“It is I, Have No Fear”

Peace Sunday, Pentecost 8, Year A, 2011

Text: 1 Kings 19: 9-18; Romans 10: 5-15; Matthew 14: 22-33

Let us bow our heads in prayer –
God of peace, in the midst of the pain of this world and the church, help us to step out and walk in faith with You. Amen.
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It’s important to realise that just prior to our Gospel lesson for today Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist is murdered by Herod, an immoral and weak king and his family. Both John and Jesus had started their brief ministries together as courageous prophets, proclaiming God’s justices, calling people to repentance and inviting them to find their way to God. After hearing the terrible news brought to him by John’s disciples, Jesus withdraws to be alone, to grieve and to pray only to be confronted by a large crowd in the story of the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand’ which proceeds today’s passage. After feeding them Jesus once again attempts to have some time alone, and so we come to today’s Gospel where Jesus literally forces the disciples get into a boat and to go on ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee before he dismisses the crowds and goes off to spend some quality time by himself on a mountain in prayer.

I’m sure through our human empathy we can begin to imagine what Jesus might have felt after the death of John, but, as I said last week when it comes to fear, we have to do a rethink. We are confronted here by the one who always greeted his friends with the words, “Do not be afraid.” We can recognise in Jesus emotions what we, ourselves, have experienced; but fear is not one of them. What is very evident in Jesus after the death of John is Jesus’ sense of urgency – the realisation that the end will come very soon, that when he sets his face towards Jerusalem he sets his face towards his own death.

While Jesus is praying the disciples are sailing to the other side of The Sea of Galilee heading for the “other side,” which our text doesn’t point out until later means “enemy territory – the land of unclean gentiles,” or non Jews. As morning dawns the disciples are against the wind and are battered by the waves. It’s important to note that there is no indication at all from Matthew that they are afraid about being on the boat. Many of them were fishermen after all. They had however shown a lot of fear within themselves in the story of the ‘Feeding of the Five Thousand’, just prior to getting onto the boat. Being disciples of Jesus they were now scared for their own lives after what had happened to John, and mixed in with that when confronted by the needs of a large crowd they did not now how to react. They felt under attack from all direction and as a result felt very fearful. No doubt they still felt this way as they sailed on ‘to the other side’, a place of uncertaincy and fear.

For reasons not explained Jesus seemingly comes out of nowhere – “walking towards them on the Sea.” It’s only when they see Jesus walking on the water that we are told they become terrified. Not that they actually recognise him – thinking that he was a ghost!

The disciples are now truly terrified. The same word in Greek is used to express Herod’s fear at getting the news from the magi about the child to be born king; the same fear that rendered Zechariah mute when an angel of God appeared to him in the Temple; and the same fear the disciples experienced in the upper room after Jesus is crucified when they though he was once again a ghost.

So it was not the storm that tested the disciples, but rather the presence of Jesus in the storm. And it was not simply Jesus’ presence, but what he had to say that would truly test them “Take heart; do not be afraid; it is I”. Words that take us back to the burning bush, the “I am who I am” statements throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the “I am” statement of Jesus in John’s Gospel. In other words “I am God”. Jesus’ unrecognised presence on the sea was a threat to the disciples, but the real test where these words “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Can they trust what he says? Can they trust in God? Can we?

Isn’t it true in our own lives that when we are confronted by God in the storms of our own lives it is often God we are more fearful of than the storm itself. What do I mean by that? I mean we really don’t believe that only God’s plan for our salvation will work. Our ego’s plan for salvation centres around holding on to our fears, onto our grievances. Our egos tell us that if only someone else spoke or acted differently or if some external circumstance or event were changed we would be saved. Maybe you can think of an example in your own life at the moment. Each grievance we hold onto is a declaration and an assertion that says, ‘If this were different, I would be saved.” The change of mind necessary for salvation then is demanded of everyone and everything expect ourselves.

It’s Peter who steps forward and bravely answers Jesus. Interestingly Peter prefers to take of the role of being the tester rather than the tested. His words echo the words of Satan testing Jesus in the wilderness, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water!”… “If you are the Son of God….”

But Jesus simply tells him to “Come”. Peter has no choice. He jumps out of the boat in faith and walks towards Jesus. Peter does quite well making is way over the waves until he “notices” the wind, and fright takes over, he loses his focus and he begins to sink. “Save me” he calls to Jesus, who immediately takes him by the hand.

God’s plan for our salvation works simply because, by following God’s direction, you seek for salvation where it is. But if you are to succeed, as God promises you will, you must be willing to seek there only. Otherwise, your purpose is divided and you will attempt to follow two plans for salvation that are diametrically opposed in all ways. The result can only bring confusion, misery and a deep sense of failure and despair. Like Peter if we focus on the wrong thing we sink in fear.

As I said last week, fear is always generated from a sense of attack. Think of something you are fearful of in your own life at the moment. What’s causing that sense of fear? Maybe you have a grievance against somebody. Whatever it is I guarantee it is caused by a sense of attack. Fear always produces guilt, guilt that we place upon other people because of the situation that we believe they have put us in. Or we turn fear in on ourselves and feel guilty because of the situation we have put ourselves in and are fearful of the consequences. Either way we always feel guilt within ourselves. The only way we can overcome attack and fear is to forgive the guilt we put on others and the guilt that we put on ourselves. Something which of course is more easily said than done. And as I said last week it is easier to understand the idea of forgiving our neighbour than it is to forgive ourselves. Forgiveness of ourselves is something we often don’t want to face up to.

When we trust Jesus words, “Take heart, do not be afraid, it is I,” when we jump out of our boats, his outstretched hands are there to save us if we begin to sink. Our baptism and the gifts of faith that it signifies does not by any means guarantee a lifetime of smooth sailing ahead. The Sea of Galilee, still is subject to storms today. And like Peter, and the other disciples, we still find ourselves afraid and terrified and calling out to God. But only Christ overcomes our dread and terror of what the waters deep beneath – and within us – may contain. Once again Jesus shows us that the only way to overcome our own fears and pain is to surrender. To hand things over to God in faith. “Take heart”, he says to us again, “It is I; have no fear.” It is only when we truly hear this that the wind will cease and we will be able to proclaim “Truly you are the Son of God”. Amen.