PENTECOST 14: YEAR A, 2008

The story is told of a small Methodist church nestled in the hills of North Carolina. The church was off the beaten path and had remained small most of its one hundred year history. In ecclesiastical circles it was known as a “starter church”. Every three or four years the District Superintendent would send a newly ordained minister to start his ministry. Two of the local deacons would take the fledgling minister aside and explain how they did things in this little church. There method of instruction was to take the new minister fishing and since he didn’t have any way of escaping he had to listen to their instructions.

This year, however, things were different. The DS sent them a newly ordained woman as their new pastor. Our two leading deacons were not happy, but they decided they would do what they always did, take the new parson fishing. So it was that bright and early one June morning they met at the dock of the local lake and loaded up the boat. They rowed out to the middle and dropped anchor. Just then the woman said, “Oh dear, I forgot my rod and reel.” With that she stood up, stepped over the side and walked to the shore and retrieved her rod and reel and started back to the boat. Bubba said to Junior, “Ain’t that just like a woman to forget her fishing rod!”

Peter was a fisherman. He and his brother Andrew owned a fishing boat as did their neighbors, the Zebadee boys, James and John. As a matter of fact, most of Jesus’ early disciples were fishermen who lived in the villages on the edge of Lake Gennesaret, which is also known as the Sea of Galilee. Now, I’m sad to report that not one of them was a fly-fisherman. Rather, these are commercial fishermen. The few commercial fishermen I have met were hardnosed guys , often missing a finger or two if not a hand or foot. Commercial fishing is rough and dangerous and not for the feint of heart. It says much about Jesus that these men were willing to leave their boats and follow him.

Lake Gennesaret is usually a calm and beautiful body of water. Nowadays it is populated by water skiers and tourist boats that serve you an “authentic” meal of the “fish of the apostles". (It’s really tilapia.). Normally there is a gentle breeze coming off the medertrrain to the west, but periodically the wind shifts to the north and comes roaring down through mountain passes to explode onto the north end of the lake. These are fierce storms that turn those gentle waters into four-foot waves. At the north end of the lake is a tavern that has been destroyed three times in the last thirty years by such storms. Such is the storm that Matthew describes in today’s Gospel lesson.

Now there are at least two ways to read Scripture. One way is to ask the question “Is it true?” “Did this really happen?” The other way is to ask the question, “What does it mean?” “What does the writer want us to learn from this story?” I would suggest to you that Matthew is trying to tell us something important about Jesus and he uses Peter as the vehicle for that teaching. Three of the Gospels report a fierce storm on the lake and the disciples in distress as they try to control their boat. Jesus appears to them and shouts, “Do not be afraid!" Matthew is the only one to report this story of Peter trying to walk on water. So, what is he trying to tell us?

It seems to me that Peter is, in a very real sense, you and me. He possesses that combination of faith and doubt that is born of fear. You and I are people of faith or else we wouldn’t be here. There is something within each of us that leads us to this place, to worship at this altar, to reach out for spiritual food week after week. But like Peter, we become aware of the howling wind and the waves that come beating down on us in everyday life and we become afraid. The biopsy comes back positive, the marriage relationship deteriorates, and the notes from the principal become more and more depressing. Our cry goes up. “Lord, save me!”

When Peter calls out to Jesus he says, “Lord, if it is you…” You can hear the doubt in his voice. It is the same phrase used by Satan in Matthew’s story of the temptations in the wilderness; “If you are the Son of God…” Peter wants to believe, but…

At Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked the question, “Who do you think me to be?” Peter, after a long pause replies, “You are the messiah, God’s anointed one…” Jesus goes on nto talk about dying and Peter protests, in effect saying, “That’s not the kind of messiah I had in mind.”

A few days later, at the summit of Mt. Tabor, Jesus appears to speak with the ghostly figures of Moses and Elijah and Peter says, “Why don’t we build three shrines and stay here.”  I love that scene and picture Jesus shaking his head and saying to Peter, “Pick up your trash and let’s get going.”

There were other times as well. Peter promised to never leave Jesus, but when the soldiers came he fled. He had promised undying loyalty, but he denied even knowing him, not once, but three times.  In the garden of Gethsemane he was supposed to keep watch, but he fell asleep, again not once, but three times. And the rest of them weren’t any better. I think what Matthew wants us to do is look at Peter as though he is the mirror and what we see is our own reflection.

I think what else Matthew wants us to see in that story of Peter and the storm is that Jesus grabs Peter and hauls him into the boat and climbs in with them. That’s the image to pay attention to, Jesus in the boat with these frightened, believing and unbelieving, fickle, disciples, acknowledging their fear and doubt, but he’s in there with them. He doesn’t throw them overboard or go recruit a better brand of follower. Jesus never gives up on Peter or the rest of them for that matter..

My favorite scene of Peter is after the resurrection when he and the other disciples go back to Lake Gennesaret for a night of fishing. As dawn was breaking a voice called out from the shore, “Have you caught anything?” Isn’t that what everyone asks a fisherman? It was John who recognized the voice and cried, “It’s the Lord!” Peter, (Who else would it be?) jumps into the water and begins wading ashore. Jesus feeds them some fish and then he leads Peter down the shore with him and says, “Peter, do you love me?” And Peter says, “Yes Lord, I love you.” Then Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.” They walked a few more yards in silence and then, once again, Jesus asks, “Peter, do you love me?” And Peter replies, “You know I love you.” And Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.” They go a ways further and a third time Jesus asks, “Peter, do you love me?” And Peter, somewhat exasperated, replies, “You know everything, Lord. You know that I love you.” And again Jesus says, “Feed my sheep.”

Jesus asked three times and each time one of the three betrayals of Peter was erased. On that morning beside the lake, Jesus gave Peter back his dignity. He gave back his life. He never gave up on him and he will never give up on you. Amen.