Wind Whipped Wave Walker
Matthew 14:22-33 March 13, 2005
And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
But the boat was already many stadia away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
CCI: When we face storms, we can know peace if we will take risks with Jesus.
This story comes at the end of a very long day. Max Lucado suggests that apart from the crucifixion it is the most stressful day of Jesus’ life. Except for the Crucifixion this is the only day that is recorded by all 4 gospels. And each of them have a special contribution.
Have you ever heard the story the story of Chippy? Chippy is a parakeet. One fateful day Chippy’s life changed. Apparently his owner decided to clean his cage with the vacuum cleaner. While she was cleaning the bottom of the cage, the phone rang and when she answered the phone, she heard a ssssopppp. And Chippy suddenly disappeared. Immediately she dropped the phone, and opened the vacuum. Sure enough there was Chippy, alive but covered with dirt. She did what any good bird owner would do, she took him into the bathroom and plunged him under warm running water to wash him off. Then, realizing that she now had very wet bird, she pulled out the blow dryer and began to blow the bird dry.
A few days later, a reporter heard about Chippy’s adventure and asked her how her bird was doing. She replied, “Well, Chippy seems OK, but he doesn‘t sing much any more, he just sort of sits on her perch and stares.
Sucked in, washed up, and blown over. That is enough to steal anyone’s song and enough to keep us from any new adventures. (In the Eye of the Storm, pg 11).
Have you ever felt like Chippy? I have. I have had days that leave me sucked in, washed up, and blown over. I imagine you have, too. I am sure that this day in Jesus’ life was like that for the disciples.
Let me give you a quick picture of the day.
The disciples had just returned from a missionary journey. And things had gone well, in fact things had gone very well. They were excited and they wanted to tell Jesus all about what had happened. In Mark 6 we read that “And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.” But interestingly, while the disciples were having a field day, Jesus was encountering some of his most bitter opposition in his home town. When the disciples got back the crowds suddenly swelled, there were people eveywhere, in fact there were so many they did not even have time to eat. In addition apparently the same time the disciples got back from their journey, eager to tell Jesus all about it, Jesus learned that his cousin, John the Baptizer, had been murdered. Jesus himself was being sucked in, washed up and blown away.
It was then that Jesus had a suggestion for his disciples. “Let’s find a quiet place so we can rest for a while.”
When sucked in, washed up and blown away, the best cure is getting away from it all. That is not running away, it is learning to recover and to be restored.
I am sure the disciples felt they had earned the right to that get away. They had worked hard and they had done well. The cause was growing, they crowds were building, their victory was just around the corner.
So they welcomed the chance to get away with Jesus and relax. However, the crowds saw him go and followed him to their lonely place in the countyside. When Jesus saw the crowd, Mark tells us Jesus felt compassion for them and he began to teach them and to heal them.
Their vacation had been interrupted. Their time of reflection and reporting had been stolen by the insensitive crowd. But now it was getting late, now Jesus could send the people home and they would have their time with him. But what does Jesus do? He first instructs the disciples to feed the people, and then, when they make it clear that they can’t, Jesus takes an anonymous boy’s sack lunch and feeds the entire crowd!
Seeing what has happened, there is suddenly a new feeling in the multitude. The disciples sense it and realize that the time has come for them to begin the revolution. They start circulating in the crowd talking about making Jesus king. The word spreads, it is time. The people begin to chant, they are going to have a new king, just like David! The day for their deliverance has come, this one who can heal them and feed them can certainly lead them to victory. They start chanting, the supporters of Rome begin to get nervous. If necessary, the crowd will take Jesus by force and make him king.
But then Jesus calls the disciples to himself and tells them to leave, when they object, he insists. After they have left, his dismisses the crowd and goes up into the hills to pray.
Can you imagine the emotions of the disciples by now? They have been as high as can be, then as low as possible when they learned about John, then they were disappointed when their time was interrupted by the crowd and then they were embarrassed when Jesus did what they had just said was impossible, and then, when things were finally going their way, Jesus shut it all down and sent them away.
Can you imagine how that may have felt?
But that was still not the end! No sooner had the disciples left for the other side, than the heavens opened and the winds blew and the waves rose. A storm to top all storms broke out. Matthew tells us it was evening when the disciples left and the storm that came up blew with all the force nature could muster. The ship was being tossed by the waves like a cork in a wash tub. The NAS says it was being battered. And Jesus was no where to be found.
