I'll need someone to help me this morning as we talk about this Bible lesson. Here, I'd like you to hold on to this rope. Now hold tight and don't let go. Think of it as though you're climbing Mt. Everest and the rope is the only thing that keeps you from falling. Guess you'll want to hang on tight with both hands, right? Now get ready; I'm going to start pulling. Oh, by the way, here comes a ball.
(Discuss the person's reaction to the ball being thrown. Did they let go the rope? Why? Did they miss the ball to hold the rope?)
In our text a somewhat similar circumstance arose. Peter saw the Lord Jesus walking on the water. He knew that Jesus could do it for Peter had already seen Jesus' power. He knew His authority as the Son of God. Jesus could do such a thing. And there had been times when He shared that power and authority with those who believed in Him. So, Peter asked the Lord to let him come on the water to Him. Jesus gave permission. With his eyes of faith on the Lord, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus.
Peter's faith was like the rope. It connected him to the Savior and kept him safe. As long as Peter looked to Jesus and held on to his faith in Him, he could walk on water. But then something else came at him, like the ball. He saw the wind; he felt the water; he remembered: “People don't walk on water!” Instead of looking only to Jesus and holding on in faith, he let go. How disastrous that could have been! Thankfully Jesus reached out to save him.
You and I face similar kinds of temptations daily. Although the Bible encourages, “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith” (Heb.12:2), we are tempted to take our eyes off Him when other things happen. Some of them are represented in our text.
I. When alone.
For example, when we're alone, by ourselves, the temptation comes to forget about the Savior and our reliance on Him. That can even take place when we are doing the things the Lord Jesus has given us to do in this life. It's exactly what happened here.
After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand that we saw in last week's text, Jesus dismissed the crowd late in the day and told His disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him across the lake. He wanted to get away by Himself for a while so that He might have some “alone time” with His heavenly Father in prayer.
What a wonderful example for us! When alone we ought to pray and seek the Father's help and guidance. Jesus did it often. And while He enjoyed His “ alone time” with His Father on this occasion, He ordered the disciples to return home without Him.
At first the trip was routine. These “old salts” had often sailed these waters and knew what they were doing. But suddenly a squall for which the Sea of Galilee is famous descended on the lake and made it hard for the disciples to get anywhere. It all happened so fast when they were alone, carrying out Jesus' orders.
They hadn't set out on their own to carry out some foolish, hair-brained notion of their own making. No, Jesus had told them to go. In other words, they found themselves alone , in trouble, “in the line of duty” to the Savior. They were simply carrying out Jesus' command, and they weren't able to get the job done.
Getting the job done which the Lord gave us to do, but it doesn't happen! Striving as best we can, doing what He told us to do, and not getting anywhere with it! That can happen in your service to the Lord in the Church; it can happen in your service to the Lord in taking care of yourself and your families; it can happen in your service to the Lord at your place of work as you try to do the best you can as a child of God. You try to get the job done in whatever station in life God puts you in. But things come at you; He's not around; and you feel alone , trying to carry out His will. Nothing happens. In fact, things seem to get worse.
That's how it must have seemed to Elijah in the Old Testament Lesson today. As the Lord's prophet to Israel , he was doing what God told him to do – preaching the Word of God to the people. But he wasn't getting anywhere with it, it appeared to him. Even after the great victory over Baal's prophets on Mt. Carmel when the Lord confirmed his preaching by sending fire down from heaven to consume his sacrifice, even then the people didn't seem to be affected any. What good was Elijah's preaching doing? So, at the point of near despair, feeling alone with the work God gave him to do, he cried out, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God….I'm the only one left.” You see, even the greatest of prophets have taken their eyes off Christ and given in to frustration.
As for the disciples – some 6-8 hours had passed. Alone they were struggling against forces greater than they in the middle of the lake. It had happened at least once before when Jesus was with them, sleeping in the back of the boat. That night Jesus got up and calmed the storm. But this night He was not with them. Or was He? From the book of Mark ( 6:48 ) we read: “He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.”
