“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Today, as we consider the passage from Matthew’s gospel that I read to you earlier, I’d like to include in the discussion the passage which immediately precedes it, which we heard last week—namely, the Feeding of the Five Thousand [Matthew 14:13-21].
In this circumstance, as we may recall, Jesus and the disciples were in a desert place with a great crowd.  There was a concern, on the part of Jesus, that the crowd needed somehow to be taken care of there.  Just to send them away might mean that they might find themselves in need en route.  [This is actually how it is stated in the Feeding of the Four Thousand, Matthew 15:32-39—my error.] And so, Jesus proposed that his disciples feed them or provide for them.  The disciples found this an impossibility, because they simply had five loaves and two fish.  But, still, Jesus had the crowds sit down on the grass.  He took the loaves, blessed and broke them, and distributed them to the disciples, and then, via the disciples, to the crowd.  People of the crowd ate and were satisfied, and some twelve baskets were collected of left-overs.
Now, the passage that I read today concerns a situation where there is a lack of ability shown by the disciples.  In the passage concerning the feeding of the five thousand, the disciples claim a lack of ability to do as Jesus commands—namely, to, somehow, feed the five thousand.  In this passage I read to you today, there is a desire on the part of the disciples to accomplish something; but it is a desire which finds some obstacle or problem en route.  So, for example, the disciple Peter sees Jesus coming over the water, and wishes, actually, to go out to him, at Jesus’ command.  He does so, and then there is a point where he begins to doubt, and he sinks, and has to be saved by Jesus—reaching out his hand to save him.  Also, the disciples find themselves on this lake, the Lake of Galilee, in inclement conditions, shall we say, in a situation where the wind is against them; there are high waves; they are not getting anywhere very fast.  Jesus, on the other hand, when he comes and gets into the boat—the result is that the wind ceased.  Eventually, they were able to get to their destination.
So, in contrast to the relative inability of the disciples, there is the ability of the one whom they hail as the Son of God.
Now, it is possible to read this passage or these passages simply on a literal level.  However, it is also possible to see in those passages teaching which applies not just to the disciples of that time but to our very selves.
One of the early temptations of Jesus as told to us in Matthew and Luke is that he turn stones into bread in order to feed the multitude.  If he were the Son of God, he would be able to do that; that’s the temptation of the devil.  Well, here in the wilderness, here are people being fed.  However, in the bigger picture, or the picture which includes us, one might be inclined to see in this also a message—first of all—of the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion—where people are fed.  A multitude of the world is fed—not only the five thousand, but people the world over.  The passage could also speak to us of God’s word, because Jesus’ response to the temptation of the devil was, “You shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
So the Word of God is what ultimately nourishes people, what ultimately nourishes us.  It is the powerful reality that brings life and brings God’s purposes to fruition.
The creation of the world, as it is depicted right at the beginning of the book of Genesis, is as being the consequence of God’s Word.  God spoke, and various things came, as a result.  This service began with the quotation from Isaiah 40:8,
The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand forever.
The same part of the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 55, speaks of the word of God as something like rain that comes down from heaven, and accomplishes the purposes for which it was sent—that is, life.  The word of God is like that.  It accomplishes the purposes for which it was sent.
A good example of it all is Jesus himself [the living Word of God], as depicted in the gospels.  Jesus calls his disciples, who were then fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John, “Follow me!”  And they followed him.  We are told also that, in certain circumstances, Jesus promises, from a distance, that a person’s child or servant will be healed; that person is healed.  So the word of God has the ability to bring about that of which it speaks.
In fact, right at the end of the gospel of Matthew, there is a peculiar set of words spoken by Jesus, when Judas encounters him.  Judas is bringing with him the whole group of people who are to arrest Jesus.  But the arrest does not take place until Jesus’ words are actually spoken.   And the words are something like this, “Fellow [or friend], what it is for you to do, do.”  And, it’s as a result of Jesus’ word that the arrest follows.
When Jesus is being tried or interrogated by the Sanhedrin in the night before his crucifixion, the high priest has various witnesses testify; but then he asks Jesus directly, “Tell us if you are the Son of the Living God,” to which Jesus replies, “You have said so; and from now on, you will see the Son of Man ... coming on the clouds of heaven.”  And then, after his word, things move along to Jesus’ own crucifixion.
So, it’s as though the word of God is what creates—bringing life, or bringing about God’s purposes, in the case of Jesus’ death and subsequent resurrection.
