Today’s event: walking on water

Pentecost 13 year A sermon 08 Matthew 14:22-33

I just couldn’t help myself...with the Olympics starting...

Jesus wins the gold in the walking on water event... the crowd goes wild...his Galilean team mate Peter...
starts... but doesn’t even finish...

suddenly a hush spreads through the stadium...
as the truth impacts on the crowd...

no silver or bronze.... will be awarded for this event.. no one is standing on the podium with Jesus...
he’s there all alone... he is the only one...
whose faith was strong enough.

So far in Matthew’s Gospel ... there’ve been several events in the faith Olympics...the most recent of course was ‘the... feeding the 5000 event’... played out on a distant shore ...
of the lake. Again no one finished that event except Jesus.

In ‘the... feeding the 5000 event’ Jesus’ disciples wanted to drop out at the starting line... but Jesus’ effort... showed them faith possibilities they’d never dreamed of. And everyone ate... and was satisfied. And only Jesus had enough faith... to complete the course.

Jesus hopes his team mates will learn from this.
Hopes their faith fitness...their faith muscles...
will be greatly strengthened...for the difficult trials...
yet to come...in the faith Olympics.
The next scheduled event will be... early the next morning so...our storyteller Matthew continues...

‘Immediately...after feeding the 5000...
Jesus makes the disciples get into the boat...
and go on ahead to the other side...while he dismisses the crowds.’ 14:22 [pause]

Now there are three things about this...I never ever noticed before. Jesus doesn’t get in the boat with his disciples...
and he doesn’t ask them...to come with him up the mountain to pray...instead....
Jesus packs them off by themselves... into the sunset

Now maybe... Jesus has had enough company...
for the time being...maybe he’s had enough of their grizzling and their doubts... and just wants some distance...some time out alone... to recover and to grieve for his cousin.

Or maybe Jesus just wants his team mates...
to do a... little reflecting on their fitness...
for these faith events...those times when the kingdom of God is being revealed on earth. And did you notice...
Jesus wont allow his disciples...
to dismiss the crowd for him...And only

‘after he dismisses the crowd, Jesus goes
up the mountain by himself to pray.

When evening comes, he‘s up there all alone’. 14:23

And so are his disciples...

but by this time Matthew tells us... their boat, battered by the waves, is right out in the middle of the lake... for the wind was against them.14:24

Now isn’t that interesting...Jesus team mates...Jesus disciples... have to spend the whole night... out on the lake... being battered around in a howling gale...
a contrary wind so strong... it keeps them from reaching the safety of land... they are stuck out there...

And isn’t it fascinating... that Jesus not only sends them out into... this weather...
blank slide
but from his prayer place... probably on the lee side of the mountain...the story doesn’t tell us Jesus’ directs the weather by remote control... so his disciples can be comfy.

And there’s no hint in Matthew’s story that Jesus causes the storm... as a test for his team mates...
in fact there’s no hint that Jesus has any idea...
what’s happening to his friends...

All we’re told is that
In the fourth watch... Jesus comes walking toward them on the sea. 14:25

Now you see the Jewish night is divided into four watches.
The fourth or final watch is… the time… just before dawn.

So Jesus has prayed and rested with God right through the night...and did you notice...Jesus doesn’t miraculously...
zap a raft together from driftwood on the shore...
nor does he choose to swim out...to calm his team mates shattered nerves.

Jesus decides to walk out to them...on top of the water...
But instead of calming their fears...

When the disciples see him walking on the sea, they’re terrified, and cry out in fear. "It is a ghost!" 14:26

Now I’m sure Jesus would know such a sight...
would just add to their distress...but decides to walk...
right out on the water toward them anyway. And in the dim light and the choppy sea and the stormy spray...
it’s not surprising Jesus friends can’t recognise...
what it is their looking at...

The disciples don’t have a clue what’s happening...
the only possibility they can think of...
is that it’s some kind of ghost blowing around in the wind...and that’s because... as far as they’re aware...

human beings... do not walk on water.
The possibility never occurred to them.
And then... through the howling gale and the crashing waves...Jesus...yells out to them...

"Have courage, it’s only me; don’t be afraid." 14:27

Relax...it’s only me...

But Peter isn’t sure it’s really Jesus... voice he’s hearing
so Peter yells back...

"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 14:28

Peter isn’t ready to trust it’s really Jesus voice he’s hearing Peter wants more evidence. Peter wants proof.

