When the Storms of Life are Raging (Sermon Prep)

 Sermon: When the Storms of Life are Raging – August 13, 2023 – Lebanon UMC

Proper 14 Year A — Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

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Matthew 14:22-33

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. ²⁵ And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Introduction

Do you think of yourself as a person of faith? If asked, how would you define faith? This week I read an article by a former dean at Duke Chapel. He mentions two kinds of faith. There is a faith that can be based on belief and a faith that is based on trust (Wells). It is important to know what you mean when you use a word or hear someone else use a word.

Words, in and of themselves, are merely symbols of an image we hold in our own minds shaped by our experiences. When I say chair, I have in mind a certain image of a chair. When you hear the word chair it invokes a certain image in your mind.

I say all of this because in my study of faith, trust, and belief this week, I realized just how much people can differ in their understanding of these concepts. One person may say that faith and belief are two entirely different things (Marti). At the very least it seems that people do make a distinction between faith and belief (McCraw 146).

There must be some basis for faith. While some people may say that they have a blind faith, I wonder if such could actually be referred to as faith. There must be some basis for faith — even so-called blind faith rests in some type of intellectual acceptance of something upon which the faith is based. That is why people motivated by a religious blind faith can be responsible for horrible behavior (See Cook).

I accept that faith, trust, and belief are all related and we can and should talk about what that looks like. But first. Let’s look at today’s Gospel text from Matthew.

Our Text Today — from Matthew 14

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 

Matthew mentions two encounters between Jesus and his disciples on the stormy water. The first is from chapter 8, which reads…

²³ Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. ²⁴ Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

²⁷ The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:23-27, New Living Translation)

In this first incident, Jesus is already in the boat with his disciples — he is just asleep — oblivious to the wind and tossing about of the boat. Today’s lesson deals with an event that takes place after the feeding of the 5000 miracle. We may perhaps wonder at the continued lack of faith on the part of the 12.

In today’s story, the disciples are out on the lake by themselves, having been sent on by Jesus. Jesus wanted some time alone on the mountain to pray. Remember he had already tried to get some alone time with his Father after learning about the death of cousin John. That didn’t work — people found out where he and the 12 were and they followed after them.

Now the 12 find themselves alone on the boat on the stormy waters. Jesus isn’t even asleep in the boat. He is still on land. They can’t wake a sleeping Jesus who isn’t on the boat with them. So, they hunker down on the boat for the night. Perhaps they are praying. Perhaps they are crying out. But they must hold out for the night until the darkness passes with the dawning sun.

The image of the storm-tossed boat is an important one for Matthew. For Matthew, this image of the boat is the image of the church being sent out on the stormy seas of its missionary work (Boring 327). In the Hebrew scriptures as well as here, the sea is a symbol of the forces of chaos. That is why when John is given a revelation about heaven, he sees it as a place where the sea is no more (Rev. 21:1). No sea means there is no longer any chaos. The presence of the new heaven and the new earth means that creation itself is set free from its bondage to decay (Rom. 8:21).

If this stormed-tossed boat is indeed the storm-tossed church, then we see how we really do need to have Jesus present in our midst. The chaos of the sea and the storm threaten to separate us from our Jesus — our Savior (Boring 327). The story continues…

²⁵ And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”

So, the sun is up and there they see Jesus walking out on the water. But for whatever reason the sight of Jesus is frightening. Is it foggy? Does it look like he is floating across the water? The text says that they believe they see a ghost, or φάντασμα in Greek. When the disciples see Jesus walking across the water, they don’t see him as someone who defies gravity to keep from sinking — no, they see the one who overcomes the forces of chaos — of evil (Boring 328).

In the Old Testament it is only God who can walk on or through the water. Isaiah 77:19 says, “Your way was through the sea, your path through the mighty waters” (NRSVue). Or as the prophet Isaiah said…

⁹Awake, awake, put on strength,
    O arm of the Lord!
Awake, as in days of old,
    the generations of long ago!
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
    who pierced the dragon?
¹⁰ Was it not you who dried up the sea,
    the waters of the great deep;
who made the depths of the sea a way
    for the redeemed to cross over?
            (Isaiah 51:9-10, NRSVue)

Jesus demonstrates his mastery over the forces of chaos. He is able to cross over in spite of whatever forces are striking the vessel. The disciples see it — Peter sees it. Jesus instructs them to take heart.

²⁸ Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

So, for whatever reason, Peter is suddenly emboldened to announce, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” After being bidden to come Peter steps out of the boat and begins to walk on the water.

Now, Matthew wants to be clear that this Jesus is not some sort of phantasm or disembodied spirit that walks on water.  The fact that Peter is also able to step out even if it is just for a few steps tells us that this demonstrated the divine empowerment involved (Hare 169).

Peter is willing to take the risk of stepping out of the boat. It is a demonstration of trust — his trust in God and his trust in his master (Hare 170). But Peter is distracted. He takes his eyes off of Jesus. When he cries out to Jesus, Jesus takes him in hand and guides him back to the boat.

