Proper 14: Gospel, Matthew 14:22-33                                 

Matthew 14:22-33

It’s a famous account: Jesus walking on the water. It’s stunning in the very thought of what transpires. It’s one of my favorite accounts in the gospels. And it forces the question from all of us, namely, “What will it take for me to trust the Lord?” I think the Lord gives us a clue that might not be readily considered here. I will trust the Lord when I am pressed to the point of no other options. And while that doesn’t sound like the exercise of a great faith, the Lord responds to tiny bits of faith. Think mustard seed.

How does the Lord press the trust point in Matthew 14? I think a key is at the door (as dear old Dr. Mitchell used to say), and it begins by Jesus sending His disciples off alone. “Well that’s just a means of setting up what's to come in the story later on,” you might say. To which I would respond, “Precisely.” Very often it is because we may sense the distance between our Lord and ourselves (what does that even mean?) believing He really isn’t all that interested in us. Well there are others to whom our Lord tends. He sends away the multitudes who have been listening to Him and then … then, He goes and spends time with His dear Father (and ours).

Then at just the right time Jesus, during the fourth watch of the night, appears to them walking on the water. And what follows is also no accident. There is the crisis of obedience to a call, the failure, and then the rescue. So much of our own experience is put on display before us. Jesus is always tending others, always praying for us, always crafting our lives so we will simply call out to Him. “Lord, save me,” cries Peter. The Savior responds and all is quiet. It’s a scene we have all lived through again and again. And we learn to trust simply because we can.