Friday, November 18, 2005
Getting Out of the Boat
It had been quite a day. You know the kind of day that you aren’t even sure where to begin when you tell the story. The tragic death of a beloved cousin and forerunner (John the Baptist) saddens Jesus and His disciples. They can't find a place to be alone amidst the crowds. Jesus shows Simon how to persevere despite the deep personal loss. Jesus performs miracles and teaches the multitudes.
As the day roles on, the disciples become aware of thousands of people in need. They have nothing to eat. No easy answer seems to present itself. Jesus shows them the power of God to provide for the needs of others. They take what little is available and begin to distribute it. God multiples it feeding the crowds with plenty extra for leftovers. The disciples were involved in handing out the miracle. You can just imagine their faith in Jesus growing with each person they fed. Better than any spoken message on the power of faith, they experienced it up close in real life.
You might think that Jesus would want to hype the event. But quite the opposite happens. Jesus perceives how the crowds intended to come and force Him to be king. This was not His Father's will. There was a danger that His twelve disciples could get caught up in euphoria of the moment too. Jesus does the only wise thing; He leaves and calls His disciples to do the same. Jesus does not give the disciples much time to bask in the glory of the miracle. With their minds still spinning from the day's events, Jesus suddenly pushes the disciples to leave quickly and sail to the other side of the lake. No real explanation. He just says, "GO! I'll join you later."
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went away alone to pray. This is something that Jesus does regularly especially after He has spent time pouring out His power and speaking to the crowds. Jesus likely prayed about the loss of his cousin and the pressures of the people to seize the throne instead of embrace the cross. While we don't know what specifically Jesus prayed, this occasion does show Jesus resource for effective ministry - time alone with the Father in prayer.
Time marches on as these expert fishermen struggle to cross the lake. It’s somewhere between 3:00-6:00 a.m. as the light begins to dawn on the horizon. Exhausted from fighting the water, they were only about half way across the lake. Struggling to stay awake, one of the disciples sees what looks like a light on the water. He wakes the others as the light starts to come closer to the boat. They begin to frantically discuss what “It” could be.
These hearty men were scared to death. They didn’t know if they were seeing a ghost, evil spirit or just overcome with exhaustion. But they feared for their lives and began to make such a stir that the figure on the water turned toward them. You see the figure although walking in their general direction did not look like it was walking toward them. Actually, it appeared to be walking past where the boat was.
The men hear a familiar voice. The “ghost” calls out to them. He says, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” The disciples began to talk amongst themselves. They debated if it could really be Jesus. Or maybe the water had finally gotten to them.
Then Simon had an idea. He called to the man on the water. Simon said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Now Simon had a reputation for making bold statements. He’s the kind of guy who would leap before he looked. Brash! Daring! Yet this seemed extreme even for him. He may even have wondered himself what possessed him to make such a request.
The entire night the disciples had fought against the strong currents and winds on the lake. The last time they were in such a predicament, they went to Jesus and he calmed the water. But this time he was nowhere to be found. That is until a mysterious figure appeared in the distance. By that time, the storm had gone away. Or had it? As soon as the men saw Jesus on the water, a storm began to rage in each one of them. They were afraid, curious and amazed at what they saw.
Earlier in the day, they had seen Jesus feed thousands with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Why should they be surprised that he can do the impossible? Yet with each new miracle, they faced a deeper crisis of faith.
Walking on the water seems even greater than the previous miracle. How does Jesus do it? Where did His power end? This time was different because one of the disciples started to believe. Simon dared to believe that maybe he could do what he saw Jesus doing. Simon had to know if it was possible.
You see the boat represents safety – what is known. It’s a place where you don’t have to take any risks. It’s a place of the same old, same old. There were eleven disciples who stayed in the boat. Only Simon dared to get out and test the waters. Simon had to risk it because the water is where Jesus is. There is life on the water. Sure, it’s risky. But what if he could walk the walk?
Simon walks on water. His gaze is set on Jesus. For the first time in his live, he is walking in complete faith and freedom. Even nature is his to command. But the water doesn’t stay calm forever.
Winds quickly come and whip up the water. Simon takes his eyes off Jesus and looks down at the waves crashing around him. Voices in his head overcome his faith causing him to worry and think about the danger around him. He thinks, “Oh, I might sink and drown!” Then it actually starts to happen. He begins to sink.
Simon loses faith. But who does he lose faith in? Jesus? No, I don’t think so. Jesus is still standing on the water. Simon cries out to Jesus, and he saves his sinking disciple. Simon loses faith in himself and the power of God working in him. He begins to doubt the power and authority that Jesus had given him. The storm grabs his attention away from the power source.
Jesus privately said to Simon, “You of little faith, why do you doubt?” I don’t think Jesus was scolding Simon. No. There were eleven bigger cowards standing in the boat watching the whole thing with their mouths wide open. Jesus challenged Simon to see beyond the storm. He was disappointed and sad to see him come so far and then stop. It’s kind of like a father coaching and encouraging a young player to keep on coming.
Jesus rescues Simon and helps him to the safety of the boat. And as soon as they got in the boat, the wind stopped. As if somehow on cue, the storm knew when it has served its purpose. At any time, Jesus could have calmed the storm. But there was something greater achieved by conquering the storm. Jesus allowed the storm so that Simon could grow.
More than just walking on water, Jesus wanted Simon to face the storm outside of the safety of the boat. When teachers want students to grow, they don’t give them answers – they give them problems.
Many people criticize Simon for sinking. But Simon is not a failure. It’s those who stayed in the boat that never faced the storm. What is failure? Failure is not something that happens to us or a label we attach to things. It is a way we think about outcomes. Failure is just a necessary step to success. Failure does not shape you. The way you respond to failure shapes you.
Simon learns that in any area where you are concerned about failure, the single most destructive thing you can do is nothing. Failure is a teacher of how to succeed.
The story ends with all of those in the boat worshipping God. They said, “Truly you are the Son of God.” When you take a leap of faith and trust God it brings honor to him and is an act of worship. God is glorified when you live a life that trusts him. Worship is life outside of the boat. If you never set foot outside of the boat, if you never do anything that goes beyond your own natural abilities, how will you ever know how big God truly is?
