As we endure life’s storms and waves, trying to “be good,” to be kind to others, to do the right thing, often at personal cost, it can seem that the harder we try the more difficult life becomes. Because of this, all of us, at one time or another, ask: Just what does God expect of me? Today’s readings suggest that this is perhaps the wrong question. Instead, maybe we should ask, Just what do I expect of God?
Today’s readings challenge our expectations of God. In our first reading, the fact that Elijah goes to Mount Horeb, the mountain on which God gave Israel the Torah in Deuteronomy, likely indicates the prophet presumed his experience of God would be similarly extraordinary.1 But no! It was in the “tiny whispering” that God spoke to the prophet.
This reading from 1 Kings stands in stark contrast to our reading from Matthew, which features several extraordinary things. In considering today's Gospel, however, we must be cautious not to trivialize this narrative.
One way to trivialize this episode is by viewing Peter’s apparent lack of faith with a smug sense of our own superiority. After all, one would think that after seeing Jesus perform so many miracles, Peter would have trusted Jesus’s power to support him across the water. I would not have doubted!
It is one thing to observe divine power from a safe distance, it is quite another to experience it first-hand by stepping out into the storm. If we are honest, most of us would prefer to remain in the boat and have Jesus tow us safely onto the nearest shore.
A more compassionate reading of this story reveals that Peter is courageous by asking Jesus for the ability to walk across the stormy sea and having the faith to leave the boat. What is most important and what we run the risk of missing is Peter, even as he falters, does not lack faith. As he sinks, Peter cries, “Lord, save me!” This is an act of faith. And “immediately” Jesus stretches out his hand and catches Peter.2
One of the worst aspects of our contemporary American culture is our literal-mindedness. When it comes to the Scriptures, this means we often lack the imagination to interrogate the text in a way that matters. For example, if you read the Book of Jonah and come away asking whether a person can survive for three days inside a large fish, it’s safe to say you have missed the point entirely.
The question that today’s Gospel prompts is not “Did this really happen?” The salient query is, “What does this mean in terms of my Christian life?” The best way to derive meaning from this passage is by reading it metaphorically. Otherwise, there is nothing more to the story than what Jesus may have done a long time ago in far-off Galilee. We must never reduce faith to a historical curiosity.
Often it can seem like Jesus is off on some mountain or way up in the sky when you are in the thick of a storm. Notably, Jesus does not appear until “the fourth watch.” The fourth watch is just before dawn. Hence, the disciples had been struggling all night in the stormy sea. It is natural, as we go through the storms of life, to ask Jesus: “What took you so long?”
It seems pretty clear that the message from this deeply visual incident is not another demonstration of Jesus’s power. Instead, it shows us how God works. Peter represents each of us. Maybe Peter's faltering walk that is not the lesson. If we listen closely, we can hear Jesus tell Peter- and us- with a gentle smile, as he brings him to the safety of the boat- an image of the Church: “You are not yet what you will be. I love you and will never allow you to sink. Trust in me.”
Another insight is that it is not Jesus’s purpose to be “Mr. Fix It.” After all, it is Peter who sets out across a stormy sea. His intended destination is Jesus, who beckons him, just as he calls each one of us. Take note: Jesus does not beckon from the safety of the shore or from up above the stormy sea. He is in the storm with us to the end, which proves to be the beginning. Jesus is God-made-human, not a Deus ex machina. As a friend reminded me recently after a rough day: “Holiness is in the struggle.”
Jesus gains power by going off to pray. There is a link between Jesus’s prayer and his power to overcome the storm. And so, we might well ask ourselves, would some of the storms I experience rage less if I put time aside for prayer? When life comes at you fast and hard prayer may seem like a waste of time. We hear voices shouting from the gales: “Don't just stand there! Do something!” But, as Elijah learned, there is another voice, a tiny whispering one, that tells us, “Do not be afraid.”4
Having considered the question, “What can we expect of God?,” let’s return to the question, “What does God expect of us?” God expects us to realize that it is through life’s storms that Jesus summons us and draws close to us. When we heed this call, we move beyond our too often closed-in selves into the chaos we fear will overwhelm us. My dear friends in Christ, especially in these perilous times, let us venture forth to Jesus across the stormy waters of life, over the waves of our fear and self-doubt. In this Eucharist Jesus calls us to himself, saying “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”5
1 Deuteronomy 1:6.↩
2 Matthew 14:30-31.↩
3 Matthew 14:25.↩
4 Matthew 14:27.↩
5 Matthew 14:27.↩
No comments:
Post a Comment