How To Walk On Water

The Presbyterian Church In Sudbury, MA

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Mt. 14:22-33

“How To Walk on Water”

Rev. M. Sidney McCollum

May 14, 2006

Intro.: Our text this morning is the story of Peter trying to walk on water. In 1999, when I was candidating for the position of associate pastor at PCIS, I spoke on this text at the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Easton, MA, in what is called a “neutral pulpit” situation for the committee from here which was searching for a candidate.

I’ve since learned that John Ortberg has written a book entitled “If You Want To Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat.” I haven’t read it, but it was a best-seller, and I suspect that if you’ve taken the title seriously, you are on your way to where Ortberg wants you to go. I also suspect that Ortberg’s title pretty well summarizes what I said about the text in 1999. Jennie remembers Doris Soulè, who was the chair of the committee, remarking after the sermon that if I came to PCIS, it would be I who would be getting out of the boat!

If a boat can also be a metaphor for a church, I can’t imagine a more delightful group of people than you to be sharing a boat with. But now it’s time to step out again. Let’s take another look at this passage, and see what it says to us now.

(Read Mt. 14:22-33, p. 16 in the pew Bibles)

I. What does “walk on water” represent? It seems to me that we only use the notion of walking on water in joking situations, and there we use it to talk of accomplishment. If someone is said to be able to walk on water, the suggestion is that they can do about anything. The focus is on them and their ability.

If we think about the text, that’s not what Peter is about.

Text. The text begins with an unusual situation: Jesus insisted that the disciples go ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while he dismissed the crowds and then he went up the mountainside to pray. We aren’t given an explanation directly, but most likely, Jesus hasn’t had time to deal with the death of John the Baptist, and he needed it. John had been executed by Herod. John was not only the forerunner of Jesus’ mission by his preaching, but he was Jesus’ cousin and the one who had baptized Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. John’s death had to be both a personal blow to Jesus, and a pointer towards his own fate. He needed some time to process—alone with God.

As for the disciples, one can’t be sure either, but there’s nowhere else in the scripture’s record that Jesus made the disciples do anything, so they must have started their trip thinking something was amiss. Then the wind arose against them, and they struggled all night against it, but they hadn’t made land. They had to be exhausted.

At that point, they saw a ghostly figure walking on the water amidst the wind and waves. In their exhaustion, they cried out in terror. Jesus said to them, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” There are two important things to notice here:

· Peter doesn’t say, “I want to walk on water;” he says “if it is you” command me to come to you on the water.” Peter awaits Jesus’ command. When Peter heard Jesus say “Come,” then he stepped out of the boat.

· Again, Peter doesn’t say, “I want to walk on water;” he says “command me to come to you on the water.” Peter isn’t trying to do something spectacular; he’s trying to get closer to Jesus.

This is not about walking on water as some kind of personal accomplishment; it’s about moving nearer to Jesus and following his command, and it almost incidentally involves water.

II. Why did Peter sink? It involved a conflict. Do you believe Jesus, or do you believe the wind and the waves? They’re both real. Seemingly, Peter looked at the “reality” around him—the strong wind—and wondered if Jesus’ power was enough to really support him.

Who could argue with him? Wind is wind, and it had exhausted them all night.

The other disciples certainly weren’t jumping out of the boat to join him.

Yet it is to Peter that Jesus addresses his remark: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” Jesus chided his followers several times in the gospels in this way. He never uses it of people outside the faith who disbelieve or scoff. He uses it only for followers whose actions don’t square with what they say they believe. I think it tells us something. It tells us that Jesus was certainly ready to continue to lead and support Peter if he had continued on his course. There’s a line in a hymn I can’ identify which is, “Those who trust him wholly find him wholly true.” I think that’s Jesus challenge to Peter—and to us.

III. Suppose you had been one of the disciples, sitting in the boat observing Peter and Jesus. What would the impact have been on you? You have been part of the all-night struggle against the wind, so you’re exhausted. And since you’ve been rowing into the wind and the waves, spray has come over the bow, and you are soaked to the skin and chilled to the bone.

Nonetheless, you were riveted, first by the thought that there was a ghost approaching you, then by the realization that it was Jesus.

One thing you learned was that even though Peter faltered, Jesus did not. As soon as Peter cried out, Jesus was right there with a hand to help. That was an important lesson. Jesus would save you, even from your own failures.

This was also the second time you had seen Jesus calm a storm. Who was this Jesus? On the one hand, you thought you knew; on the other hand, just when you were sure he was the messiah, he would talk about his death, or say something you didn’t expect. Yet you continued to experience utterly amazing things. Now Jesus walked across the sea on the water. As he entered the boat, the winds ceased. You were filled with awe. Truly, this was the Son of God!

Application: Walking on water may be something that never tempts you, but it serves as a good stand-in for other things one might consider—things about which we might hear the voice of Jesus speaking to us and saying “Come.”

PCIS is starting on a period of having only one ordained staff. That might be a time when you are tempted to lower your expectations of yourself individually and the church. I pray that will not be the case. I certainly want there to be another associate in your future, but my prayer is that this will be a time in which many of you hear the voice of Jesus say “Come,” and step out into ministry in way that is new to you. For some, it will be taking your place in ministries the church already has. For others of you, it will be seeing an opportunity and hearing Jesus say “Come,” and stepping out to do something new.

And I’m not saying that the people who are already heavily involved in the church should take on more. There were 12 in the boat, but only Peter stepped out.

I’m fascinated that the story is about a boat full of people who were exhausted by rowing all night. Most of us are pretty tapped out by the schedules we keep, and the image of Peter stepping out after rowing against the wind all night seems apt to me. It may well be that when you hear Jesus say “Come” on some particular ministry, it will involve dropping something else.

This may be a bit of a stretch, but I’d like to close with a story about a retired engineer and some friends in his church in Mississippi. Phil was very concerned about health issues in the developing world. He knew, that many died simply for want of clean drinking water and basic health care.

Phil, along with some people from his church, was instrumental in starting a ministry called “CUPS” which was the acronym for the Spanish words which made up the title.

The ministry used week-long work parties—somewhat like MATE—to do two kinds of projects in the border region of Mexico.

They built very simple water purification systems, which were then given to the small towns they served. They were simple enough that the people to whom they were given could easily maintain them.

They also built small rural clinics. These were two or three-room concrete block structures. Mexico has socialized medicine, and the law is such that if a town builds a clinic, the government will staff it, at least a few hours a week.

I’ve been on a couple of these work trips, and one thing that moved me was the recognition Phil got from very average Mexicans. He had a pickup truck that looked like it was brought over on the Mayflower. Occasionally when riding with him, Mexicans would shout out, “Philipe, Philipe” and wave, and he would wave back. They knew that Phil and some other Christian people had come into their community and given them a simple but very important gift.

My prayer is that you (as individuals and as a congregation) would hear Jesus voice calling you to “Come,” and you would step out into leadership and ministry in response to his leading.

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