The Water

Sometimes when I’m out on the water, I can’t help but be transported to the biblical story told in Matthew 4:22-32, when Jesus calms a storm while out on the water with the disciples. I sometimes imagine what it must have been like for the disciples to look out from their boat, tossing and rolling with the waves from a storm, and see Jesus walking on the water. Not swimming, not paddleboarding, not in a boat of his own, but walking on the surface of the water. And I wonder if I’d be brave enough, like Peter, to take a step out and join him.

I’ve heard many lovely things about this story in the past. Usually, we talk about God’s invitation to “get out of the boat,” to get out of our comfort zones and follow Jesus, even when it feels unexpected or scary. But I want to offer a different take, especially in a time that feels as chaotic and messy as ours.

When Jesus walked on the water, it was a demonstration of God’s presence and power amidst chaos. Throughout Scripture - and in the cultural context in which Jesus lived - water (the sea, ocean, etc.) represented chaos. And this makes sense, especially in the ancient context. Land is predictable. You can till it, plant in it, and likely see some growth. Mountains are tall, strong, and stable; they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. On the land, you can travel, mark landmarks, recognize where you are, and feel confident about where you’re going. On the other hand, water is unpredictable. Depending on the day, it can be choppy or still, warm or cold, running with currents and undertows or safe and clear. Plus, there are large creatures that live in the water that can’t always be seen, and there are no landmarks out on the open sea. Crossing the water or traveling by water was fraught with dangers and unknowns. At the same time, the sea was necessary. For many of us, the water is a source of entertainment, joy, or beauty. For so many in Jesus’ day, the sea was a necessary source of food as well as a mode of transportation and trade.

This image is used throughout Scripture. The sea is often used to depict God’s power. In Jeremiah 31:35, God is described as the one who “stirs up the sea so its waves roar.” In Job 38:8, God is described as the one who “shuts the sea behind doors.” God is so powerful that He can contain even the sea - chaos. 

On the other hand, in Revelation 21:1, John writes, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, and there was no longer any sea.” This doesn’t mean that when Christ returns, there will no longer be any seas or oceans; rather, when Christ returns, there will no longer be any chaos.

When Jesus walked on the water to his disciples, he was showing his power not just over nature or the created order. Jesus is also showing his power amid chaos. Our God is the God who can walk on chaos.

It’s easy to look at our world today and see chaos. Wars, rising prices, inequality, fear of separation from loved ones or losing homes - so much of our world right now feels chaotic. Yet our God is the God who can walk on chaos.

It’s tempting to conclude with a simple message of comfort, knowing that Christ walks on chaos. It would be easy and simple to say that we can let go of our fear because of our big God. And that would be true; we can trust God and hand our cares over to God, even amidst the chaos of the world. But there’s something else that I want to draw out of this story for us, that we can see more clearly when we look at what happens when Peter steps out of the boat. 

When Peter steps out of the boat onto the water and begins to walk towards Jesus, the wind is still whipping. The storm is still crashing all around him. This feels important because we know Jesus could have dried up the sea. Jesus could have done what God did for Moses and parted the waters so he could walk on dry land. He could have invited Peter out onto a nice sandbar that he carved out in the middle of the deep. But Jesus didn’t do any of those things; he walked on the water and called Peter and his friends out onto the water. In other words, using our metaphor from Scripture, Jesus didn’t remove the chaos from around Peter. Instead, Jesus walked on the water. He stood right there, in the middle of it - in the wind and the waves and the unknown creatures swimming below. Jesus wasn’t overcome by it, but he was present right there in the middle of it.

In other words, Jesus stood among the chaos and offered his presence to Peter. 

Friends, this is the invitation of this miraculous story of Jesus: to know that our God is the God who not only walks on chaos, but who stands right in the middle of it - not overcome - and beckons us to Him. God may not always remove the chaos from our lives, but God always offers a gracious, stable, powerful presence right in the middle of it. God calls out to us from the midst of the chaos, beckoning us into God’s loving arms.

I pray that each of us might notice Christ standing in the midst of the chaos of our day. Amen.