How To Walk on Water

Delivered July 10, 2011

Psalm 69:1-15; Matthew 14:22-33

Today we are going to look at the famous story of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee. It is told by three gospel writers – Matthew, Mark and John. Matthew’s account has the additional element of Peter also walking on water, so I am using this as our primary text today, but also drawing details from the other accounts. I am calling this sermon, “How to Walk on Water.”  So first of all I need to define what it means to walk on water. Obviously I am not talking literally here. I am not going to instruct you about how to take a literal stroll across Squam Lake.

There is a very old joke, and most of you have probably heard it already. But I have to tell it because it is about walking on water. A priest, a minister, and a rabbi went fishing in a boat together. The priest said, “I’m sorry but I have to use the restroom. I will be right back.” Then he stepped out of the boat and walked on water to the shore. The minister is astonished, but since the rabbi didn’t seem surprised, he did not say anything. After the priest returned the rabbi said, “I need to go get a drink of water” and he then stepped out of the boat, walked on water to the beach. The minister is again astonished and didn’t know what to think. After the rabbi walked back to the boat on the water, the minister said to himself, “If a Catholic priest and a Jewish rabbi can walk on water, then I, a Protestant follower of Jesus, can certainly do it.” He announced, “I am going to walk to the beach also.” He stepped out of the boat, sunk to the bottom. The priest looked at the rabbi and said, "Do you think we should have told him where the rocks are?"

When I am talking about walking on water I am speaking metaphorically. To walk on water means to do something that seems impossible - to accomplish something that we don’t think we are able to do. There are times in our lives that we feel like the disciples in this story. They are in a boat in the middle of a lake at night in a storm, tossed by the waves, straining at the oars and we are not getting anywhere. We might feel like this at times of physical illness, mental or emotional illness, or grief. We might feel like this in the midst of family problems, work problems or financial problems. People use the term “drowning in debt” for a reason; it feels like you are sinking. People use the phrase “drowning in sorrow” or “drowning in despair.” Our Psalter reading for today says, “¹ Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. ² I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. ³ I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.” There are storms in life when we feel overwhelmed. This story of Jesus teaches us that in the midst of those storms we can overcome. We can walk on water. How?

1. First, you get some perspective. Notice that the first part of the text is told from the viewpoint of Jesus. The story says that Jesus made the disciples get in the boat while he went up on the mountain to pray. “²² Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. ²³ And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” Jesus was on a mountain alone praying. There is nothing that gives you perspective like being on a mountaintop or higher. Astronaut Mark Kelly, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' husband, recently spoke about the experience of viewing earth from space. His exact words were, “You have an entirely different perspective of life on our planet." Then he went on to talk about the absence of national boundaries. We have heard it before from astronauts, but it deserves repeating. The story in Mark’s gospel mentions that from the mountain Jesus could see the disciples down below on the lake. Picture it as being like on top of Mount Rattlesnake looking down on the boats on Squam Lake. Jesus could look down and see the disicples having difficulty in the boat. It says, “He saw them straining at rowing.”

          There are a couple of points here concerning perspective. One is that God sees things from a higher perspective than we do. When we are in the boat in the midst of the storm, we have no wider perspective. We just are intent on surviving.  Things might seem really important to us, but in the cosmic scheme of things, are they really? People get very disturbed by the problem of suffering and evil in the world, and they doubt the existence of God or the love of God. They ask, “Why would God could allow such terrible suffering and evil to happen?” But I think it is all a matter of perspective. From God’s perspective it all works out. Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” That is a very meaningful verse for me because it tells me that even though I cannot see how all the pieces fit together to make sense of seemingly senseless acts, they do fit together. It is a matter of perspective. The bigger your vision, the easier it is to see the pattern.

The story tells us that Jesus did not just go up on mountain so he could get a better view of the lake. It says, “He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.” A physical mountaintop gives you spatial perspective. Prayer gives you spiritual perspective. When you pray, it may not change the circumstances you find yourself in, but it changes the way you see the circumstances. Prayer is connection with God. I experience prayer primarily as communion with God.  Sure I pray for things to happen. But mostly these days I trust that God is in control and that he knows what he is doing. I don’t spend much time giving God advice on how to run the universe or reminding him of things he missed. For me prayer is mostly communion with God, fellowship with God, sitting with God on a mountaintop. And if you sit with God long enough you begin to see things a bit more from his perspective. You catch a glimpse of the harmony of the universe. God really is in control, and all things really do work out for good. So perspective is the first point.

2. Second is recognizing the presence of Christ. Jesus was up on the mountain praying for a while, but in time he came down and took a stroll across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples are in the boat, “straining at the oars, for the wind was against them,” as Mark’s gospel says. Our text in Matthew says in verses 25-26. “²⁵ Now in the fourth watch of the night (which is the hours just before dawn, from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM) Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶ And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.”  Mark’s gospel adds the note, “Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.”  That is an interesting detail. I am not sure exactly what to make of it. But it seems to suggest that Jesus would have let them struggle through the storm, if they hadn’t seen him and cried out.