And all Jesus says is

"Come."

On hearing this... Peter’s faith is strong. And Matthew tells us

Peter gets out of the boat, and starts walking on the water, toward Jesus. 14:29

You can just hear the Olympic commentators...
Peter’s eyes are on Jesus...his whole concentration is on Jesus...he doing well...walking right on top of the water...
and oh oh... Peter has taken his attention off Jesus...
Peter has allowed himself to be distracted....

‘He notices the strong wind, he becomes frightened, and begins to sink... 14:30 [pause]

Peter’s takes his attention off Jesus...
and his faith becomes weaker.

So in his fear and distress Peter cries out,

"Lord, save me!" 14:31

Did you notice that? It’s when Peter’s faith is failing...
that he calls on Jesus. When Peter knows his faith isn’t strong enough... he calls out... for Jesus to save him.

Immediately Jesus reaches out his hand and catches Peter, saying "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" 14:32

Now this is the most amazing thing of all...
Jesus is telling Peter...
that if only his faith had been strong enough
Peter would have been able to walk on water too...

Jesus isn’t saying hey look at me I can walk on water because I’m divine...or I’m magical or I because I have miraculous powers...

Jesus is clearly implying... that his faith has given him... the ability to walk on water. His faith enabled him to do it.

Jesus has perfect faith...[pause] And Peter does not.

Matthew wants us to see that when Peter recognises his weakness and his predicament... he automatically calls on Jesus... who has perfect faith...to save him.

Jesus has been in prayer...Jesus has turned to God...to his father in heaven... his Abba... for strength and comfort through the dark night grieving for his cousin...Jesus has trusted there’d be enough to feed 5000 hungry hurting people... and Jesus decides to walk out across the water.

Maybe that’s what makes the incarnate Christ...maybe that’s what makes Jesus... so different in the end...
living as he did with all the same restrictions of time and space as every other human being...existing in a fragile crucifyable human body...like all of us...

maybe during his time on earth...what was so powerful... so compelling about Jesus... was his perfect faith...

even in the face of death... even when he felt forsaken and abandoned... Jesus was able to say...
not my will... but your will be done.

You of little faith why did you doubt?

Like Peter our faith fails...we sink beneath the waves of fear and doubt...and at the heart of Matthew’s story is Jesus majestic message to all cowering believers...

Word slide
Have courage...don’t be afraid.

Once again Jesus accomplishes a great feat of faith...and reveals possibilities we never imagined...and gradually we begin to understand...that Jesus exercises a level of faith... we can never achieve on our own.
our meager faith... is in the one whose faith is strong enough...

and as we climb back into the boat with him...
we see that our hope must rest in him

and so we make our confession of faith...with his disciples

"Truly you are the Son of God." 14:33

Let us pray

Lord, we want to be bold in our response to your commands but when the storms rise up our faith is weak. Help us recognise your voice. Empower your church to trust you in courageous ventures of faith and reach out your hand to us when we doubt.

In your strong name AMEN.

Jesus’ way is different

Pentecost 12 year A Sermon
Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus’ way is different

Title slide
Ok here’s a test... what’s was happening just before our gospel story today begins....
Who can tell me before anyone else can? Tha's right John the Baptist is beheaded.


Absolute power has been wielded...
Just because it can be.
A man’s head... is delivered on a plate...
to a pouting teenager... like a birthday present.
A life is taken without mercy… for no other reason...
than the king wishes it... to be so…

Absolute power. Unrestrained power…power exercised without accountability… the power of tyrants and bullies…the power to take human life...the power to use human bodies as playthings... or objects or tools....
or units of production…

Power maintained by fear... and by force.

Yes...Jesus cousin... is brutally beheaded by King Herod on a whim. And Matthew’s Gospel tells us…

Slide words reveal sentences separately
‘… when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there...
in a boat... to a deserted place by himself.
But when the crowds heard it, they followed Jesus on foot…and he had compassion for them and healed their sick.’