If Matthew wants us to see the church and the work of the church in the symbol of the storm-tossed boat, then we are to draw certain conclusions for us today. It is very easy to see the church as a safe abode to hide from the raging storms around us. But that isn’t what is meant. The church is that ship sent forth by Christ to be engaged in its mission work upon the stormy seas.

We will be tossed about. But we cry out to our Savior to guide us during the storms. In both accounts of being rescued from the storms — this story and the one in chapter 8 — we see that with the 12 we are to cry out to the Lord to save us (Witherington 293). Jesus has authority over the chaos of life, and we will see as we continue into Matthew’s gospel story that Jesus will extend this same authority to us — the church — as we faithfully engage in the work entrusted to us (Boring 328).

And finally, we finish today’s text…

³² When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The first story of Jesus calming the storm — in chapter 8 — ends with the disciples wondering, “Who is this man, that even the wind and the waters obey him?” Now, here, at the end of today’s story we hear the disciples proclaim, “You are the Son of God!” We see that Peter isn’t the hero in this story, Jesus is. This is the first time the disciples make that profession in Matthew’s account. This is the first time they recognize him as the Son of God (Hoffman).

So, What is Faith?

So, back to the questions I asked at the beginning. What is faith? Is faith related to belief and trust and if so, how so? I want us to consider this by breaking it down a bit.

First, let’s consider belief. What does it mean to believe something? Belief is an intellectual assent, an acknowledgment or acceptance of something to recognize as real. Beliefs may be based on reality or not. I can believe that the earth is flat or that the moon is made of cheese. Believing it doesn’t make it so.

But even if the matter is true, belief falls short of what we mean by faith. “Do you believe in God? Even the demons believe, and shudder!” writes James (2:19). When we talk about belief as faith we tend to talk about statements and doctrines and dogmas.  “I believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” A creedal statement may be a beginning to understanding faith or what it is that we believe, but it isn’t faith itself. Yes, it is a beginning — a knowledge of God is necessary to having faith in God.

So, second, what is trust? To trust in something is to have faith in it. It is to have confidence in something. When I say I have faith that God will keep his promises I am saying that I have trust and confidence that God will keep his promises. As an attribute of faith, it means that I will be loyal in my allegiance to a cause or a person. In this case, in God and in Jesus Christ.

In the boat, the disciples had to learn to trust in Jesus. This is the faith Jesus is looking for when he challenges his disciples, “Why is your faith so small?” You see, faith is not about being able to walk out on the water. Faith is about trusting in Jesus, that he will meet us where we are — here in the boat — as we need him (Boring 329).

So, if we have faith, if we truly trust in God, if we indeed have complete confidence in Jesus Christ as our Lord and our Savior, then there will be evidence of it. You see, if there is no evidence of trust then there is no trust. The evidence of our trust and confidence is the action that is the result of said trust and confidence. Our actions — both good and bad — demonstrate where we place our trust and confidence. As Jesus said, “every good tree bears good fruit, and every bad tree bears bad fruit” (Matt. 7:17).

This action that demonstrates our faith will works itself out in our love of God and in our love of neighbor. Do we love the Lord, our God? Is it evident in our time of prayer? Is it evident in our searching the scriptures? Is it evident is the way we gather to worship together as the Body of Christ?

The same is true for our love of neighbor.

We know people whose lives are stirred up by the storms of life and circumstances. If we don’t know any, then shame on us. We need to be about the business of finding them and meeting them. We need to recognize that the storms causing chaos and trouble look different in the lives of different people. Maybe it is dealing with an addiction. Maybe it is dealing with a terminal illness — their own or in the life of one they care for. It may be a storm of anger or indifference or despair (Chinlund 8–9).

Just as the storms calmed when Jesus entered the boat so are we called to be a calming presence in the lives of those who hurt. There is no guarantee that everything will work out. No, that’s not the point. The point is that we are present in Christ, as the Body of Christ in the lives of others. There may yet be healing. There may yet be disciples to be made (Boring 330). When the storms of life are raging, we are called to stand in their presence being with them bearing the image of Christ.

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

 

References

Boring, M. Eugene. “Matthew.” The New Interpreter’s Bible, edited by Leander E Keck, vol. 8, Abingdon Press, 1994, p. 744.

Chinlund, Stephen. “Calming the Storm.” Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 43, no. 1, Spring 2004, pp. 7–10.

Cook, E. Albert. “Blind Faith.” The Biblical World, vol. 53, no. 2, 1919, pp. 173–80.

Hare, Douglas R. A. Matthew. John Knox Press, 1993.

Hoffman, Mark G. Vitalis. “Commentary on Matthew 14:22-33.” Working Preacher from Luther Seminary, 7 Aug. 2011, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-19/commentary-on-matthew-1422-33-2.

Marti, Fritz. “Faith versus Belief.” The Journal of Religion, vol. 26, no. 1, 1946, pp. 30–41.

McCraw, Benjamin W. “Faith and Trust.” International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, vol. 77, no. 2, 2015, pp. 141–58.

Wells, Samuel. “The Better Part of Faith.” The Christian Century, vol. 139, no. 19, 18 Nov. 2022, https://www.christiancentury.org/article/voices/better-part-faith.

Witherington, Ben. Matthew. Smyth & Helwys Publishing, 2006.