Take Heart. It Is I

“Take heart, it is I.”

Jesus has just fed more than five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. The disciples are picking up twelve baskets of leftovers. Each one of them packs a basket with their travelling gear. It’s getting late and Jesus has told them, “It’s time to head out.” He leads them down to the shoreline and tells them “Go on ahead. I’m going to go pray. I’ll meet you over on the other side.”

It’s not that far across to the other side. They’re only going about five miles, and that’s at the widest point. On a decent day, you can look and see the towns on the other side. This is going to be an easy trip. Besides, they’ve got professional fishermen with them. Those guys know their way around a boat.

They push out and it is smooth sailing. There are some clouds gathering off in the distance, but it’s not too much to worry about. As the sun finds its home in the western sky, the chance of rain becomes greater. Darkness begins to envelope them. The wind picks up, and the drops begin to fall. What are we going to do? The gales blew out the lanterns a long time ago. The only light they get comes when the lightning crashes down around them. Word goes around the small ship, “All hands. We need all hands.” It doesn’t matter if you have no idea what you’re doing. Grab an oar, get ahold of some rope. We are miles from the shore. If we’re going to make it, every person is going to have to do more than their part.

It’s now three in the morning. This battle has raged on for more than nine hours and it’s not stopping any time soon. They have been trying to yell over the roar of the wind and rain, but it’s no use. Even if it let up, the last man lost his voice a long time ago. They’ve all given up trying to stay on course. Every muscle in the body aches as they simply try to keep the boat upright. And that’s when it happens. One of them lifts his eyes against the battering rain and he sees it. A ghost. That can only mean one thing. This is the end. They’ve had a good run. They’ve fought the good fight. And now the time has come to shuffle off this mortal coil. One by one, they drop their oars and let go of the ropes. All eyes are transfixed on the apparition that is going to usher them into the great unknown. As the ghost gets closer, their hands instinctively go out and grasp the hand next to them. At least they’re all going out together. And that’s when out of cacophony they hear the words.

They hear the words that Moses heard when he stood before the burning bush. They hear the words that Elijah heard. Elijah, who stood defiantly as the wind broke the rocks around him. Elijah who kept his footing as the earth crumbled beneath his feet. Elijah who did not even lower his head when the fire brushed his face. In the silence he heard these words, and it shook him to his core. They hear the words that God said to the people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah. The disciples hear these words. “Take heart, it is I.”

Take heart. Take heart, I AM has sent me. Take heart, I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses, declares the Lord.

All throughout the Gospels, Jesus does miraculous things. He has healed the sick. He has driven out demons. Yet he tells them “Don’t say a word about this to anyone.” He heals, he teaches, he goes on his way. He’s avoided the spotlight. People are still flocking to him. But as he nears the boat, he lays it all out for them. It is I.

It is I who called Abraham out of his home in Ur. It is I who established a great nation from his child. It is I who delivered the people of Israel out of the tortures of slavery. It is I who the prophets spoke of. It is I who you have been waiting for. It is I who came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Virgin Mary. Take heart. I am here.

Take heart. It is I. It is I who died for you. It is I who defeated death by rising again. It is I who ascended to heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. It is I who will come in glory to judge the quick and the dead. It is I who Stephen saw as he lifted his eyes toward heaven as the stones rained down. It is I who reigns in glory. It is I who offered myself for you. It is I who feeds you with my body and my blood. Who as you eat the bread and drink the wine, reminds you, it is I.