Jesus had just spent a full day ministering to a crowd that followed him around the Sea of Galilee to a remote place on the far shore. Moved with compassion, he healed the sick and taught the people as a shepherd caring for lost sheep. By evening, it was too late for the people to find food in that wilderness. So Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fish into a feast for more than five thousand. 

 

Now as darkness falls, Jesus sends his disciples in the boat back to the other side. Meanwhile, he goes up the mountain to pray and replenish his spirit in the Father’s presence. The disciples, however, struggle against a strong wind that blows against them on the water. Though the Sea of Galilee is only a few miles wide, after more than six hours, they are still fighting the waves far from land. Then they see a figure walking across the water. Already exhausted, the disciples feel their fears leap within them. They cry out, “It is a ghost!” Their trepidation stems from the notion that contact with a disembodied spirit might separate their own souls from their bodies undoing them completely. Leaving aside whether or not such a thing actually occurs in this world, we can feel their terror.

 

Then Jesus speaks to them: “Take courage. I am. Be not afraid.” The figure that appeared as the source of their primal fear is Jesus who brings peace to them. This instance in the middle of the night actually reveals the very heart of what it means that the eternal Son of God has arrived in our midst. The quelling of fear occurs as we orient our lives to the person of Jesus.

 

Jesus has declared, literally in the Greek, “I, I am.” Most often found in John’s gospel, this phrase harks back to Exodus 3:14 when God revealed his name to Moses, “God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” This was the giving of the sacred divine name which we write as “the LORD.” In saying emphatically “I am,” Jesus identifies with the one who is pure being, the great I AM, the only true God. To have the presence of Jesus is to have all of God himself. For Jesus is the second person of the triune God who has his very life as a communion of love: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The basis for courage in the face of fear is not wishful thinking or a positive attitude. It is the person of Jesus himself.

 

Matthew’s account contains Simon Peter’s challenge for Jesus to call him to walk on the water too. Jesus does not hesitate, saying simply, “Come.” For a few moments, Peter indeed walks on the waves. But when he takes his eyes off Jesus, he looks at the height of the waves, fears anew and begins to sink. He cries out the great prayer of faith, “Lord, save me!” Of course, Jesus takes him by the hand, they return to the boat and the storm is stilled. The presence of Jesus calms fears, winds and waves for Jesus is master of all.

As we noticed yesterday, sometimes what God is doing in our lives for our good can cause us fear. In today’s story, the disciples’ fear moves from a rather normal anxiety about the storm to the terror that something supernatural would unmake them entirely. But they soon realize that the frightening presence is Jesus coming to them. He transcends the highest waves and is willing to invite his disciples to join him. In our lives, he may well call us to more than we ever thought possible as if he wants us to walk on water! In him all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). But we can start to sink when we take our eyes off Jesus and look only at the waves. 

 

As we deal with the fears that arise in us, we can remember that all courage and calm are found in the person of Jesus. Not with circumstances. Those may or may not resolve immediately. But Jesus is here. The same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Our comfort is found in his words: “[I]t is I. Do not be afraid.” We find courage as we try to discern where and how the Lord is with us in any and all circumstances. We can learn to ask questions that lead us to him. Instead of asking first, “Why did you let this happen?” we can ask, “Where are you in this? What are you doing through this?”

 

Courage comes from Christ. Even in the wildest storms, he is there. He is.