He Is I AM
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Matthew 14:22-33
The disciples had wanted Jesus to send the crowds away so that they
could get some food for themselves, because, you'll recall, there
wasn't enough with just five pieces of bread and two fish. But Jesus
had different plans. We'll feed them with what we have.
Now Jesus was sending the disciples away. Get into the boat and go to
the other side. And Jesus was also now sending the crowds away as
well. Now He would have His time to be by Himself to pray. Presumably,
He would meet up with the disciples later. But how would He get there?
He was sending them to the other side, was He planning on walking
around the lake? Or did He already have in mind to meet them out there
on the water by simply walking on it?
Whatever He had in mind, we know that what He really needed was the
time in prayer. A phone call in the middle of the night is the last
thing we want. Jesus wasn't awakened from sleep, but was once again
interrupted from His prayer time. He saw the disciples out there in
the middle of the lake being battered by the wind and the waves. He
created those things so He decided He'd come out and give them a hand.
No need to find a boat, He'll just walk on out there.
Now, I'm with the disciples in being terrified at the sight. It's the
middle of the night, they're being hit hard by the elements, and
here's this figure walking toward them on the water. I've never seen a
ghost, but I think that'd be my first thought as to what I was seeing.
But ghosts don't talk. Well, in the movies they do. But an apparition
is a ghostly appearance of a person. This ghost they were seeing began
to talk. He says, "Hey guys, it's me, relax." He doesn't even say His
name. He just says, "It's me, don't be afraid."
So how did they know it was Jesus? Well, if they thought they were
seeing a ghost, they may have thought they were seeing a ghost of
Jesus. But it's not only what they were seeing, it's also what Jesus
said. He didn't need to say, "It's me, Jesus." All He needed to say
were the words that He said. And although every English translation I
looked at used the words, "It is I," what He actually said was, "I
am." In other words, He wasn't just saying, "Hey guys, it's me, it's
going to be okay." What He was saying is "Don't be afraid, I'm not a
ghost, I'm God." I am the one who parted the Red Sea in order to bring
the Israelites out of their slavery. I'm the one who created the very
waters of the earth. I am the one who always has been, who is, and who
always will be. I AM. No matter the circumstances, I AM.
There's something very important about what Jesus is doing here. There
were moments when Jesus made a big deal about His glory and His grace,
moments that were removed from the day to day lives of the people of
God. Moments that weren't in the thick of difficulties and real life
dangers. At His Baptism it was abundantly clear who Jesus was. At His
Transfiguration He clearly made known who He was.
But we need more than just a mountain top experience to know who our
God is. He is also the one who comes down that mountain and into our
lives where we have real needs like being fed. Where we face real
dangers like being dumped into the swelling waters. Jesus is all over
that. He's there. He's been there and done that. He, the Lord of all
creation, is the I AM. That's all we need to know.
And so Peter, ever the impetuous one, takes Him up on His statement
that He is Jesus, the One who has come claiming to be the Messiah, the
one who is equal to God the Father. "Tell me, then, to come out to
You." "Come on out, the water's great!" came the response from Jesus.
Was it faith that prompted Peter to step out of the boat? Was it his
infamous impetuousness? Whatever it was, he stepped out and walked on
the water. Did the other disciples, seeing this, want to go out also?
Well, they didn't really get the chance, because Peter decided it
wasn't enough to focus on what had gotten him out there—Jesus, the I
AM. He decided he needed to take stock of his situation. After all, it
wasn't every day that he was out *on* the lake literally on the lake.
And even more so, in the midst of some pretty bad weather. Maybe this
wasn't such a good idea, after all. He began to focus on all that
temporal stuff. Not that it was easy to ignore it. But what was more
powerful in his mind at the moment was the stuff of the moment. The
wind. The waves. The new-found ability to walk on water! This wasn't a
good thing at the moment. All this was more powerful than the one in
front of Him, the I AM, the one who was and is and will always be. The
one who created all the stuff he was afraid of with the simple
speaking of a word.
There's comfort in the words of the I AM: "Oh you of little faith, why
did you doubt?" It sounds like a rebuke because it is a rebuke. But
the comfort is abounding. He doesn't say, "Peter, where is your
faith?" He rather affirms that he actually has faith, little though it
be. What does faith do? It always looks to Jesus. Never to ourselves.
Never to the wind and the waves. To the troubles of our lives, the
dangers we face. The doubts we harbor deep inside our hearts. Faith
looks to Christ alone, the great I AM. And that's what Peter did, He
cried out to His Savior. "Lord, save me." That's exactly what Jesus
did. He reached out and saved. His hand went out and grabbed hold of
Peter. Isn't it interesting that Matthew says that Peter started to
sink? Peter knew how to swim. Couldn't he have gotten back into the
boat by himself and be hauled in by his friends? Of course, but some
people drown because of panic. He had been walking on water because he
was focused on Jesus. When his focus went elsewhere he became afraid.
His cry for Jesus to save him was exactly what he needed to do. Jesus
alone can save us from ourselves. From our desire to look elsewhere.
>From our tendency to focus on the here and now rather than the one who
is always with us and always in existence. But not just as
all-powerful Being, as Savior. Walking on water and on to the cross
where He also cries out to His Heavenly Father. A cry of desertion,
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jesus did not forsake
Peter out on the water because of his little faith. He reached out and
saved him. Neither does your Lord forsake you, for your very Lord was
forsaken in your place.
The Ruler of the Universe walks on water. He doesn't just tame the
storms, He comes to you in the very storms of your life. He comes not
to berate you for your at times little faith. He comes to save you. He
comes to give you courage and hope. The Lord of Life walked the land
in order to suffer on the cross. He is not proud. He doesn't take joy
in our suffering. He simply comes to us in the midst of it and offers
us Himself. That's why, whatever you're experiencing in your life
right now, your Lord invites you to partake of Him. He reaches out His
hand to you and gives you Himself, His Body, and His Blood, for you,
for your forgiveness. For your life and eternal welfare. Take heart,
it is Him. The I AM is with you, always. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
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