PROPER XIV - A - 20 - 1 KGS 19. 9-18,
Following the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sends his disciples away by boat across the sea. He then dismisses the crowd. Finally, he is able to be alone and ascends the top of the mountain to pray.
The disciples, on the other hand are struggling to make headway against a strong wind. Their struggle extended throughout the night. It was almost dawn when they saw Jesus walking on the water. They thought him to be a ghost and cried out for they were afraid.
Jesus tries to silence their fear by identifying himself. However, that does not satisfy Peter. He wants to be certain that it is the Christ. He asks Jesus to command him to come to him. Jesus says, “Come.” Peter steps out of the boat and starts toward Jesus.
He quickly becomes distracted by the wind and the waves and suddenly realizing where he is, he takes his eyes off Jesus, and immediately begins to sink. He cries out “Lord save me.” Jesus reaches out his hand, takes hold of Peter, and raises him up out of the water.
Together they enter the boat and the wind ceases. The disciple’s fear is dispelled when Jesus in finally in their midst. They respond by worshipping him and declaring for the first time, that he is the Son of God. It is another one of those familiar stories but how many pictures of today’s scene have you ever witnessed?
Curiously, only one great picture of this scene has ever been painted and that by Conrad Witz in 1444. Perhaps devout artists avoided it because it seemed to show up Peter in a bad light. However, it rings ever true to the Christian experience, my own, and that of many others.
If the previous story of the feeding of the 5000 can be read as a picture of Christian vocation, this story can be read as a picture of the life of faith, one mixed with fear and doubt, which is the typical state of so many Christians as it was with the disciples.
At times, we keep our eyes on Jesus, but then we get distracted and let our eyes drop for a moment to the “waves."
In today’s first lesson, the prophet Elijah has hidden himself away in a cave. He is afraid. His adversaries have threatened his life. God finds him and asks him why he is hiding? He responds because he has been faithful and all the faithful except him have are being destroyed.
God then asked him to come out of his hiding and to stand at the mouth of the cave. When he does, a strong wind arises and begins to breaks the rocks around him into pieces. The wind is followed by an earthquake that shakes the very ground he is standing on.
The earthquake is followed by a raging fire whose flames reach toward him, yet he remains unscathed. The wind, the earthquake and the fire having subsided, total silence follows. As hard as Elijah sought to find God, God was not in any of the above.
In the silence, Elijah hears God speak. His focus is on the still small voice. Hearing God, Elijah’s fear is quelled. God sends him on a mission to anoint the very ones God has chosen to redeem his people from the hands of those who have threatened to destroy not only Elijah but also them.
Jesus’ question to Peter is similar to God’s question to Elijah and is his question to each of us. “Where is your faith? Why doubt?” Why do we sometimes hid our faith?
Often we do suffer from too little faith. However, the matter is not remedied by sitting down and resolving to have more faith. Usually that is a futile enterprise designed only to make matters worse.
For when we do, we focus more and more upon ourselves, and less and less upon God as did Peter and the prophet Elijah. The gospel calls us to look outward, not inward and there to behold the glory of God, who is our help.
The Eucharist is the most outward and tangible expression of God’s love, goodness and mercy. There is no better place on this earth to experience the grace of God than at the altar. The sacrament is not something we earn the right to receive by being a people filled with faith.
No, the sacrament announces to us the faithful and powerful love of God in the midst of our doubt and fear. It is God’s gift to us until we are no longer of those of “little faith,” given freely until we are able to be those who see the glory of God and give Thanks.
Today’s first lesson combined with the familiar story from Matthew are evidence of our need to grow in faith. Growth comes from concentrating on the goodness, mercy and power of God. Faith is the response to the faithful-ness of God.
We do not produce faith by deciding to have more of it. But as we witness and identify God’s love again and again, faith springs forth within us and flourishes.
That is what it is like for each of us in Christian discipleship. There are many times when God asks us to do what seems impossible. How can we ever begin to do the tasks he has called us to do?
Elijah hid himself in a cave because he was afraid. But God had a plan for him. His faith and trust in God enabled him to overcome his fear once he heard God speak and focused on his voice rather than the confusion that preceded it.
Peter asked to come to Jesus in the midst of a storm and as long as he kept his eyes on Christ, he was able to walk on water made solid by Christ. However, once he looked down and saw the waves he began to sink.
To look at the “waves” whatever they may be, is to take our eyes off Jesus and to conclude that what God is asking us is impossible. What we are called to do is so basic and obvious, but so hard to put into practice, to keep our eyes on Jesus and our ears open to his words of encouragement.
Like Elijah, we cannot hear God speak if we are focused on the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire that confronts and challenges our faith. Moreover, we cannot do what God in Christ asks us to do if we are distracted by the “waves” and allow them to overcome our faith by doubt and fear.
The storms of life come and go. Fire and earthquakes devastate. Through it all God remains God. It is up to us to listen for that still small voice in the midst of it all, that voice which encourages to us to step out of our “caves” and out of our “boats” with the faith we have, and to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord and to walk towards Him. AMEN+
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