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"Discipleship Is A Growth Process” Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – August
10, 2014 Centenary United
Psalm 105:1-6; Matthew 14:22-33 This morning I want to return to where we left off from last
week’s lesson. As you
may recall, Jesus and his disciples watched as five to ten thousand
people ate together by sharing the food they had brought with them.
Our lesson today begins with what happened after their meal.
Jesus directed his disciples to sail home while he stayed behind
to dismiss the large group of people. (Matthew 14:22) We get more insight into why Jesus did not sail with them when we
read about this event from the Gospel of John.
Anyone who could get a group that size and that ethnically
diverse to share their food would make a fine leader for Jesus did not want his disciples to be a part of this interaction
so he sent them home without him.
He intended to walk home by traveling around the north end of the
lake. Because the large crowd
had walked around the lake to greet Jesus, he had postponed what he came
to this desolate place to do.
He wanted to be alone to work through the beheading of his cousin
John. Now that we have set the context of our lesson for today, we can
turn our attention to the drama that was about to unfold.
The people had been dismissed, Jesus had his down-time and the
disciples were on their way home.
Being caught in the storm himself, Jesus probably looked down on
the lake from his vantage point high in the hill country and noticed
that his disciples were in trouble.
They were struggling to bring their boat closer to shore – a
strategy used by fishing vessel crews when they were caught in severe
storms. Jesus hurried down
to the lake to help them.
What has intrigued believers for years is that Jesus was reported
to have walked on the water.
In fact, in our pew Bible the subtitle for these verses is,
“Jesus Walks on the Water.”
Please listen carefully to what I am going to tell you because I do not
want to spoil any imagery that you have been taught for years.
When this event is described in verses 25 and 26 there are two Greek verbs in the text that are different. In verse 25 we have a verb -- thalassan – that can mean “walking on the water” or it can also be translated “walking toward the water.” In verse 26 a different Greek verb is used (peripatein) which has only one meaning, “walking in the water.” This means that there are two acceptable interpretations to this
event. One is that Jesus
literally walked on top of the water during a fierce storm.
The other version is that Jesus ran toward the water and actually
waded into The manner in
which Jesus and his disciples came together during this fierce storm
really does not matter.
What happened next is the core meaning of this story.
While fearing for their lives, several of the disciples noticed a
shadowy figure moving toward them.
When Jesus heard their fears that a ghost was approached, he
yelled back, “Relax! Calm
down. It is I.”
(Matthew 14:27) Peter exclaimed, “Lord, if it is really you, invite me to come to
you.” Jesus said, “Sure!
Jump out of the boat and come.”
The lesson says, “He got out of the boat and began working his
way toward Jesus. Suddenly,
he became fearful of the wind and the overpowering waves.
He sank beneath the waves and he yelled out, “Save me, Lord!” Our lesson indicates that Jesus grabbed a hold of him and said,
“Where is your faith, Peter?
Why are you afraid?
Do you honestly think I would tell you to get out of the boat if you
were in any danger?” We know from the Gospels that Peter’s faith repeatedly failed
him. Jesus had his patience
tested many times when his disciples’ attitudes and responses reflected
few of his teachings. He knew that faith and trust were qualities that
cannot be taught. They have
to be developed through constant practice.
Jesus knew that the enemy
to faith’s development is fear.
Jesus had the
ability to stay grounded with both of
his feet in the
Kingdom of God.
This enabled him to interpret
the movie filled with the
drama of living that his sensory organs were recording. The important lesson that needs to be stressed today has nothing
to do with whether or not Jesus actually walked on the water, nor the
importance of Jesus’ ability to calm the fears of his disciples. What
mattered to Jesus was reflected in his words, “Where is your faith,
Peter? Why are you afraid?
Do you honestly think I would tell you to get out of the boat if
you were in any danger?” When we experience our faith failing us, it generally comes when
we are stressed, tired, disappointed in someone’s behavior, or when a
loved one is suddenly swept from our lives.
