After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat
and precede him to the other side,
while he dismissed the crowds.
After the great consolation of an event like the feeding of the five thousand it can sometimes be difficult to move on and transition back to a more normal cadence of life. These crowds were doubtless now great admirers of Jesus and his disciples. The Gospel of John even tells us that they now wanted to make Jesus their king (see John 6:15). But this sort of kingship based on this sort of admiration was not what Jesus desired. He thus detached his disciples from the situation and saw to dismissing the crowds himself. It is in the wake of such consolations that storms sometimes take us by surprise.
Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore,
was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.
The manifestation of Jesus to the crowd now seemed to be a thing of the very distant past. The disciples were alone in the boat and seemingly beyond the reach of Jesus to help them. They were tossed by waves and the wind was against them. Not only was their progress halted but in these dark hours of the early morning they themselves were in danger. No doubt they believed that Jesus had not foreseen this, else he would not have sent them this way. But don't we also experience storms in life, storms that halt our progress and threaten our spiritual survival?
Paul knew that risk of storms in the lives of believers, and thus prayed that the Ephesians would "attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God" "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (see Ephesians 4:13-14). James too expressed the need for faith in a similar way. He said to his readers that they should ask for wisdom, but "let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind" (see James 1:6).
There are many forces in the world and in our lives that toss our boats like wind and waves. These things may make us doubt the presence of the Lord Jesus who has allowed us to experience them, and who has sometimes even given us the direction for the voyage that is now imperiled. But what if he allows these things precisely so that he can reveal himself as one greater than the storms, whom even the wind and the waves obey?
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.
"It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.
At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
It was the way that the storm had no power over Jesus that made him seem like an obviously supernatural phenomenon. His presence was almost inaccessible to the disciples through their fear. But his voice was a bridge that allowed them to reach past the their fixation on the storm. His voice conveyed the peace that did not waver in his heart no matter the external weather conditions. He spoke to them in the familiar voice that they knew but used words that revealed more deeply the truth of his identity, saying "I AM", as God had said to Moses from the burning bush in the book of Exodus (see Exodus 3:14). When we are in storms we sometimes miss the presence of God because it seems unrealistic or too good to be true in the face of everything else around us. But we should listen for the voice of peace amidst the storm because it might be Jesus coming to us. We should tune our discernment to be like that of Elijah so that none of the loud special effects around us make us miss the "tiny whisper sound" of God's voice of peace.
Peter said to him in reply,
"Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come."
The true place of peace was to be found, not in the boat, but with Jesus himself. Peter thus did not ask about an end to the storm, nor safety for the ship, but only that he could be where Jesus was, and to abide in the peace that it was his. Every appearance that competed with that reality was either an illusion, a distraction, or an obstacle. But Peter's faith was not yet mature enough to avoid the temptation to look away. He did not keep his eyes fixed on Jesus as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews advised (see Hebrews 12:2). This is how it tends to be with us. Our growth in faith often progresses in fits and starts, with steps forward and steps backward. Yet it is never all about us. We tend to believe that our own effort is so necessary that our failures will doom us completely. What we fail to realize is that Jesus is more invested in our salvation than we are.
But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter
Jesus sometimes permits storms in order to reveal himself. He is not always found in the boat in order to reveal that even the boat itself is secondary and instrumental in his plans, and that there is nothing to hinder him from working outside of it, directly in the storms of life. Our call is to receive this revelation deeply, to say with the disciples, "Truly, you are the Son of God". May we discover that we need fear no storm even when Jesus seems absent. When our prowess at sailing the waters of life seems to fail us let us learn to listen for Jesus and his voice of peace. This voice can calm our hearts and bring us to the place where he himself is our safety. From there we can watch calmly as Jesus himself brings calm to the storm. And let us be grateful that even when we falter his hand never hesitates to reach out and pull us to safety.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD — for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
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