The contrast is sharp and startling…
and I’m sure our story teller... hopes we’ll notice…

There’s Herod... exercising the power to take life…
and Jesus... exercising the power to heal. [pause]

At the very time... when Jesus’ grief and anger…
at the death of his cousin... would be the most intense…
Jesus… does not run toward Herod’s palace... demanding revenge …

Nor… does he run away... from the fearful crowds...
who seek the comfort of his presence. [peace]

Instead…Jesus shows compassion for the people...
and busies himself with healing. Instead of calling for rebellion... Jesus asks the people to sit down where they are… Instead of commanding the people to serve him…
Jesus instructs his disciples… to serve the people…

The contrast between Jesus way and Herod’s way couldn’t be greater. Even as he grieves…
Jesus model…embodies…incarnates…
a different way… in fundamental contrast…
to the powers and principalities of force and fear and exclusion…

and Jesus clearly expects his disciples… to do the same. [pause]

But it seems they don’t understand Jesus’ way just yet...
they aren’t used to it... and they grizzle.
As it grows late... the disciples nag Jesus...
to send the hungry people away... to buy food in the village.
But Jesus' response is blunt and to the point:
"They don’t need to go away.

You give them something to eat."

Now instead of gladly sharing what they have…
Jesus disciples… are annoyed at having to dig into their own meager resources ...to feed the hungry crowds…Hey!

‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish!’

But while the disciples are busy…
complaining there won’t be enough to go round …Jesus… is busy...taking action. Jesus checks to see what food is actually available, organizes the crowd, blesses the food, and supervises the distribution…

And our storyteller…Matthew… is careful to report…not that something "supernatural" occurs,
But that "they all ate and were satisfied".

Of course we can’t miss the allusion...
to God feeding the Israelites in the wilderness

But when Matthew...shows Jesus feeding the multitudes right after Herod’s atrocity... what strikes me most ...
is the incredibly sharp contrast Matthew paints... between the powers and principalities of death...
and the life giving way...the life sustaining way... revealed by Jesus... [pause]

Matthew’s is keen to show us just how different...
Jesus way is...to the two dominant powers in 1st century Galilee...two powers…the Pharisees and the Herodians.

Now, while the Pharisees kept their distance…
Jesus made friends… with the unclean the sinner and the gentile foreigners.

While the other power… the Herodians… promoted cultural assimilation and collaboration with the Rome and its values. Jesus cousin John the Baptist…
had tangled with the Herodians and lost.

But Jesus shows us that in the kingdom of God…
there will be cooperation to with neither of these ways.

But Jesus disciples don’t understand.

Throughout the gospels...each time a story’s told…
of Jesus feeding people in the wilderness...
his disciples first reaction is despair…
nothing can be done… to solve this problem...
we don’t have enough... send them away…

But Jesus insists the problem can’t simply be
"sent away". And what’s more…Jesus is adamant...
the problem… belongs to his disciples.

They are to share their resources... with the people…
they are to serve the crowd… and they’re to trust Jesus’ judgment...that in the end… they will have enough. [pause]

Jesus shows his disciples... there are possibilities...
they’d never dreamed of. Jesus says, ‘no we wont send them away…we’ll all eat together…
we’ll share what we have with them. [pause]

The power of tyrants and bullies...can only be maintained... by force and by fear. The gulf between the haves and have nots... can only be maintained...
by a refusal to share resources.

Jesus understood both. And in refusing to be co-opted by either one... Jesus demonstrates a kind of power that can’t be overcome by death or terror, apartheid or prejudice, selfishness or greed.
Jesus demonstrates another kind of power...the power of love…of compassion mercy and forgiveness. The power of hope… of the coming of God’s kingdom on earth... when everyone will be filled…and resources will be shared with justice and equality. The power of Shalom. [pause]

The world still has its bullies and its tyrants who wield unrestrained political and economic power…I’m sure you can name a those in the news today…

And we live on another lakeshore...where people are still hungry... not for food… but for kindness and compassion... hungry for hope in a confusing and chaotic world... hungry for spiritual bread and meat...
longing for healing in their relationships...

My friends…do we have eyes… to see Jesus’ vision of the kingdom... If we are Jesus disciples do we get it…do we understand? Have we assessed the resources…we have to share? What are the possibilities Jesus is trying to show us…as a church...here at the ends of the earth?

Can we trust there will be enough? Can we serve as Jesus demanded? Can we be the very Body of Christ for our community? What would it look like if we were?
Could the crowd look at us… and know that Christ has truly risen? My prayer is that they will.

I am indebted to an article by Ched Myers. Sojourners Magazine, May 1987 entitled The Miracle of One Loaf for the reference to the dominant powers in Galilean society.