“But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid…Come…”
(Matthew 14:27, 29, part of last Sunday’s Gospel from Matt. 14:22-33)
The young man lay flat on his back in excruciating pain. The trailer he was just preparing lunch in had violently exploded. Odor-free gas had silently escaped and collected the night before, so when he lit the stove pilot light that had presumably just gone out, a violent flash explosion of swirling flame enveloped the surroundings, blowing out the wall by the kitchen sink, tearing a hole in the roof and sending the 200-pound 20-year-old straight back through the air and crashing into a table. At first imagining he was having a nightmare, the feeling of being on fire caused him to “wake up” and stumble out the door that had also exploded open. Once outside, he instinctively “dropped and rolled” like he had been taught many times when in grade school.
In the space of seconds, making lunch had turned into a struggle for survival, as 65% of his body was now covered with second-degree burns. A neighbor heard the boom, rushed to his aid and covered the man’s now-shivering body with a blanket. And then this young man quietly prayed: “Father, I’m really hurt, and I need your help. Please help me, and send healing according to your will, even though I don’t know what the future holds. In Jesus’ name. Amen.” I think the petition was something like that, or close to it. You see, I was the young man in the trailer who now found myself outside, flat on my back. And probably for the first time in my young life, my walk of faith was just now starting to being put to the test.
An ambulance got me to a local hospital ER, where they worked for some time to clean me up and treat my injuries. I was rushed by ambulance to another hospital in Grand Rapids, where a burn specialist who had treated soldiers in Vietnam now had me for a patient. The days passed …21 in ICU, in critical condition…and another 14 elsewhere. I lost 40 pounds and had to learn to walk again. There were periods of severe pain and depression, but slowly I got stronger, and my body began to heal. I left the hospital in early September, just before my Junior year of college resumed. Admittedly, I wasn’t 100% by any means, but a reduced load of classes enabled me to ease into things over the next months. I was grateful then, as I am grateful even now, as I still count each day of life as a gift of God. This summer marks the 49th anniversary of that “marker” in my faithwalk…a marker that serves as a reminder and highlight that I do not walk the walk of faith alone.
Sunday’s Gospel from Matthew 14 recalls a time the disciples of Jesus had a similar interruption in their journey of faith. They had just participated in Jesus’ latest miracle, where the multitudes were fed using just five fish and two loaves. Even though they were only part of the “distribution team” for this miracle, they returned to Jesus with more food than they departed with, some twelve baskets full. John’s Gospel says that as a result, the people wanted to make Jesus King, so the disciples must have been feeling pretty good about themselves.
But Jesus shoos the crowds away and sends the disciples across the Sea of Galilee without Him. Instead of basking in the glory of the moment and giving them time for a few high fives, He sends them all off. Then Jesus doesn’t return right away! Meanwhile, a storm comes up on the sea, a storm one writer says was “akin to a sumo wrestler’s belly flop in a kiddy pool.” One translation says they were “buffeted by waves.” The literal meaning in Greek implies they were harassed or swamped. You get the picture. They were all in deep trouble. So they were justifiably afraid. No wonder that when Jesus does finally come, they think He’s a ghost.
But Jesus simply says, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid…Come…” And Peter, at least, does! He steps out of the boat and starts walking towards Jesus. But suddenly he notices the wind blowing and the waves lapping at his feet. Peter takes his eyes off Jesus for just an instant and quickly lives up to his name, for he sinks like a ROCK. But Jesus comes to the rescue, gives him a quick rebuke for his doubt, throws him in the boat and stills the storm.
Like I said, an interruption in one’s journey of faith. I can certainly relate, and I suspect we all can. For all of us know about sinking feelings. Many of us have enjoyed a relationship of life, forgiveness and salvation with our Lord for some time. By faith we have come to know Him as the Lord and Savior of our lives. He’s been there in the past for us, and we know He’ll be there in the future. His death and resurrection have guaranteed that. But it’s still stormy out there. The waves are crashing at our feet, especially in 2020. And we get distracted, even lose hope.