In His omniscience, Jesus knew exactly what was taking place, even though He was miles away from them in the hills. He knew that they were struggling to do the thing He had asked them to do. And so He came to them. How comforting that is for us all to see.
We know that the Lord Jesus has invited: “Come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…and you shall find rest for your souls” (Mt.11:28f). Isn't that passage a great comfort to you as a Christian? But something more comforting is seen here. Not only does the Savior see and invite us, but He comes to us when we're alone and struggling. In all our trials, temptations, and times of bad weather, He sees, He knows, and He comes.
You know, we have a tendency to think and act differently. For example, the disciples didn't even seem to think about Him. They were in trouble. But do you hear them cry out to Him for help in their distress? No! They were so concerned about getting themselves out of the bad situation that they looked away from the One who could help and was already on His way.
Aren't we so often like that? Content to muddle through on our own, not even realizing that He sees, He knows, and is already on His way to help us? Alone? Not really; in fact never! The Son of God who died for our sins is with His people always to the end of the world (Mt.28:20). He never leaves you nor forsakes you (Hb.13:5). He doesn't even close His eyes over you (Ps.121:4). You're never out of His sight; never away from His presence. And if troubles arise when you feel alone, He only allows them in order to accomplish His good and gracious will in you through them.
So, dear friend, when it seems you're alone, look only to Jesus. His eye is on you, and in His time He'll come to relieve the burden.
II. When faith fails.
Soon, in our text, He was there. The disciples saw Him on the water, but perhaps a touch of old sailors' superstition still lingered within them. Their faith failed them and they cried: “It's a phantom.” Jesus immediately put aside their fears calling, “Take courage! It is I. Stop being afraid!” Peter replied, “Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.” The Lord consented. Out Peter came, walking on water! Can you believe it? After a while, neither could he. The wind rose and faith failed again.
What causes people's faith to fail? Storms? Shadows in the dark? Human inability? Sickness? Growing old? Failure? Guilt for sin? What frightens us, causing our faith to fail?
You know, if you keep your eyes on such things and take them off Christ, you'll begin to drown in your fears, just like Peter did. He made a big mistake, and with eyes off Christ, he began to sink.
Are you afraid? Concerned that you're drowning? Take Jesus' reprimand to heart. “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
But a little faith is still faith and look what the Lord accomplishes through it. The moment Peter felt himself going down, he reached out to the only hope he had and cried, “Lord, save me.” And the Lord Jesus did. He reached out His hand and caught a faint-hearted Peter.
You see, dear friends, a person is not saved because his faith is strong, nor is he lost because his faith is weak. If that were the case, none of us could ever be sure that our faith is strong enough, that we believed deeply enough, or that we trusted firmly enough. No, we are saved because Christ in His mercy chose us to be His own and reached out His hand to us. That is grace. Upon that fact, and that fact alone we rely, especially when faith seems to fail. God's love and Christ's redemption are great enough and strong enough to save to the “nth” degree even those of weakest faith.
Think of it this way. A million dollar check is worth a million dollars whether it is held in the uncertain hand of a child, in the wavering hand of a cripple, or in the strong, firm grasp of a healthy weight lifter. The value of the check does not change.
Neither do the promises of Christ. In His mercy He saves. And if your faith grows weak, look again to Him. He will catch you for such failures give Him the opportunity to teach you in most powerful ways that He alone is your Savior. When He takes you by the hand and gently brings you into the “safe boat” of His gospel promises, you will find the peace and calm He seeks to give as the Savior who lived, and died, and rose again for you.
May the Holy Spirit help us all to grasp the rope more firmly and not let go, looking only to Jesus. Then, confidently with the disciples we will worship Him gratefully saying, “Truly, You are the Son of God. God grant us this for Jesus' sake. Amen.