In other words, we experience
our faith failing us when we are emotionally overwhelmed by what is
happening in some current moment.
Life can change in a flash and
few of us are prepared with responses that reflect our faith. For example, recently a young man had been doing too much
celebrating during Cup Match weekend when he decided to drive home.
After smashing into two cars, he ricocheted into a couple’s tent as they
slept. The father of three children has since died from his injuries.
His wife is still hospitalized but is expected to live.
Very few people are prepared for such an event. We fail in our discipleship all the time.
Fear is a very powerful energy.
Sometimes the responses of others hurt us beyond measure.
Sometimes we become angry at God.
Sometimes we do not understand why life has no guarantees,
particularly when we have done everything we know how to do to live in
accordance with our understanding of God’s will.
We love our neighbors.
We step out on faith
and then life appears to pull the
rug out from under our feet. All failures of faith will become our
teachers when we remember
that we are attached to the vine that is pruned quite frequently so that
it will bear more fruit. (John 15:2) Being
able to hold on to our faith is not a given.
However, when we are hurt, we
can grow patience and perseverance.
When we are disappointed, we can grow understanding that life is
not always fair. When we
suffer losses we can grow in our trust that our future will be
brighter than it is today. Last Sunday we experienced Holy Communion by taking the fruit of
the vine and bread into our bodies.
By this act, Jesus was teaching his disciples, during their last
supper together, that the power of the universe is within them standing
ready to grow by leaps and bounds each time they use it.
(John 16:13) When we make
no judgment about the circumstances surrounding us and when we think to
ourselves, “What can I do in this situation to become part of a
solution?” a powerful and unexpected energy is released from within us.
Some years ago a woman stood in front of a United Airlines ticket
agent sobbing and hyperventilating. She was experiencing a complete
emotional melt down.
As she feebly attempted to communicate why she was upset, she
told the agent that she had waited at the carousel in the baggage claim
area and her luggage never arrived. He listened patiently as she told him about the items she had
purchased for her grandchildren. He ushered her into a side
office as she continued with her story, he responded with words that
were reassuring and comforting. He asked if she still had her baggage
claim numbers. She did and he entered them into the computer
terminal. He invited her to follow him to a side room near
the baggage claim area. He opened a door and there sat her
suitcases. Her luggage had been
put on an earlier flight. She was an infrequent flier and did not know that such a practice can happen. She not only hugged him but she wrote the President of United Airlines to tell him about one of his exemplary employees and how he had helped her deal with a major crisis. That agent was Tom Ziesemer, a man that a number of you have met. Tom is the husband of my sister, Jane. Instead of beseeching Jesus to save us when life becomes
complicated, we need to realize that we are setting ourselves up to hear
the Master ask, “Where is your faith?
Why are you afraid?”
Jesus is depending on us to be his disciples that make our faith
visible. We cannot
continue to be needy people
that are always looking to Jesus to save us from our circumstances.
We are the ones that must extend ourselves so that we become
the light in someone else’s
darkness. Eventually, Peter discovered the power of his inner world and
conquered his fears. A
number of Biblical scholars believe that the earliest Gospel contains
the memory of Peter’s sermons that were recorded by a young man named
Mark. Mark’s Gospel supplied
the footprint for Matthew and
Luke. Mark also gave
testimony to Peter’s growth. Just
as Peter’s faith evolved after repeated failures, so does our faith.
We must remain patient when our faith fails us.
For faith to become a rock upon which we stand takes time and
practice.
Jesus wanted Peter to stand
strong in his circumstances and never doubt or be afraid of anything
that life presented to him.
Eventually Peter learned how to live without allowing fear to
dictate his responses. At the
end of his life, Peter told his executioners that he did not want to be
crucified in the same manner as Jesus.
According to early Christian sources, the Romans crucified him
upside down. When the storms of life
rage, we are the ones who need to be a part of the solution that
calms the emotions and spirits of others.
This is what discipleship looks like.
This is how discipleship transforms our lives.
This is discipleship at its best. |