Needing Proof – Matthew 14:22-33

A text – Matthew 14:22-33

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,^[a] for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he noticed the strong wind,^[b] he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

A reflection:

Right after the Feeding of the More Than 5000, Jesus compels the disciples to get into a boat to cross over to their next town, while Jesus goes up the mountain alone to pray, grieve the loss of John the Baptist, and receive consolation and encouragement from his Heavenly Father. Jesus compels or forces the Twelve to leave by boat. The Greek verb is clear. And then a wind comes up that keeps the disciples from reaching the opposite shore, even though they are working the oars like crazy until after 3 AM. They are exhausted and frightened. Jesus comes to them, walking on the sea, and they see him but believe he is a ghost or some other phantasm, the text says. Jesus identifies himself.

A couple of the commentaries I read this week about this story then look closely at Peter, especially his first words to Jesus: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” This is how Matthew recounts Peter’s words, phrased very similarly to Satan’s words to Jesus during the temptations in the wilderness ten chapters earlier in the Book of Matthew. Peter says, ”Lord, if it is you, do this…”; Satan says “If you are the Son of God, do thus and so…” Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

Jesus, for Peter’s sake, obeys the request, and although Peter accomplishes this superhuman feat for a few moments, he cannot sustain it. Humans cannot walk on water. But Jesus also hears his next cry, “Lord, save me!” and obeys it, too. Jesus is so generous with Peter. Jesus’s walking on water and calming the wind proves to the Twelve he is the Son of God in his power over the chaos of nature. But his rescuing of the “Prove it” man and his compassion for them all, despite their still needing proof of his identity after the Feeding of More Than 5000, finally results in their worship of Jesus for the first time in Matthew’s gospel.

Jesus, God in human form, has superhuman power and superhuman compassion for us. Let us never forget that. Cry out “Lord, save me!” and know that Jesus will do it. Every time. For Peter and for us. Ask for his compassion upon you and me, and then worship him. He is the Lord and he cares about us.

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for having compassion as wide as the sea. Thank you for being so generous to us. Help us always to remember your abundant gifts, your generosity, and your faithfulness to us, even when we seem to always need proof. Help us to remember who you are. Amen.