Gospel

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 14:22 - 33

Command me to come to you over the water.

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind.

 In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. 

Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’

Gospel Reflection

I don’t know that we’ve ever properly understood the significance of the disciples in the gospels; our attention is always focused on Jesus. The disciples certainly got the inside running on all of Jesus’ teachings; they witnessed the miracles; and were themselves empowered to carry on the work of Jesus. They can be seen as the prototypes for all the followers of Jesus that have come since. When we read the gospel stories we can perhaps place ourselves in the position of James or John or Peter or Andrew.

To be a disciple to a rabbi was not just to be a supporter or an interested bystander. To be a disciple was to hungrily learn from your rabbi. The fact that all of Jesus’ disciples were called from other walks of life means that no other rabbi had already chosen them. They had been passed over as not good enough to study with a rabbi. When they were called by Jesus it was an opportunity they would never have dreamed possible; of course they left everything and followed him.

To be a disciple was effectively an apprenticeship to becoming a rabbi. To be discipled to a rabbi was to believe that you could do what your rabbi did. It is this belief that makes Peter get out of the boat. His rabbi is walking on the water and Peter believes that he can do what his rabbi does. And extraordinarily, Peter begins to walk on the water just like Jesus. It is only when he starts to think about what he’s doing that he sinks. When Jesus asks Peter, ‘Why did you doubt?’ he is asking Peter why he doubted himself. It wasn’t that Peter doubted Jesus; he doubted his own ability to be the equal of his rabbi!

Historical Context – Separation

The image of Jesus still ashore while the disciples battled against strong winds and rising seas must have been an evocative one for the Matthean community. Like the disciples, they were acutely aware of their separation from Jesus. Unlike the disciples, they were separated by time and the raging storm that beset them was a tide of suspicion and persecution. At times they felt the strength and courage of Peter to step out of the boat and be Jesus in their world, but at other times they doubted their own abilities. It is a message for the Church of the day and the Church of today.

Living the Gospel – Christian

What does it mean to describe oneself as a Christian today? A common understanding might be ‘one who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ’. Perhaps, based on the understanding of what it meant to be a disciple, we might better describe a Christian as one who learns from the teachings of Jesus and seeks to emulate the work of Jesus. That is, a Christian is someone who models their life on the example of Jesus and is the face of Jesus to others. That’s a tougher job description than just turning up to church once a week or putting a bumper sticker on your car.

Gospel Focus – ‘Lord! Save me!’

The cry of Peter is one that each of us feels the need to cry out at some stage in our life. Jesus trusted Peter’s ability to walk to him on the water; otherwise he would not have called Peter to do so. It is Peter who doubts himself. In this moment of realising that he can’t do it alone, he calls out to Jesus. One of the enduring images of Jesus is as the one who saves – the Saviour. When the realisation eventually comes to each of us that we can’t do it all alone, we need only call on the one who saves.