The gospel reading for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost this year, features the account from the Gospel of Matthew of Jesus walking on the water. It immediately follows the miracle of the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand.’
Before dispersing the crowd and sending them away to their respective homes, Jesus makes the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead of him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while he goes alone up the mountain to pray.
While crossing the sea, the disciples are met with a strong wind which churns up waves that begin to batter their boat. Jesus then comes to them walking on the water. Naturally enough the disciples are terrified, thinking they are seeing a ghost, because after all human beings cannot walk on water, that is a feat reserved only for God, as was recorded in the ancient Hebrew scriptures (Psalm 77:19; Job 9:8; Isaiah 43:16).
In an effort to calm them Jesus says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter then says to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” So Jesus tells Peter to come and, lo and behold, Peter too is able to walk on the water as he goes to Jesus. But when Peter notices the strong wind he becomes frightened, and as soon as he does he begins to sink under the water, and Jesus needs to save him.
So what might this story be telling us? Well, first let us go back to the preceding story of the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. In the same way that God, after being petitioned by Moses, provided “manna” (bread from heaven) to feed the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness after their escape from Egypt, God now, through Jesus, provides for the 5,000. The difference though, is that Jesus is the one who physically acts upon the loaves and fish to produce sufficient food for everyone to eat, whereas in the Exodus story God physically produces the manna in response to the petition of Moses.
Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, the author makes the point that Jesus is the “new Moses,” but he is obviously so much more than Moses. The author is hinting that Jesus might just be God. The hint becomes even stronger in the story of Jesus walking on the water because, as I mentioned earlier, the Hebrew scriptures make it clear that only God alone can walk on water.
The disciples, however, even after witnessing both the feeding miracle and Jesus walking on water, still don’t seem to understand who Jesus is. When Jesus first comes to them on the water he says, “Take heart, it is I.” This statement is reminiscent of the words that God said to Moses from the burning bush, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14 NRSV)
Peter appears at first to understand who Jesus really is when he says to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Peter has faith that through the power of Jesus he too can walk on water, and for a moment he does. But as soon as doubt enters his mind, that is, when he becomes frightened of the strong wind, Peter sinks under the water and he reaches out to Jesus to be rescued.
The turbulent waters in this story can be a metaphor for the challenging moments people face in their lives. And just as Peter’s faith faltered in the face of his fears, the same can be true for believers today. Whether it be fear associated with troubled personal or family relationships, the pressure of work, or the anxiety produced by financial woes, at times believers can doubt God’s presence and lose faith is his ability to help. The story of Jesus walking on water encourages believers to remember that Jesus is always with them and is the only one who can really help.
