Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Jesus goes for a walk on the lake

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.'
'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'
'Come,' he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'
(Matthew 14:22-33)
Was reading this at Sacred Space before admin meeting this morning, and was struck by the fact that when Jesus' disciples see him they think he's a ghost, just like they do at the end of Luke's gospel, when Jesus is resurrected (Luke 24).
Another thing I was thinking about was that I often think as though if I don't have enough faith then God will just let go of me. But in this story, when Peter doesn't have enough faith, Jesus compensates and pulls him up out of the water and saves him from drowning.

1 comment:

Trav said...

i like it...very good insight