Reflection on the Gospel for Trinity IX

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

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

[Mathew 14.22-33]

We all have our heroes, we might also have our favourite saints, those to whom we feel a particular connection, and to whom we go to for prayer. My favourite saints include Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (more commonly known as Padre Pio) and Dom Augustine Hoey (an Anglican turned Catholic monk and spiritual writer). Of all the Apostles though my favourite is St Peter. I like St Peter because he is impulsive in his words and actions. He is someone who frequently gets things wrong, but doesn’t give up when he does, but comes back for more. (If I were being unkind I’d say that he only opens his mouth to replace the foot he’d placed in there.)

 

In Sunday’s Gospel reading we see St Peter at his very best. He sees Jesus walking on the lake, and he steps out himself in order to walk towards Jesus; we cannot doubt Peter’s faith at this moment in time. Of course, he sinks when he realises what it is he’s doing, his faith can only take him so far, simple physics then butts in and tells him that people can’t on the whole walk on water. He may be impulsive, but he’s far from stupid, he knows that people don’t walk on water, that this is usually physically impossible, and so he begins to sink.

 

[As a point of interest, the author Terry Pratchett makes the point that water, when hit with sufficient force, can act like a solid, which is why belly flopping can be so painful, and why a badly executed dive can have fatal results. A bullet fired from a rifle at the right angle he tells us will ricochet off the water’s surface. This may be so, but a human putting their foot onto water lacks both the force and surface area to make use of this property of water. Don’t say I don’t learn you!]

 

What is important is not that Peter steps out, it is that Jesus lovingly admonishes him when he loses faith. He does not criticise him, but merely points out that he lacked faith in what he was doing. Where Peter did not lack faith was in Jesus, he called out to Jesus to rescue him, knowing that Jesus would do so without question. That is not to say that we should put Jesus to the test, but that we should have faith in Jesus both to watch over and protect us, but also that he will answer us in our need. (As the writer to the Hebrew writes, and as was inscribed on the Chapel bell at Westcott House where I trained ‘the one who calls (you) is faithful’.)

 

When I say that God is faithful, it is not to say that he always gives the answer we want or expect, or even at the time we want it. I’m sure we’ve each had the occasion when we have prayed earnestly, but heaven has remained silent, and we have gone away feeling hurt and discouraged. I know that I have. St Peter must have felt the same way when, having been plucked from the water, Jesus admonished him for his lack of faith. And later (particularly in the Gospel of John), we get a sense that Jesus is telling Peter things he doesn’t necessarily want to hear about his future. But Peter kept faith, and we are called to do the same, and when we struggle, we can ask for St Peter’s intercessions, knowing that he has been there, just as we are there now.

 

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There is one final element of the Gospel reading I want to explore; it is the power that Jesus has over nature. This moment is known as a Theophany, a moment of direct revelation of God’s power. In the understanding of the time, the waters were understood as places of chaos, and under the control of the evil one. That Jesus commands and takes control of these representatives of chaos and evil is a direct revelation of who Jesus is. A reminder that powers of this age, earthly (political) or spiritual (evil and chaos), are subordinate to the power of God.