The Word of God is what brings life for us.  There are many things, of course, such as bread, that nourish us.  But, ultimately, and this is why we are here, we believe that the Word of God is something that our souls need more than anything else—what ultimately addresses us most substantially, and most importantly, to bring the eternal life which God wishes to give to us through faith in his living Word, Jesus Christ.
The next segment I would like to consider after the matter of the distribution of the loaves and the fish, is this matter of Peter’s venturing forth in order to meet Jesus, going over the water.  He said, “If it is you, Lord, command me to come to you over the water.”  And Jesus said, “Come.”  And Peter got out of the boat, started to walk on the water, and came towards Jesus.  But then he noticed a strong wind, and began to doubt, and then to sink, and cried out to Jesus to save him.
Now, again, this can be read simply on a literal level.  But, perhaps, we should also inquire what it means to us.  Does it signify anything to us?  Or was it applicable simply to Jesus and the disciples then?
Well, if we look at Peter’s behaviour, over the period in which he was a disciple of Jesus, we see some similarities in his approach here and elsewhere.  So, in Matthew 16, Jesus questions his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?”  “Well, you are one of the prophets, they say, or you are John the Baptist risen from the dead.”  And then Jesus said, “But who do you say that I am?”  And Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus’ reply to Peter was, “Blessed are you, Simon bar-Jonah, for my Father who is in heaven has revealed this to you.”  But then, not too long afterwards, Peter was unwilling to accept the possibility that Jesus might have to suffer and die as the Messiah; and subsequently, be raised from the dead.  He was unable to entertain that possibility, and said to Jesus, “Far be it from God to allow such a thing,” to which Jesus replied, “Get behind me, Satan!”
When Jesus met with his disciples at the Last Supper, after the supper, he said to his disciples that all of them would scatter.  But Peter affirmed that, even though others might leave him, he would not; he would follow Jesus to his death, if need be.   But, immediately afterwards, when the disciples were in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter and James and John fell asleep; they could not keep awake.  And then, when Jesus was being interrogated by the Sanhedrin, and when Peter was out in the courtyard, one woman, and then a second woman, according to Matthew’s gospel, and then a group of people insisted that Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples—which he denied, first of all, then denied with an oath, the second time, and then denied with an oath and a curse, for the third time.
However, when the cock crowed, and he did just exactly what the Lord said he would do, he went outside of that courtyard and wept bitterly.  Those tears, one could say, were not just tears of remorse;.they were tears of repentance.  In a way, Peter did follow Jesus to his death, because Peter encountered his own weakness and failure, and, afterward, was the one who became the lead disciple, one to whom Jesus revealed himself.  Peter became a leader in the subsequent Church.
So all of this is to say that we ourselves know very well that we are people who fall, who fail.  We have good resolutions, but do not fulfil them consistently.  But we have, in this one, Jesus, Saviour, who is able to deliver us from our sins, from our despair, and to reinstate us as the people God would want us to be.
Now, in the third sequence that I mentioned, the disciples are in the boat, and facing contrary conditions for transport on water, shall we say.  There is a strong wind, and menacing waves.  Now again, we can read this simply as something that took place.  But we can perhaps read it in terms of our own experience, and what the presence of Jesus means to us as persons.
And, in light of that, we could say that, sometimes, our lives are characterized by a lot of effort in directions which do not get us very far.  A big expenditure of effort for something that does not really make much difference, seemingly.  However, with the presence of Jesus, and following the direction into which he calls us, we actually find the purpose, and find the destination to which our lives tend.  And so, our lives acquire peace as well, in the fulfilment of that purpose and destiny that God has given us.
In these two passages, right next to one another, we see disciples incapable, to some degree, and, then, Jesus capable—in fact, called by them, “Son of God”.
Well, we also know what it is to be incapable.  But we also know that we can use this expression or this title for Jesus, “Son of God”, because we believe that we have, in him, the living Word of God, and, through faith in him,we find life, indeed eternal life.  We can call him “Son of God” because we find in him one who is our Saviour, our deliverer; he delivers us from our sins, from circumstances which are extremely difficult.  We also can call him “Son of God” because, by following him, and following his lead, his direction, we find ourselves using our energy, using our life, towards the purpose that God would want for us, and finding peace in that.
So let us hear in Jesus the Word of God.  May we recognize him as our Saviour.  And may we also see in him the one who has promised to be with us always to the end of age, and to guide us in the path that truly brings peace for us and the good for the world he wishes us to bring.