[Machine transcription]
Jesus Christ, Amen.
There were three pastors who went fishing one day. Two of them were older, experienced pastors. The other was a very young, inexperienced, fresh out of the seminary pastor. Well, they got into their boat and they went out into the lake and they got out there and realized, ah, we forgot the bait. So one of the older pastors calmly gets up, gets out of the boat, and walks on the water to the shore and the lake. He picks up the bait, walks across the water, gets back in the boat, and they fish.
Well, the young pastor was astounded by this, and like any good, young, inexperienced pastor, he said nothing. A little while later, they discovered, ah, we forgot the cooler with our drinks. So the other older pastor gets up, calmly steps out of the boat, walks across the water, picks up the drinks, brings them back across the water, and gets back in the boat. The young pastor again is astounded, and again he says nothing. A little while later, they discover the tackle box. We forgot that. The young pastor says, I’ll get it. He gets up and without any fear or doubt steps out of the boat and immediately sinks into the water. One of the other older pastors looks at the other and says, you think we ought to tell him where the rocks are?
Jesus walking on the water is often considered one of his greatest miracles, and really, for good reason. How amazing that is to walk on water. And because it is such a big deal, theologians and scientists have debated this issue and tried to somehow logically explain how it could happen naturally and this sort of thing, and even to discredit it as something just impossible. Right? Someone even made the claim that Jesus was able to do this because there was a sudden freeze on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus could walk across ice. No, seriously, this is what people think sometimes.
But this event in our Gospel reading today isn’t just the story of Jesus walking on the water, but also the story of doubting Peter. Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? Jesus says to him. Let’s not be too hasty here in just pinning that label on Peter, the doubting label, okay? Because, well, this event took place on the Sea of Galilee. But the Sea of Galilee had many names. It’s also called the Sea of Kinnereth, the Sea of Tiberias, and the Lake of Gennesaret. But for Peter and the other disciples of Jesus, this place could have easily been called the Sea of Doubt.
Because several times when Jesus did miracles or teaching near the Sea of Galilee, he had to call to say to all the disciples, why did you doubt? And call them, oh you of little faith. But it’s not just Peter and not just the disciples here that get that doubt label, okay? We also have to admit that there are times when we doubt or are people of little faith.
In the story, at first, Peter and the disciples, they’re pretty scared during this storm. And especially when Jesus appears to them, they think it’s a ghost. But Jesus says to them, take heart. It is I. Don’t be afraid. Peter, pretty boldly, in so many words says, I want to be out there with you, Jesus. And Jesus says, come on. And so Peter goes out. At first, he walks on the water, but then he doubts. He doubts. And he sinks. Maybe somebody should have told him where the rocks were.
And you can almost hear Jesus saying to Peter, in a very loving kind of way, when he pulls him up, Oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt? And that seems to be the heart of the matter here. The doubt. The lack of faith of Peter, or the small amount of it.
But again, we may doubt as well. We may have times of little faith too. Because you know how it is. You know how it is. This world can be difficult. It can be tough. It can be harsh. This world can be evil. Just read the news or watch the news. This is a difficult, tough, harsh, and evil world. And you’re walking along in it in your life. You’re walking along. Sometimes things are great. Sometimes it seems like you’re sinking. Sinking. And you can doubt. Doubt that God can help you or will help you. Doubt that God listens to you. Doubt that God is even around or cares. You doubt that God is there. Or at least it sure doesn’t feel like it.
But he is. And you may also at times doubt God’s forgiveness. You know how it is. This is a difficult, tough, harsh, and evil world. But truth be told, sometimes you contribute to it. You contribute to it with your own sins. And it seems like you’re sinking deeper and deeper into your sins. And you may doubt that God will ever reach out to you and save you. Because you’ve sinned so horribly, you doubt that God is there for you. He is.
A very interesting part of this event today is… When Jesus talks to his disciples, they’re scared, and he’s walking on the water, and he says to them, it is I. And more literally translated, that should be, Jesus says, I am. Now that reflects the name of God, that God gives to himself when he tells Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to release the Hebrew slaves. You may know the story. Moses is at the burning bush speaking to God. God is speaking to him.
And Moses says, I’ll go to Pharaoh, but what name do I tell him? What God do I tell him is speaking? And God says to him, as the movie The Ten Commandments says, Moses, tell him I am. I am has sent you. Isn’t it funny how God’s name always, God speaks like that? And in the King James Version too. He says, tell him, I am sends you.
And so when Jesus says, I am, he’s calling himself God. It’s as if he says to the disciples, I am your God and I am here. Take heart. Don’t be afraid. Amen.