And that’s what this frightening event seems to suggest. It’s a story about each and all of us who tend to lose hope and go under whenever we agonize over sin and evil in this world and especially how it affects us. This storm story is one about you and me yelling for help when the latest crisis reminds us that we can’t always plan our future the way we’d like. This is a story about the sinking feeling we get when the phone rings and our loved one is crying on the other end, miles and miles away. This is a story about what happens to all of us when we despair of life, lose our focus and take our eyes off Jesus and His cross. It’s a story about the best of us and the worst of us in the Church, when we try to take even one step in our daily lives with our eyes and hearts focused on anything other than the great Easter victory of Jesus over death in all its tragic forms. Yes, this is a story about all the stumbling, falling, crashing and sinking that happens to all of us, more often than anyone knows.
And yet, in reality, this is not just a story about walking on water or even about sinking...as much as it is a story about rescue. It’s about Jesus reaching out and pulling from despair and certain death a brother of ours who was going under, but for the grace of God. Just like the thief on the cross. Or the man born blind. Elijah in the wilderness. Paul in jail. Disciples in a storm-tossed boat. A leader of the Jews whose 12-year-old daughter lay dying. Mary Magdalene. And you and this pastor too.
For me, the key passage of the text contains the words of Jesus in verse 27: “TAKE COURAGE! IT IS I. DON’T BE AFRAID.” That’s how the NIV translates it. But a more literal translation is: “Courage! I am! Don’t be afraid!” Translators are often interested in making sure words sound proper, so they tinker with them. But what Jesus simply says to the disciples is, “I am.” Have you heard that expression before?
Remember the time God spoke to Moses from a burning bush and said, “Moses, I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14)
Or, daring his enemies to prove otherwise, Jesus declared, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)
And so we wouldn’t forget, John includes all those “I am” quotes of Jesus in his Gospel, quotes like: “I am the bread of life.” (6:48)... “I am the light of the world.” (8:12)... “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (10:9)... “I am the good shepherd.” (10:11)...“I am the resurrection and the life.” (11:25)…“I am the way, the truth and the life.” (14:6)... “I am the true vine.” (15:1) The present-tense Christ. He never says, “I was.” We do, because “we were.” We were once younger, prettier or faster, and prone to be people of the past, we reminisce. But not God. He never says, “I was,” or “Someday I will be.” He says “I am,” because God never changes. “Jesus Christ,” says Hebrews, “is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (13:8, as noted in Next Door Savior, M. Lucado, p. 127)
This Jesus is still in the search and rescue business. The one who has endured the storm of suffering, ridicule, pain and death Himself is the same one who is with us to weather storms even now. That doesn’t mean the storm and sinking feelings will stop if we keep our eyes on Jesus. They may continue for a long time. But through the spray and splashing of waves Jesus will be there. He will be there calling to me and you, “COURAGE! I AM. DON’T BE AFRAID.” His Ascension promise, “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS”, really will be a clear statement (and promise) of His intention to allow nothing to separate us from His love, as we heard in a recent epistle (Rom. 8:35-39). He keeps us afloat in the waters of our baptism. He buoys our spirit, sharpens our focus and inspires our confession through the power of His Spirit coming to us in Word and Sacrament. He’ll visit us through the gift of caring people to give us the hand of help and love. And each time He does, He will remind us: “COURAGE! I AM. DON’T BE AFRAID.”
Even when our faithwalk fails...even when our sinking is our own fault...even when we call for help as a last resort...even then He is there to rescue and save. He is there to give us far more than we could ever ask or think. He is there to love us and pull us through the most difficult of times. For you see, Jesus never loses His focus. He never takes His eyes off us. In every circumstance of our lives, in every storm, His hand is outstretched to rescue and save. To heal and calm. To forgive and give new life.
The next time we find ourselves in a storm (or flat on your back, like me) remember this story about walking on water, sinking and rescue. Remember that this One named Jesus will be there. When we can’t see Him, trust Him. If we do see something, remember, it’s not a ghost. The voice we hear is not the wind. Jesus is closer than we ever imagined. Thanks be to God!
Pastor Dale Koehneke – August 16, 2020
(With special thanks to Max Lucado, David Peyer and countless others who throughout the years have provided inspiration and encouragement during challenging days of my faithwalk)