BID ME COME!

Sunday, March 1, 2020

BID ME COME!

Matt 14:27-29

Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

           Continuing our story that began with the feeding of 5,000 and the command that the disciples cross the lake ahead of Jesus, we now come to the dramatic middle of our story. The sudden, and we think, spiritually instigated storm had stopped the mariners at about three in the morning. This is an hour that is deeply dark and physically exhausting.

           We are smitten with a blend of emotions when we realize that Jesus saw them toiling in rowing but would have passed them by! What? Didn’t He care that they were in trouble? But the disciples supposed Jesus to be a ghost and cried out in terror. Jesus, now alerted to the situation, says “It is I; be not afraid.”

           Ignoring the cheerful “be not afraid,” Peter now focuses on the claim of “It is I.” Well, he says, if it is truly you then bid me come unto thee on the water.” That, Peter thought, would reveal any imposter. Jesus utters a single word: COME! Now the pudding of proof is on the other foot – to mix metaphors.

           The point seems to be this. The terror and exhaustion of any storm fades away when we see Jesus! It may not go away but we finally see a solution. Suddenly the desire to COME TO JESUS is stronger than even the desire to survive the storm. I have found it so with the aging process. There is a strong desire to disembark and walk toward Jesus. But, as we may see tomorrow, that too can bring its own set of problems.

Dear Lord, today many will come to church either out of habit or some stirring inside. Let them also come to Jesus out of their own personal storm. AMEN