As soon as the meal was finished, [Jesus] insisted that
the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he
dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he
could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.
Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came
up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in
the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out
of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror.
But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Courage, it’s me.
Don’t be afraid.”
Peter, suddenly bold, said, “Master, if it’s really you,
call me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come ahead.”
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to
Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost
his nerve and started to sink. He cried, “Master, save me!”
Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his
hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died
down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped
Jesus, saying, “This is it! You are God’s Son for sure!”
----
That’s kind of the season we’re in, isn’t it? An awful
lot of wind coming against us, battering us with waves of nasty stuff in the
news. And us, trying to walk on the water to Jesus.
When we look at him, we’re in good shape. But when we
look at the nasty stuff that the world is throwing at us, that the media is
shouting at us, it’s easy to lose our nerve and to sink. We end up crying out
for help.
But while that’s embarrassing (and we get incredibly
soaked by the waves and scared) and uncomfortable, it’s not such a bad thing to
get rescued by Jesus from sinking, I don’t suppose.
