4.8 feet per second for a distance of 66 feet. 4.8 feet per second for a distance of 66 feet is the time and length basilisk lizards can walk on water. And they look good doing it! Okay, they actually look comical doing it. You should really Google it—or go to someplace like Costa Rica where you can see them whisk upon the water in person. It might seem disrespectful to some of us, but you can understand why the basilisk is also known as The Jesus Christ Lizard. Obviously, it is because of the gospel account of Jesus walking on the water. The Jesus Christ Lizard sprints across water to escape predators when it feels threatened; Jesus himself walked on water and showed his power to help and save when his friends felt threatened by a furious storm.
As Jesus walks on the water of the Sea of Galilee, we see him reach out his hand to help a doubting disciple. As we talk about the details of that account today, let’s think about how A Christian Answers Doubt with Faith.
Last week our gospel reading was the account of Jesus feeding over 5,000 people with what was essentially a sack lunch. The disciples and all the people there saw the miracle and were amazed at it. However, the crowd then viewed Jesus as what we sometimes call “a bread king”—a leader who could provide for them and improve their earthly lives. Those with the loftiest expectations would have seen Jesus as the king who would rule the nation of Israel and get them out from underneath Roman rule.
Jesus could see into their hearts and minds and knew that they were more interested in national/political concerns than what he had taught them and shown them that he was the spiritual Savior God’s people had waited thousands of years for. And he saw that they were preparing to take him by force and make him their king. So, he made his disciples get in a boat and make for the opposite shore.
Meanwhile, he had something important to do. He needed time alone, time away from people, time to pray to his Father a quiet time away on the mountainside. You might know what that need feels like, even if you don’t know what it feels like to have the devil throwing at you the temptation to rule in an earthly sense like he did to Jesus once again, just as he did when he offered him all the kingdoms of the world if he would just bow down to him. It’s not hard to imagine Jesus praying about that…or for the crowd to see him for what he really was…or for the disciples who were out on the water in a furious storm. At any rate, Jesus needed this time for prayer before he would return to his friends.
It was his return to them that inspired faith in him…then doubt…then faith again! It would be remarkable if we have never ridden a rolling wave of faith and doubt like Peter did. That would require us to look into the eyes of the person sitting next to us today and with a straight face say, “I have never wavered in my faith in Christ. I have never doubted at all…ever.” If you can do that, you have matched Jesus’ trust in his heavenly Father, which would really be something!
This is what actually happens: The Holy Spirit gives us faith in Jesus. We trust that he is the Son of God that we hear about in the gospels. We know that the feeding of the 5,000-plus was not an exaggerated story. We are certain that Jesus is true God who created the earth and everything in it and the laws of physics that govern this world and that he overruled those and walked on the surface of the Sea of Galilee. In fact, we believe everything the Bible tells us about him.
And then life throws us a curveball that we can’t handle. We are threatened in our body or mind or relationship or status or security. Things are not good…and we start freaking out and suddenly where we ought to see clearly with eyes of faith, our vision gets clouded and we don’t know what to do.
Something like this happened on that boat. The disciples wouldn’t agree, but Jesus’ timing was perfect, of course. He arrived at the boat as it was being tortured by the waves, terrifying his friends. This was perfect. This was perfect for showing his friends his power over all things once again and his love and concern for them.
71 feet is the tiny difference between the elevation of Mount Lemmon here and Mount Hermon, which looks down on the Sea of Galilee. But while the desert floor here is only about 2400 feet above sea level. The Sea of Galilee is 680 feet below sea level. Maybe that comparison will help you visualize cold air pouring down off the mountain and colliding with the warm air over the water. Imagine the thunderous force of that crash and what it does to the water…and the boats on that water! The 2,000-foot-high hills to east produce furious storms also as the cool wind from that side drop off the cliffs and onto the lake. When the winds sweep in from the west, the storms can appear with almost no warning. This is the nature of that large lake or sea in northern Israel. Some of those men were from the shores of that lake; they were fishermen on that lake. They didn’t have to imagine; they knew. Maybe you can appreciate their fear.
And maybe you remember that they—and Jesus—had previously been through another fierce storm had nearly swamped the boat. They were stunned then as they watched that storm come to a complete stop when Jesus told it to!
