Daily Bread

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’

One of the first things I was taught at theological college was about 'ego eimi' which is the Greek for 'I am'. It was the phrase used by Jesus when he spoke to them on the lake. He said, "Do not fear, the I AM is here," and there was only one other in the Bible who used that phrase and that was God. In the Septuagint (that's the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament), God spoke to Moses, saying, "I am the I AM. Tell the children of Israel that the I AM has sent me to you." (Exodus 3.14).

Note also that Jesus was walking on the water, and who else 'hovered' over the wild, chaotic waters in the Bible? God. "When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while the Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters."

Yup, this event or miracle was very much a sign pointing to the identity of Jesus!

However, this is a story in two halves, and in the second half, Peter (typical Peter) called out to Jesus and was invited to get out of the boat to walk towards him, but he couldn't make it and called out, "Lord, save me!" and Jesus grabbed hold of him. Well, if the first part of the story was a sign, then it is reasonable to conclude that the second part of the story also has a deeper meaning.

I so want to preach, but I need to keep this reflection short! Okay... so... the point of this half of the story is that we too are called to join in with the mission of God in the world, to walk on the waters of chaos — to be bringers of God's restoration and peace in the lives of others and to the world — however, the point is that we cannot do this on our own or in our own strength. We need Jesus and we need to stay connected to Jesus. Our salvation, and the salvation of the world, is found in and only through Christ.

So, what might this mean for you today? Well, commit to staying connected to Jesus, and be on the lookout for how you might be invited to 'get out of the boat' — to be a bringer of God's peace to a broken and hurting world. What act of kindness can you do today? What word of encouragement can you bring? What balm can you be to someone who is wounded on the inside? Go. Go and be Jesus, and do not be afraid, for the I AM is with you.

Holy God
I reach out my hand
to you to save me
— to hold on to me
and never let me go.
As I stay connected to you
may I be a bringer
of your peace to a broken
and hurting world.
This day and forever.