Thanks to our newfangled three year lectionary, we reflected on St. Matthew's account of Jesus walking on the waters of the lake, where he meets his disciples in the fourth watch of the night. There they are, a long way off from land, making no headway because the waves and the wind are against them. Terrified at the dimly seen presence of Christ they cry out, thinking they've seen a ghost. Jesus replies:
"Take heart, it is I, have no fear," Θαρσεῖτε, ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε. Then, after rescuing a drowning Peter, Jesus enters the floundering boat, stills the storm and the disciples worship him, "Truly, you are the Son of God." What does this teach us?
To state the blazingly obvious, that Jesus is God, Psalm 29 come to life, "The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; * the LORD is upon the mighty waters." And that's worth the emphasis, the miracle happened, the Word made Flesh, the I AM who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, note the Greek, ἐγώ εἰμι, (I am) now speaks in power to his disciples on the water.
The miracle is real and by it Jesus reveals himself as God to his friends so that they might put their faith in him and be saved, in this case from the storm, but we can go further. The Fathers of the early Church, no small authority, saw the miracle as an allegory or symbol of the Christian life, the life of the Church. Thus:
The disciples represent the faithful, their boat the Church, the ark of salvation. The waters of the lake are the waters of the world and its waves are its tribulations, at every level, which pound against the ship. And the wind is the tempestuous blast of Satan, who would blow the Church off-course from the far side of the lake, which is the Kingdom of Heaven, paradise.
Yes indeed. In every age the Church sets sail across the waters and is pounded by the world and by Satan, both of which hate and would destroy her. And note, apart from Christ the disciples make no headway, as Jesus says elsewhere, "I am the vine, you are the branches... apart from me you can do nothing."
Exactly, but with him, with the Lord upon the waters, we find salvation, both corporately as the Church writ large, the Mystical Body of Christ visible and militant on earth, and personally, as the Church writ small. Here Peter's experience speaks powerfully. It is a miracle within the miracle which illustrates the whole.
He glimpses Christ and hears his voice and asks, "Lord, if it's you, bid me to come to you across the water." Jesus replies, "Come." Peter does, stepping off the boat and into the water, impetuous, only to be distracted by the wind. He begins to sink, to drown, and cries out, "Lord save me!" Jesus does, he catches him and brings him to the safety of the ship.
Is this not the story of our lives? We glimpse Christ, we hear his word and Christ answers our questioning faith, "Come." So we set off across the stormy water to meet him and be with him. Then calamity, catastrophe strikes. The waves pound, the wind blows and no earthly power can save us, so we cry out with Peter, "Lord, save me!"
It's the prayer of desperate faith and Christ, in his love, mercy and strength hears that call and lifts us up from the depths, de profundis, to safety, to union with himself, and puts us back on the vessel of salvation.
I tell you, I've been there many times, no fooling, and I know you have too in far more extremis than I. But take heart, have no fear, the Lord, who is God upon the waters, is with us and is even now guiding his Church and we ourselves to the far shore of paradise. Fall down then, with the disciples in the boat, and worship the Saviour.
Here endeth the Lesson,
LSP