In your doubting and times of little faith, in this difficult, tough, harsh, and evil world, and in your sins, Jesus says to you, I am your God and I am here. Take heart. Don’t be afraid.
Jesus is calling you to walk in faith and even working that faith in you, not to doubt, but to believe, to have faith. He calls you to walk in faith and he gives you that faith and wants to strengthen that faith. Because God knows that you’re prone to doubt. And I’m not off the hook here either. I am too.
And that’s why Jesus did miracles back then to give faith and to strengthen faith. And it’s why Jesus continues to give us means to give us faith and strengthen that faith and to take away our doubt. Those means are God’s word and the sacraments.
God’s Word, the Scriptures, the Bible, it tells us about Jesus, how He is I Am. He is God, coming into our difficult, tough, harsh, evil world, coming in the flesh to live with us, to suffer like us, and to die for us, to forgive us, to forgive you. To forgive you of your sin, no matter how horrible it may seem. Jesus is God reaching into our world to take a hold of you and to save you from sinking in it. To save you from sinking in your sin. To save you from doubting.
Jesus is God saying to you, I am your God and I am here. Take heart. Don’t be afraid. There’s no need to doubt. God’s Word is the good news about Jesus Christ, who was crucified on the cross and rose again to save you from your sins, forgive you, and give you eternal life. That’s God’s Word.
So whenever you hear it, you read it, study, sing, or remember God’s Word, your faith can be strengthened and doubt taken away. So God gives us his word to strengthen faith and also the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper where God’s word is connected to bread and wine when Jesus says, this is my body given for you and this is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of your sins. And in believing those words, and you receive that there, you receive the forgiveness of your sins.
In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says, I am here, and I am your God. Years ago, way before I was a pastor, I was a worship assistant at the church I was going to. And part of our duty was we had the privilege of helping distribute the Lord’s Supper, much like your elders do here at St. Paul. I usually held the tray with the common cups in it. And we didn’t have an altar rail, so the people would come up and stand in a semicircle. And then we would go through the line with the elements to give to them.
But as people would come up, I would observe them, especially their expressions. And people usually come up to the Lord’s Supper looking pretty serious or even somber, you know, kind of looking like this because there’s some serious stuff going on. And I’m not saying that’s bad, okay? But what was strange was there were two gals that always came up smiling. And that just stuck out. I’m like, well, I’m not used to that. I mean, is that legal? Can they do that? Is that Lutheran? Is that Lutheran?
And I never asked them why, because I was too ashamed to. That’s just weird. I’ve never seen anybody smile up here. That’s kind of strange. And I grew up Lutheran, and always learning about the real presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. That he’s in, with, and under the bread and wine. And he kind of, blah, blah, blah. That’s a confirmation class answer and all that stuff.
But one Sunday, it hit me. That wasn’t it. One Sunday, it hit me. He’s here. He’s here. Jesus is here, feeding us, forgiving us, giving us his body and blood. No wonder these gals are smiling. Jesus is here. I nearly dropped the tray. I don’t plan on that today, so don’t worry.
In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says, I’m your God, and I am here, forgiving sins and giving faith to receive that. In these means, God’s word and the bread and the wine, Jesus is I am. Jesus is God and he is here. There’s no need to doubt. There’s no need to be afraid.
You see, because it’s not an issue whether or not doubt is a good thing or a bad thing. Theologians sit around and talk about these things. Is doubt a good thing because it draws us back to God’s Word? Or is it a bad thing because we’re doubting God’s Word? It’s not a matter of good or bad. It’s just that doubt isn’t needed. It’s not necessary. There’s no need for doubt because we have Jesus.
We have I Am God. We have God here. Jesus, again, reaches out and pulls you up from sinking and lovingly says to you, Oh, you of little faith, why are you doubting? I’m here.
And when you regularly read or hear God’s word and regularly receive the Lord’s Supper, your faith is strengthened. They’re like rocks to walk on. In this difficult, tough, harsh, and evil world, when you’re sinking, you can have faith and not doubt because Jesus is with us. He is here.
Take heart. Don’t be afraid. There’s no need to doubt. Now, God doesn’t call you to walk on water, but he does call you to walk in faith. He calls you to walk on, well, rocks that he’s given us in his word and sacraments that enable you to walk in this difficult, tough, harsh, and evil world without a need for doubt.
It is I, Jesus says, I am. Don’t be afraid. Jesus is here for you. There’s no doubt about that. Amen. May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
