Fourth Sunday in Lent (2)
John 6:16-22
16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto
the sea,17 And entered into a ship and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And
it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.18 And the sea arose by reason
of a great wind that blew.19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or
thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the
ship: and they were afraid.20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.21
Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at
the land whither they went.22 The day following, when the people which stood on
the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that
one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples
into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
Matthew 14:22-33 : 24
But the ship was now in the midst of
the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.25And in the fourth watch
of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.26And when the disciples
saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and
they cried out for fear.27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of
good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if
it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.29And he said, Come. And when
Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to
Jesus.30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.31And immediately Jesus stretched forth
his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore
didst thou doubt?32And when they were come into the ship, the wind
ceased.33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a
truth thou art the Son of God.
This event is recorded in the gospels of John, Mathew, and Mark. John’s record is short and to the point, but Matthew and Luke expand on the story.
The Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Gennesaret and the
Sea of Tiberius, is a large freshwater basin, situated in a rift valley of
northern Israel and surrounded by the Galilean hills on the west and the Golan
Heights on the east. It is twelve miles long north to South, 8 miles wide at
its widest point and 200 feet below sea level; although quite shallow at its
margins, within 200 feet from land the Basin suddenly drops off to depths of
200 feet. The geology predisposes it, even today, to unpredictable, sudden, and
violent storms as the cold air from the eastern mountains falls to the lake and
mixes the warm water of the lake surface.
It was about 4am and
the disciples were rowing the boat across the lake, no motor here. It should
have been approximately a two-hour journey and the disciples must have been tired.
By the time that Jesus spotted them they had rowed about three miles and were
in the deepest part of the body of water with several miles still to go. They
were struggling to keep the boat facing into the waves to avoid being
overturned. It was dark and visibility would have been poor; they were soaked
with rain and buffeted by the wind.
Suddenly, through the sheets of rain, they see a figure approaching
them, walking on the water and John tells us they were terrified, thinking it
to be a ghost.
Years ago, I worked as midwife in a fishing community in
East Yorkshire. It was well known that very few of the fishermen could swim and
they were very superstitious. We have no way of knowing if this was true of the
disciples, but we do know they were terrified until Jesus calls out to them,
identifying himself and telling them not to be afraid. At which point Simon
Peter, impetuous as always, shouts back “If it is You bid me come to you to
which Jesus replies in one word “come.”
One can only imagine the astonishment and incredulity of the other
disciples as Peter climbs out of the boat and begins to walk towards Jesus. He
takes his eyes off Jesus and suddenly realizes what he is doing. He sees the height of the waves and feels the
buffeting of the winds and, beginning to sink, cries out “Lord Save me.” Jesus
reaches out his hand and lifts Peter up with the words of disappointment “Why
did you doubt?” When they are back to
the boat, the winds cease, the waves die down and they find that they have
reached their destination. The disciples worship Jesus saying “Truly, thou are
the Son of God.”
The story stirred vivid memories for me. Years ago, my
father and I were holidaying on the Norfolk Broads in a thirty-five-foot motor
cruiser. One afternoon we found ourselves
in the middle of a very large tidal basin known as the Braden Waters. A sudden
Storm blew in from the east and we struggled to keep the boat headed into the
six-to-ten-foot waves. Everything, large and small, not bolted down, was thrown
around, first to one side of the vessel and then to the other, time after time.
We struggled to maintain our balance, maintaining our course was almost
impossible as we needed to keep the boat head on to the waves to prevent
capsizing. After what seemed like an eternity, but was probably about thirty
minutes, and with lots of prayer and much relief, we finally reached the safety
of the Harbor. Wet and disheveled but so thankful for God’s protection.
In our day-to-day Christian walk we too are buffeted about
by life’s unexpected storms of one sort or another. We begin our witness with
enthusiasm and vigor but quickly can become despondent when difficulties arise,
sometimes it seems one after another, distracting our attention from the Lord.
Like Peter, we begin to sink under the adversity; it all seems too much to
bear. This is especially true for many as we continue to battle the Covid 19
pandemic. But we are not without hope and Jesus is ever present with us; He
really is “only a prayer away.” Prayers do not have to be piously worded,
lengthy, or restricted to church services or bedtime. As one of the church
fathers said, “They prays very little who only prays upon their knees” Short
prayers of desperation, such as Peter’s cry for help, will bring comfort and
consolation to calm our fear. Jesus is
always ready to lift us up and walk with us in the midst of the storm. May God
bless us and keep us aware of His presence in our daily lives and struggles.
- Barb Edgecombe Green