The gospel of Matthew (14:22–33) tells the story of Jesus walking on the water during another wild storm on the Sea of Galilee. The author captivates the audience with Peter’s subsequent failed attempt, but brings the message back to the importance of a strong faith amid the storms of life, while painting a rather exhilarating canvas through a seemingly absurd lead-up.
It has always been the preamble to the story of Jesus walking on the water that sends my brain into high gear, unable to fully comprehend everything that occurs in a span of just a chapter-and-a-half.
Having just shared an account of Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Mustard Seed and others, Matthew takes his readers through the fateful beheading of John the Baptist, which then transitions immediately to The Feeding of the Five Thousand. Just a few hours after turning five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food for roughly 10,000 people (women and children included) Jesus has wandered off on his own to pray—something not uncommon in New Testament readings.
But it is while he is away, that the storms begin to surge. The seas rise and fall, as waves crash against the disciples’ wooden fishing boat.
Full disclosure: most of this column was crafted from the passenger seat of a Sea Doo jetboat in the middle of Lake Winnipeg. So, take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt.
The open water can be exceptionally terrifying. One wrong move and that could be it: game over. Something I have learned through varying experiences is the importance of preaching boating safety and education when on the water. All too often, local stories are shared of misuse of floatation devices, the consumption of too much alcohol, horrific tubing accidents and even drownings on the calmest of days.
Sure, I’ve certainly been known to take passengers on some wild rides as captain over the years, but it is paramount to ensure I know who is aboard the vessel and their respective levels of comfortability, in order to best work towards a successful day on the water.
For the disciples—Peter in particular—it was not a successful day on the water. At least not until the end of the night.
I’ve been on the ocean in a variety of watercrafts—most rather large. But the most intimate experience I have had with the sea resulted in tasting the distinct flavour of salt from water splashed onto my face from a beleaguering cross-wind while travelling across a small inlet of the Atlantic Ocean just north of Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.
Thinking back to Matthew’s account of Jesus walking on the water, I instinctively begin shaking my head. It’s unbelievable; it’s a miracle. But that’s what He did best. I cannot begin to imagine the fear of the handful of men trapped on their fishing boat in the middle of the night as the storms begin to pick up. No, these aren’t your typical 33-year-old dads from the local pool, who have just helped their young daughters pass their Wednesday afternoon group swimming classes. These guys probably never had any training on the water, but rather learned by experience, experiment or accident. Then, to have their teacher call one of them out into the open water and watch him begin to sink down into the swirling waves? That was probably enough to turn at least one or two of them off from fishing ever again.
I’ve never been much of a fisherman. I just can’t quite sit still and turn my brain off long enough to make it worth my while.
But, you know what? With some help—or what I would call coercion—I recently made it out onto the fishing boat and dropped a line just the other day. No, I didn’t reel anything in, but I sure took in the thrill of others catching dinner.
It was as I stood up on the boat, net in hand, ready to scoop up a decent piece of protein, that the waves picked up. The skies quickly opened and rain began to pour down. It was in that moment that I was reminded of Matthew 14 and Jesus’ lesson to not be afraid amid the storm.
Carter Brooks
Interim Editor
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