Reflection on the readings for the 9th August, the 10th Sunday after Trinity
- Aug 12
- 6 min read
Readings: 1 Kings 19:9-18; Matthew 14:22-33
Today’s reflection is by Reader, Pete Gillions.
Meeting Jesus in the storm
Do you ever feel that you could do a better job of things than God? Often life appears that way.
In the early 1990’s the world became aware of the terrible neglect of babies and young children orphanages in Romania. There was also equally bad mistreatment of children with learning difficulties. Many Churches from around here explored ways of helping, including Matthew. Matthew worked for an organisation that supported folk with learning difficulties and somehow a link was made to a similar organisation in Romania who made a very specific request. They needed equipment like wheelchairs, but in particular, needed a vehicle to transport folk the hospital many miles way. Quite wonderfully, a low mileage vehicle was donated along with various pieces of equipment. A real answer to prayer. The day came when Matthew and a friend were waved off by dozens of supporters as they set off to drive over to Romania. It was in Germany when the accident happened that wrote off their vehicle. Only three days after they left Harrogate, they were back with the wrecked vehicle on the back of a lorry. Whilst no one was hurt in the accident, they felt a real sense of failure having achieved nothing. And asking a very real question – Where was God in all this? Couldn’t God have arranged things differently?
Many years earlier, another follower of Jesus was clearly guided to undertake a journey that didn't appear to work out as he had hoped. His name was Peter, and there is much we can learn from his story. Peter out of all the disciples, is the one we know the most about, and what we see is a man time and again who struggled to understand what is really going on with Jesus. He is a man who longed for God to break in and transform what is going on in Israel. When he listened to scriptures in the synagogue, he longed for God to break in fulfil the promises made to Israel. So Peter readily responds to Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. It is a huge decision to step away from his family’s fishing business, but it is one he takes readily. Maybe a bit impulsive but you cannot doubt his commitment. As he followed Jesus, he saw for himself Jesus minister with power and authority. He saw Jesus not only teach but also heal people. Word spread and people came from miles around.
It was if nothing was too difficult for Jesus to sort out. And on a personal level, Peter saw Jesus heal a member of his own family. Away from the crowds, as part of Jesus’ inner circle, Peter was privileged to be empowered by Jesus to be an active part of His ministry. Empowered to do what Jesus did – to heal the sick and teach. Imagine the effect it had on Peter to see people being healed through his own ministry.
But alongside all this excitement, Peter was well aware of growing hostility. John the Baptist was imprisoned, doubting if Jesus really was the one who they should be looking for. And then later, the news comes to them – John the Baptist has been executed. Hearing this, Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee with his disciples, looking to find place of solitude, a time to come before God on His own. But that was not to be – they are be pursued by the crowds. Because they were at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee, the crowds could simply walk around the sea shore on foot to catch up with them. Jesus sees the crowd arriving and, rather than dismiss them, has compassion on them and continues to minister, healing and teaching and also - miraculously feeding them by multiplying two loaves and five fishes. Finally after the crowds left, the disciples picked up all that was left over and then Jesus basically told them to go back in the boat and leave Him alone. Jesus needed to be alone to pray.
So now we come to this passage. The disciples had only a short return journey to make, but the weather had changed and they were being driven off course. They had been rowing for many, many hours against the wind and the waves when, as dawn approaches, suddenly a ghostly figure appears. They are terrified – one translation says they were screaming in fear. Across the wave they hear Jesus call to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”. In all their bewilderment and fear, it is the impulsive Peter who responds “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” At the invitation of Jesus, Peter leaves the boat. The rest we know: after managing a few steps, Peter sees the wind and loses confidence and begins to sink. In desperation he calls out to Jesus and, as it says, “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” Jesus said, “why did you doubt?” As Peter and Jesus climbed into the boat, the wind and waves died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
How did Peter feel when he was safely back in the boat? Encouraged because he stepped and did succeed for a few steps, or discouraged because he soon began to sink? Did he simply need more faith? Or was he being helped to see his own limitations? Perhaps a better way to see this passage is not to see what it tells us about Peter, but rather, what it tells us about Jesus. In this short passage we see that even as pressure is mounting and Jesus desperately wants some time to be alone, in that moment when the crowds arrive, He has compassion on them. We all need reminding from time to time that at the heart of our faith is a God of compassion.
Secondly when Jesus sees the terror in the eyes of the disciples in the boat, He gives words of assurance “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” As we face our own storms of life, such words can seem glib. They are certainly not to be used as a magic formulae, a panacea for all ill. But they are at least a gentle reminder that Jesus recognises our fear and gives words of hope.
Jesus revealed His divinity to the disciples struggling in the boat in an unexpected way, by walking on water and then calming the storm. As the disciples knew well, only God has control of the winds and the waves. But even that experience and others such as the transfiguration proved to be insufficient; when Jesus entered the storm in Jerusalem and faced crucifixion, the disciples abandoned Him. If you ever feel abandoned (and we all can from time to time), then be assured that Jesus has felt the same. He is not a remote unfeeling God.
In this passage we see Peter stepping out of the boat and getting wet. There is another passage where Peter steps out of the boat and gets wet. It is after Jesus has been resurrected when the disciples are fishing. They see the resurrected Jesus on the shore cooking breakfast. Peter does not wait for the boat to land, but jumps in the sea to reach Jesus as quickly as He can. And what unfolds is a wonderful account of reconciliation, as Peter is again invited to follow Jesus. We do not know the answer as to why certain things happen . Often, like with the crash, things do not make any sense to us. But through what we see of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we trust in a God of compassion, a God who knows what it is to feel abandoned, a God who knows our fears and yet gives words of hope.
An old prayer speak words of assurance in our struggles:
“Thy sea, O God, so great - My boat so small.”
But it does not finish there, it goes on to speak of God’s grace towards us:
“Thy sea, O God, so great - My boat so small. Thy goodness opens paths for me - Through the consuming vastness of the sea.”
At the very heart of our shared faith is the notion that we are not alone, that life is an accompanied journey. We have those with whom we share life and we have a God who is always with us. We are not alone. We may not understand, but we are understood.
Let us pray:
Give us the grace to walk by faith
Through the storms of life help us to keep our eyes on you
And when we are overcome and start to sink
Stretch out your hand and enfold us in your arms of love.
Amen