The disciples who had faithfully preached the message of the kingdom, the disciples who had seen their chance to establish Jesus as the king, the disciples who had fed the multitude with almost nothing, were now in the middle of the lake, all by themselves. It was not fair. Why would Jesus abandon them in this time of need. For hours they struggled against the waves. 9:00, no Jesus. 10:00 the waves still raged and no Jesus. 11:00 the winds are tearing the sails an still no Jesus. 12:00, 1:00, 2:00, nothing. Jesus had to know what was going on. Yet he stayed in his quiet place to pray in the midst of the storm. While the winds blew, Jesus prayed. While the waves slashed, Jesus prayed. While the boat became heavy with water, Jesus prayed. Then, at the beginning of the 4th watch, somewhere around 3:00, Mark tells us that Jesus saw them straining at the oars.
That is when Jesus went into action. Matthew wrote: “And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.” The disciples had been through enough that day. They had experienced highs that made their heads spin and lows that knocked them off their feet. But now, in the middle of the night, they look through the storm and approaching them, on the water is a form, an image, a ghost. Fear paralyzes the disciples. They begin to wonder if the phantom is warning of their impending death. They are held in the grip of fear. The shouts of direction are now screams of terror. And suddenly there is a voice out of the storm, a voice, they recognize, a voice that is calm and collected. It is the voice of Jesus. He is almost laughing. He sees the terror on the boat and yells, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
The men in the boat don’t know what to do. Their fear now takes a new turn. Peter, terrified beyond measure yells back, “If it really is you, tell me to walk out to you.” Jesus, now almost playful, simply says, “Come on!” And Peter, to the shock and chagrin of his companions, found his way to the side of the boat, threw his leg over the edge and, and, and, did not disappear under the water. Instead he stood there like he was on a hidden walkway. The wind was still blowing, the waves were still whipping, the rain was still falling, but their friend was now the center of attention because he was walking on top of the water!
What was it that drove Peter over that siderail? What was it that empowered him to try the impossible? Was it amazing faith? Probably not. Was it the desire to do something no one else had done? I don’t think so. I think it was fear. He had no other choice. He had tried every trick in the book as he had fought the storm in the boat. He knew that if he stayed in the boat he was dead. However, if he went over the edge and it really was Jesus, there was a chance. And a chance with Jesus was better than continuing to do what was not working at all.
How often has fear pushed you to try something new? Has desperation ever sent you over the edge and into the arms of Jesus? Have you ever had no place to turn and found that you could look up? Give God thanks for those moments of gracious fear that have opened new worlds for you.
Peter was driven over the edge. And when he went over, he found a whole new world. There over the edge, while looking into the eyes of Jesus, the storm meant nothing. It was foolish for Peter to try it. His friends thought he was nuts, he knew what would happen if he stepped overboard. He had seen people drown. But when Jesus called him, he decided he would rather risk death while being faithful than stay in relative safety and ignore Jesus’ call. The result was something that no one else had ever experienced: for a few steps Peter walked on the water.
But we know what happened, he became aware of the wind and the waves and the wind whipped wave walker began to sink. Now, let me ask you have you ever seen a person begin to sink? Sinking is not something that happens slowly. But for Peter, it did. He heard the wind, he began looking at the waves, and he began to sink.
We all remember that Peter sank, maybe we find comfort in the fact that he could not walk very far. But for a few moments, for an amazing few moments, Peter walked on the water. Peter took chances that no else would and because he took the chance and went over the edge at the call of his master, Peter is known today as the wind whipped wave walker.
But notice what happened when he began to sink, he called out to Jesus: “Lord, save me!” “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him.” Jesus grabbed Peter. The fear that had been there, now vanished. Even if the wind was still blowing, he was safe. Even though the waves were whipping at his feet and legs, he was safe. In the arms of Jesus, though the storm was still blowing, he had nothing to fear.
I really believe that Jesus found that evening something that was enjoyable. Mark tells us that Jesus intended to pass them by. He saw no need to intervene. When he called out to the boat and identified himself, I think there was a hint of laughter in his voice. And when he reached out and caught Peter, the words that followed were not words of scolding, but words of encouragement, “"O little faith one, why did you doubt?" Come on, let’s go home.
I don’t know what storms you may be facing today. Perhaps they are storms of loneliness, maybe they are storms of temptation, or storms of doubt, or confusion. I don’t know what storms you may be facing, but I do know that if you will throw caution to the wind, and step over the side rail, you will discover that God has a plan for you that is beyond your wildest imagination. If, like Jesus, you have been sucked in, washed up, and blown away by the circumstances of your life and you go through a day that could set new records in stress, I want to tell you that Jesus understands. The writer to the Hebrews put it this way, “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” ( Hebrews 4:15). When the storm comes and the wind blows step out and go to Jesus because when you walk in obedience, you are safe.
But even when you stumble after stepping out, never doubt Jesus is waiting to reach out to you and take your hand and lead you home. If today you feel like you are beginning to sink, call his name, he is waiting to reach out, to encourage you and to lead you home. Just call out to Jesus today.
