“Walking through Storms” (Matthew 14:22-33)

Matthew 14:22-33
Listen and Watch Sermon

“Christ Walks on Water” Amédée Varin (1818-1883)

Pastor Tom Johnson, August 9, 2020

Jesus withdraws again into the wilderness in prayer. He sends his disciples away in a boat toward the other side of the Sea of Galilee. While Jesus enjoys time in prayer, a storm starts to pummel the disciples’ boat with its wind and waves as battering rams. Jesus decides to catch up with the disciples. He walks on water toward them. When the disciples see him, they think he is a ghost and cry out in fear. But Jesus immediately tells them to be courageous. “It is I,” he says. This is the divine name “I am that I am.” He is the true and living God. He tells them to not be afraid. His words are literally, “Stop being afraid.” They’ve already been overcome by fear. Jesus, by his divine presence, saves them. He delivers them from their inner turmoil of fear and superstition. This is the storm going on inside all of them. 

Peter’s fear melts away. He’s filled with joy, enthusiasm, a sense of adventure, and risk. He says, “If it is you, Lord, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says to Peter, “Come.” Peter makes a bid to connect to Jesus. Jesus accepts his bid. Peter walks on water toward Jesus because Jesus first walked toward Peter. But Peter starts to notice the wind and waves. Fear grows inside him. The storm of doubt grows stronger—stronger than his trust in Jesus and joyful sense of adventure. The wind pushes and pulls Peter in random directions. The waves bump and tug at him. The storm fills all his senses all around his body—above, from the sides, underneath. And on the inside, there is a storm of fear, panic, and doubt. Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” And Jesus does just that. He’s right next to Peter the whole time. Jesus only needs to extend his hand and catch him. I wonder if Jesus caught him by the back of his collar like a mother cat picking up her kitten by the scruff of its neck...or if Jesus held Peter in one arm like a parent with their newborn. With Peter cradled in his arm, Jesus rebukes him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” That is what growing fear does. Doubt is letting fear overcome faith. Fixing our eyes on the howling wind and crashing waves of this world will robs us of faith. Being more captivated by that which threatens us will drain the joy right out of us. 

This is a timely message. Storms rage outside. Not just now...always. But these seem to be days when the wind has picked up its speed and the waves their destructive power. The pandemic still spreads and grows in many parts of the world. Outrage over racial inequality and social injustice cries out. The threat and reality of death is on our city streets and in our emergency rooms. Rather than coming together, we are pushing each other further apart—polarizing and inciting greater division and animosity. Storms rage inside. Waves of anxiety and fear threaten us. The wind of culture, politics, and superstition randomly toss us around like rag dolls. There is no sure footing for us to be found if we try to walk through this life by our own sense of direction, balance, and strength.

Here is the amazing thing about the storms that rage within and without: we are exactly where God wants us to be—learning to trust him in the midst of storm. Remember, Jesus sent his disciples into the storm. Jesus does not call us to hide, hunker down, and stop living because of the storms. He sends us out into a world that will always have troubles. Without Jesus, our bodies and spirits will be overwhelmed by the storms. Without trust in Jesus our imaginations will run wild with ghosts or whatever superstition we fall back on to explain what we do not understand. “In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus says, “But take heart; I have overcome the world.” This life is full of storms in the outer world and in our inner worlds. But take courage. Jesus helps us walk through the storms. He alone stills storms.

Jesus gives us what we need to get through the battering wind and waves of life—he gives us himself. He meets us in our storms that threaten us from the outside. He calls us to come near to help us with the storms that rage within. And when we fail—which we often and will do—he extends his hand to catch us when we fall or sink down into despair. This is the love and power of Jesus. He left his sweet communion with God to take on our humanity and enter our storm-plagued and tumultuous world. Unlike us, he is able to walk on water. He is able to transcend the wind and the waves and walk without the burden of doubt and sin. He alone surrendered his life to the storm of sin, evil, and death on the cross. He alone extends both hands to save us since we cannot save ourselves. In the resurrection, he catches us with his victory over death and the grave. He lifts us up and brings us into the ark of his peace—and sets sail for our journey ahead with him with the joy of worship and paradise that awaits us. As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus—as we learn to trust him more and more, no one and nothing will rob us of our joy. Because our God is not just the God who makes the wind cease. He brings a peace that surpasses and transcends all the storms that rage within us and around us. 

Jesus calms the inner storm before the outer storm. That is how we stop letting doubt rob us of faith. That is how we put a muzzle on our fear. That is how we walk on water with Jesus. That is how we fix our eyes on Jesus and journey ahead with joy and worship to the other side.