So part of how to walk on water is to see the presence of Christ with us in the storm. Sometimes it is easier to see this than other times. A few weeks ago we explored the story of Jesus stilling the storm. In that story Jesus was in the boat with them, sleeping in the stern. All they had to do was go to the back of the boat and wake him up. Here it is a different story. They do not recognize this figure walking on the water as Jesus at first. They think it is an apparition, “saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear.” But then Jesus spoke to them. Verse 27 “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”  They recognized him by his voice. And this put them at ease in the midst of the storm. This is true also in our lives. In the midst of the storms of our lives, the still small voice of God calms our fears. Nothing may have changed, but it feels different because Christ is recognized as present and we hear his voice above the gale.

3. Next is Trust. At this point in the story Jesus gives the apostle Peter a lesson in water-walking. Verse 28-29 “²⁸ And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” ²⁹ So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.”  The storm is still going on. The boat is rocking, and yet Peter trusts that this truly is Jesus and not a figment of his imagination. Furthermore he believes that if Jesus tells him to walk on water, that he will be able to do it. This is faith. 

There is a book by John Ortberg entitled “If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get out of the Boat.” It communicates the idea that nothing will ever change in our lives unless we are willing to take a risk. When it comes to the spiritual life, we are not going to see anything change unless we are willing to trust God. Not just believe in the existence of God, but to trust in the providence of God. Faith doesn’t mean we don’t have any doubts. Peter here he is expressing his doubt even while he is expressing his faith. He says, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Peter is not even sure that this voice in the darkness of the storm is really his Lord. But he takes the chance. When Jesus says, “Do not be afraid” Peter takes him seriously, and he responds in faith. I read that the phrase “fear not” or “Do not be afraid” is found over 365 times in the Bible, more than one for every day of the year. At some point in our lives, we need to take a chance on Christ, and trust and step out of the boat.

4. To walk on water we need to keep our eyes on Christ. Peter steps out of the boat, and things go pretty good for a little while. Then Verse 30 says, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off Christ and looked at the storm. In our lives, if all we look at are the problems and difficulties, we are sunk. Life can be very overwhelming at times. We can feel just like the disciples in darkness in the middle of the lake in a storm, straining at the oars with the wind against us and not getting anywhere. If we focus on the situation, we can get very discouraged, but if we keep our eyes on Christ in simple faith and trust, we can walk on water.

In 1886 Leo Tolstoy published a story entitled "The Three Hermits." It begins, "A bishop was sailing … to the Solovetsk Monastery, and on the same vessel were a number of pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine at that place..." (p.1). The story goes on to say that a fisherman on board relayed the tale of the three hermits who live on an island near where they were sailing. The Bishop became very curious, and insists upon meeting the hermits. The other pilgrims protest at the idea of stopping. The captain also objects and informs the bishop, "The old men are not worth your pains. I have heard said that they are foolish old fellows, who understand nothing, and never speak a word, any more than the fish in the sea" (p.3). The bishop persuades the captain to stop at the hermits’ island. The bishop disembarks and meets the hermits. They bow before him, and the bishop asks them how they pray. They reply that their prayer is this: "Three are ye, [meaning the trinity] three are we, have mercy upon us." The priest says that will never do. They need to pray the Lord's Prayer, instead. So he teaches them the Lord’s Prayer.  Upon leaving, the priest hears them repeating the Lord’s Prayer in the distance as he boards the ship to continue his journey. When the island was no longer visible, "he thanked God for having sent him to teach and help such godly men." No sooner had he uttered the words than did the Hermits appear running on the water toward the boat. The three said in one voice, "We have forgotten your teaching, servant of God. As long as we kept repeating it, we remembered, but when we stopped saying it for a time, a word dropped out, and now it all has gone to pieces. We can remember nothing of it. Teach us again how to pray." The bishop crossed himself and leaning over the ship's side said: "Your own prayer will reach the Lord, men of God. It is not for me to teach you. Pray for us sinners." And the Bishop bowed low before the men.

5. Peter took his eyes off his Lord. He lost that simple trust that made it possible for him to walk on water. His fear overcame his faith, and he began to sink. Then he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Then verse 31 says, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” When you walk on water, you may look down and say to yourself, “What the heck am I doing?” This is impossible! You may doubt, and then you will begin to sink. At such times, this story tells us cry out, “Lord, save me” and he will stretch out his hand. That is what he does. That is why he is called a Savior.

Our story ends in verse 33 in these words, “³³ Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” This whole story of Jesus and Peter walking on water is meant to bring us to this realization. It is not meant to teach us an aquatic magic trick. It is meant to point us to a truth about Jesus – to push us beyond our doubts to an attitude of worship and faith. There is a hymn we sang a couple of weeks ago “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.” It says, “In simple trust like theirs who heard Beside the Syrian sea The gracious calling of the Lord, Let us, like them, without a word Rise up and follow Thee.” Let us rise up and follow him.