Matthew
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IntroductionThe story of Jesus walking on the water was given a significant place in the oral tradition of the early church. It was integrally linked to the feeding of the 5,000, and when finally the oral tradition was documented, Matthew, Mark and even John, recorded the two stories together. As we well know, John rarely follows the synoptic tradition, but the importance of these stories prompted John to record them. Only Matthew adds the account of Peter's "little faith". The story of Jesus' stilling the storm serves to illustrate his confrontation with the powers of darkness, his mastery over Satan (that leviathan of the deep), Matt.8:23-27, Mk.4:36-41, Lk.8:22-25. The story of Jesus' walking on water, on the other hand, is best understood as an extension of the Exodus theme introduced with his miraculous feeding of a great crowd in a "remote place." So, here we see Jesus, the new Israel, replaying Israel's miraculous crossing of the river Jordan and their entry into the promised land.
The passage
v22. There is some difficulty in knowing where Jesus sent the disciples. It is most likely that he sent them North to Bethsaida, while he remained behind to dismiss the crowd. Presumably he intended to join the disciples before they set out for the Western side of the lake, but he is delayed (due to an extended prayer time, and even possibly because the crowd tries to make him their king, Jn.6:15). So, the disciples set off across the lake without him.
v23-24. Somewhere in the middle of the lake ("many stadia [? x 200m]") the disciples are "buffeted" by a Westerly wind. Schweizer used the story to image the Christian community struggling in stormy times. A nice image, but not quite to the point.
v25-27. The disciples then see Jesus walking on the water. They think it is an apparition and are filled with fear. Jesus calms them and declares "It is I". This may, or may not, be a use of the great "I am", Ex.3:14. Given the imagery of the whole event, it probably is a pointed self revelation by Jesus. Mark makes the comment, "he was about to pass by them." This is an interesting comment, given that Jesus was coming to them because they were in distress. There is a good chance this is another Exodus image, Ex.33:19, 22 - God passed by Moses at Sinai. So, what we have here is a theophany, a manifestation of the divine.
v28. Peter now gets into the action. "Since it is you" (not "if it is you"), indicates Peter's belief that in Jesus power he can share in this miraculous event.
v29-31. All goes well until Peter focuses on the storm (better than "wind") rather than Jesus. As he sinks he calls out, "Lord save me". Again, words with an Old Testament ring to them, Ps.18:16, 69:1-3, 144:7. Because of his doubt, driven by fear, he is called a man of "little faith."
v32-33. The climax of the story is not the stilling of the storm, but the confession of the disciples. The feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus' walking on water, proclaim him as the long awaited messiah, the Davidic king, the prophet like unto Moses, the new Israel. This is the first time the disciples address Jesus as "Son of God", so it is a moment of high comprehension which will continue to deepen over the next year. Their understanding is most likely in messianic terms (Jesus as the anointed one, the coming one) rather than of Jesus' filial relationship with the Father.
v34-36. This episode illustrates that all the people, not just the disciples, share in the blessings of "the coming one." In faith they need only touch the hem of his garment to be saved.
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?
My son-in-law was a member of the Boys Brigade when he was young. At their church parades they would often sing the great old hymn "Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" The person who ran the brigade was a sailing enthusiast and so hymns with a maritime twist were always in the top twenty. When my son-in-law married my daughter, he chose as their wedding hymn his old favorite. I'm not quite sure how appropriate it was, but then it was a change from that terrible hymn "O perfect love", which happened to be the hymn my wife and I chose, or should I say, had forced on us at our wedding. Given that marriage is never smooth sailing, his hymn was probably more appropriate than most.
It's very easy reading the story of Jesus walking on water and thinking it's all about stilling the storms of life. How nice it would be to have a storm-free life, but there is no such promise in the scriptures. Maybe it's a story about faith. Unlike Peter, if we keep our eyes on Jesus we will stand above the waves and survive. How true! yet this is not really a story about faith overcoming all odds, a victory of positive thinking, an all-things-are-possible lesson. No, it's not a "how to succeed in business without really trying" story. The story of Jesus walking on the water is all about our anchor holding in the storms of life, of reaching that heavenly port at journey's end; it's about salvation in Christ. Using another image from our passage, it's all about the sick finding healing at the edge of Jesus' cloak; "and all who touched him were healed."
By walking on water and feeding 5,000, Jesus conjured up a powerful image of the Exodus. Jesus was like Moses feeding the people with Manna, like God passing before his people, like Israel itself passing through the waters into the promised land. The wonderful truth is that with Jesus we can be that people, passing through the waters into a land flowing with milk and honey. An eye on Jesus, a touch of his cloak, is all that it takes.
So, don't look to the waves, look to Jesus; let his anchor hold you in the storms of life.
Discussion
How is it that the "wind" can so easily prompt "little faith"?
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