothes and face. Jesus he shouted I want to come out to you. Can I come to you? Jesus told him that he could come. Very tentatively he put his foot on the water, it didn’t sink, what a miracle. Then the second foot also stepped onto the surface and still he was not sinking. Like a toddler taking his few steps he slowly and uncertainly made his way towards Jesus. As he neared him Peter look round and for a moment lost his concentration. Suddenly he could feel the water rising up his legs as he sank down into the lake. Feeling scared he shouted out “Lord save me” And now for the best part of Matthew’s story. Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. Can’t you just see that? Can’t you just feel the fear leaving Peter’s body as he finally gives himself over to Jesus’ care?
You can almost feel the concentration and faith that Peter had as we listen to that account of a miracle before the eyes of the disciples. But what message does that act of walking on water hold for us today? Well we may certainly find it hard to walk on water but we do walk through tough situations each day of our lives. Many of us have faced terrifying circumstances in the past, and we are bound to be there again. The important thing that we must do is not to concentrate on the waves of trouble that are about us but to focus on Jesus. If we begin to focus on the troubles that surround us each day of our lives then we run the risk of losing sight of Jesus and we too like Peter will begin to sink into the water that we are walking upon. If we reach out to our Lord then he will take hold of our hand and lift us to safety. To remain focused and to keep our faith we must keep our eyes on Jesus power rather than our inadequacies. Each time that Peter failed he managed to gather himself up and come good in the end. He never failed, despite his shortcomings. We also have to have this sort of determination and drive to ensure that we also come through.
Let God sustain you. I have already said that brother Yun had suffered greatly in the name of Christianity but the times that he spent in prison were times when he could focus wholly and completely on God. Between the beatings and torture with electric batons there were many things that happened that could only have happened because God had willed it to happen. The power that God had was showed to Yun and all those who had turned to God through him. They received God’s blessings. Faith can be something that ebbs and flows. There have been times in my life when my faith has been strong but there have also been other times when it has been weak. John Wesley once said “Preach faith until you have it and then because you have got faith you will preach faith.” All of those people who came to Jesus to either heal themselves or others came to him because they knew that Jesus would help them. They believed in his power. They believed in his Holy Spirit. They believed in Jesus. Jesus said to them “Go your faith has healed you.” I remember some years ago when at a service in Bakewell the preacher was talking about healing by faith. A man stood up at the rear of the church and told the congregation that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He, his family and friends had prayed constantly for this woman and suddenly when she had gone back to the hospital they found that the cancer had completely gone. That was the result of faith and prayer. At the end of our last reading we hear how people came to Jesus for a physical healing. But what they should have come for was a spiritual healing. They came to prolong their lives on earth but did they come to secure their eternal lives? People may seek Jesus to learn valuable lessons from him and his life or in the hope of finding relief from pain. But we miss the true Jesus and his message if we seek him only to heal our bodies and not our souls. We need to look at his eternal plan for us and not just this life. Only when we understand the real Jesus Christ can we appreciate how he can truly change our lives.
At some time in our lives we are all going to sink at one time or another. We’re all going to have times when our faith is so strong we’ll feel like we can do anything that God asks of us. We will also have times when our faith is very, very small. Yet, we need to keep in our minds that wonderful scene where Jesus reaches out his hand to Peter. He doesn’t let him go, he doesn’t punish him for his sudden renewed fear or his doubt. No, he pulls him out of the waves. Leads him to the safety of the boat and the care of his friends. And the waves and the wind die down.
Fear is transformed into awe; terror is transformed into belief, and the disciples begin to praise the one who has saved them. When you feel that you too are sinking in the storms of life call out to Jesus to save you and you will find that he will reach out to you and take hold of you and walk you to safety.