Here they were again, this time battling a wild sea squall for hours before Jesus came to them, walking on the water. Because of the storm, it may have been hard to make out that it was Jesus, but fear was clouding their vision too. There he was, right in front of them, but they could not see him for who he was. Somehow it was more reasonable to believe that they were seeing a ghost than it was to even consider that this was their Savior—who had just hours ago performed an incredible miracle right before their eyes. But the storm…
Isn’t it true that there are trying times even terrifying times in your life when you should recognize that Jesus is right there but you are so consumed with the distress you are in that you’re not “seeing Jesus” in that moment? Then you remember your Savior is the one constantly with you right there with you! Faith surfaces! But perhaps doubt follows like it did for Peter.
Once Jesus told Peter that it was him, Peter showed faith in Jesus because if it was him, he would be able to allow Peter to do what is normally impossible. If he could walk on the water also, he would be convinced. How gracious of Jesus to provide the proof Peter was asking for!
The almighty Jesus in front of him and he himself doing the impossible wasn’t enough. The storm. Fear gripped him again and it began pulling him under. He doubted that he could remain on the surface even with Jesus right there with him. Doubt…then faith…then doubt.
Storms on the Sea of Galilee are sudden and unpredictable and violent—much like the storms in our lives that cause us fear and even lead us to doubt God’s protection and care. For us, faith…then fear…then doubt.
Here we are in church, trusting in Jesus, worshiping our Savior all is good. But then we walk into a new classroom for the first time and it’s scary. We forget that Jesus is always with us.
We walk out of the doctor’s office and into our new life that includes a bunch of tests and treatments and we don’t know how all that is going to be. Our initial reaction is fear, and our first instinct is to worry. But Jesus is right there!
The conversation you need to have with someone is not going to be easy. You have to do it, but you’re afraid of the fallout and you wonder whether it’s going to do any good. But Jesus is right there with you!
It’s our last day on the job because we’ve been let go or we made the decision to leave. How is this all going to work now? We become overwhelmed giving no thought to Jesus who stands there ready to hear our prayers.
In so many stormy situations, fear is first and doubt follows. I’m facing this, and I’m afraid Will God help me weather the storm? Will he solve the problem? Is God really even there?
It’s in that moment that A Christian Answers Doubt with Faith. Look at Peter: faith that if it was Jesus, he could let him do the impossible. Doubt when he was allowed to do it. Then faith as he called out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” Like a rolling wave faith doubt faith
Faith in the face of our doubt brings us back to our senses. We remember that Jesus is right there. He could have just said the word and Peter would have been raised up and seated in the boat. But he didn’t do that. He offered Peter the security of his hand in his, pulling him out of his trouble. How awesome is it that God gives his people a promise that looks a lot like what we see there on that water? This is from Isaiah: For I am the LORD your God. I am the one who is holding on to your right hand. I am the one who says to you, “Do not fear. I myself am helping you. (41:13)” Remember that Jesus is holding on to us in the midst of our storm no matter how fierce it is. Remember that he can stop the storm. He may do that for you. It may calm; it may cease entirely.
It can also go on for a while, even while he’s got you.
So, I don’t know how many days it takes in a new school year for the waves to settle but I know that Jesus is right there with you and so do you.
I don’t know what the doctor is going to say about your physical or mental issue—but I know that Jesus is right there with you—and so do you.
I don’t know if that conversation is going to go the way you want it to but I know that Jesus is right there with you—and so do you.
I don’t know in what ways the Lord is going to provide for you in your new situation—but I know that Jesus is right there with you—and so do you.
There may even be certain storms that rumble throughout our lives, but even then, faith conquers the doubt and trusts that his hand is in yours and, like Peter, he doesn’t let you sink. The presence and the power and the help of Jesus moved those disciples to worship him just as we do when we recognize Jesus for who he is and put our trust in him and remain and remain certain that he is right there with us.
Ultimately, our Savior will grab our hand and pull us up out of this stormy world and into the peace of heaven where we will worship him eternally. No more days of being battered by life’s furious winds, but only the eternal calm that will come from being in our Savior’s presence in heaven
We’ll be there one day because he paid for our sinful fear and doubts on the cross. He applies that forgiveness to us and makes us perfect in his eyes. As his forgiven friends, we are able to entrust every stormy situation to him. If he was willing and able to live for us, die for us, and defeat death for us, he is certainly willing and able to bring us through the worst this world has to offer. Answer any doubt you may have about that with faith. That’s what Christians do. Amen.
Now the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.