Sink or Swim
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The miracle of Jesus walking on the water is recorded in
three of the gospels (Matt. 14:22-36; Mk. 6:45-56; John 6:16-21). The event unfolds at the Sea of Galilee, which is 700 feet below the Mediterranean Sea
and very susceptible to sudden and violent storms. After the feeding of the
5000, Jesus dismisses the crowd and sends his disciples on a boat trip while he
remained on the mountaintop to pray. True disciples are SENT forth to do the
work of the kingdom. The boat represents the adventure of life, for ships are
made to sail the sea, not to remain in port. Although at times we can rest and
sit for a while, we are made in the image of Christ to go forth and do the work
of the kingdom.
While boating with Jesus, we will run into STORMS, for life
is fraught with difficulties, disappointments, and challenges. We get “beaten
by the waves” like the disciples of Jesus and become frightened with the rough
seas of life. When the disciples first saw Jesus walking toward them they
didn’t recognize him. They thought him to be a SPECTER. “It is a ghost!” they
cried out (Matt. 14:26). Why did they fail to recognize him? They were not
looking for him! It was the fourth watch of the night (anywhere from 3:00AM to
6:00AM)—they were tired from the lateness and weary from rowing against the
waves. In the daily grind of things, it is easy to forget Christ who gives us
strength to persevere. We tend to focus on the mundane and try to do things in
our own power. But Jesus still comes to us in the storms of daily life,
fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 43:2-3, When
you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they
shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One
of Israel, your Savior.
The Lord may not come when we think He should, but his timing is always perfect, for he really never left us. He knows when we need Him most to appear and will intervene with his word, people, or Spirit at the most opportune time. Jesus had waited until the boat was far from land and the disciples were bereft of hope to rescue them and strengthen their faith. When we think all is lost, when we believe we are all alone, our faith becomes STRETCHED. When life becomes dismal, we are to remember that the Lord stretches our faith, but he will never string us out.
Jesus showed his disciples that the very thing they feared,
the raging sea and the crashing waves, were not a hindrance for him. He would
merely step across their fears and beckon them to come, for in him is safety in
the midst of a world afire with conflict and possessed with fear. Often we dread
the trying experiences of life such as illness, loss of loved ones, relationship
fractures, and financial distress only to discover that these problems and
afflictions bring Jesus closer to us. When we find ourselves involved in the harrowing
experiences of life, we will sink or swim—sink in the sea of our fears or swim
in the faith strengthened by Christ. Like Paul, we can do all things through
Christ who strengthens us (Phil. 4:13). But if our eyes remain fixated on self,
we will sink into our own depression.
To swim with Christ, we must keep our eyes focused on him. As long as Peter did so he could walk to Christ on water. When he became distracted, he SANK, for he allowed his anxieties to take over by focusing on the fears that gripped him—the wind and the waves. But Peter had the resolve to cry out in his despair, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:30) Jesus immediately took his hand and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Doubt is what makes us sink; but faith is what causes us to walk through adversities, knowing that Jesus has us by the hand (Ps. 37:24).
To swim with Christ, we must keep our eyes focused on him. As long as Peter did so he could walk to Christ on water. When he became distracted, he SANK, for he allowed his anxieties to take over by focusing on the fears that gripped him—the wind and the waves. But Peter had the resolve to cry out in his despair, “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:30) Jesus immediately took his hand and said, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Doubt is what makes us sink; but faith is what causes us to walk through adversities, knowing that Jesus has us by the hand (Ps. 37:24).
And when Jesus entered the boat, the wind died down,
indicating the power of Christ over the elements. The disciples recognized his
divinity and responded with their confession of faith, “Truly you are the Son
of God!” This is the first instance of the disciples worshipping Jesus. They
would continue to grow in their faith, sinking at times, but eventually swimming
with endurance and turning the world upside down with the gospel of Christ.