“Immediately Jesus reached out
his hand and caught him.

‘You of little faith,’ Jesus said,
‘Why did you doubt.’”

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

The obvious answer is Peter.  Peter the impulsive disciple who all too often did or said something before he put his brain in gear.  In this morning’s gospel story Peter jumped out of the boat to walk on the rough stormy waters of the Sea of Galilee.

You have to wonder what he was thinking, if he was thinking at all? Did he think that the boat was closer to shore than it was and that Jesus was coming toward the boat to pull it ashore and so he jumped out to help Jesus?    Did he think that like Jesus he could walk on water? What ever Peter was thinking, his impulsive action of jumping out of the boat enabled him to experience an unusual demonstration of God's power.   With his eyes focused on Jesus he walked toward him.   “But, as the gospel story tells us, when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.

‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’”

We have a similar thing going on with Elijah in our Old Testament reading.   Like Peter, Elijah had just been witness to an unusual demonstration of God’s power in gigantic proportion.   He watched as God defeated 450 prophets of Baal.   Yet in this morning’s Old Testament reading we find Elijah hiding in the wilderness under a broom tree.  Why? Because Jezebel threatened to kill him.   God reacts to Elijah’s action by asking,

“What are you doing here?”

God could have said to Elijah,

‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’

How could he have doubt, after having witnessed what he did?   How could he doubt that God would save him from the threats of Jezebel?

Having said this let me return to my original question, to whom did Jesus address when He said,

“You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

There is no doubt that Jesus directed his question at Peter but I would like to make a case that Jesus was also addressing this question to the other disciples as well.   Peter at least had the faith to step out of the boat.   He at least had the faith to cry out to Jesus when he was sinking. What did the other disciples do?

“When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake,
they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said,
and cried out in fear.”

What did they do after Jesus identified Himself to them.   Did they become calm and filled with peace?   Did they remember how once before on the stormy Sea of Galilee Jesus stood up in the boat and calmed the storm with an out stretched arm and the words

“Peace, be still.”

I suspect that they were cowering together in a corner of the boat overcome by their fear.   They were so paralyzed by fear that not even Jesus’ invitation to “Come” could tear them away from the side of the boat they were clinging to with white knuckles.

All to often I fear we are more like the disciples than like Peter.  We don’t like where we are but we are not going to do anything about it to change.   Why is it that an abused woman will remain with her abusive spouse?   Why is that a totally disgruntled and disgusted employee will remain working at a job he or she hates?   Fear.   As bad as the present situation may be there is a sense of security.   I know what I have.   The unknown is more frightening.

We live in stormy times.   We are weathering storms of unrest caused by financial uncertainty, declining morals, terrorism, and biological warfare.   These storms are as frightening to us as the storm on the Sea of Galilee was to the disciples.

Are you trying to run away from some problems?   Are you battling loneliness?   Are you frightened by the uncertainty of life?   Are you trying to hide from the harsh realities of life?   Has self pity caused you to feel sorry for yourself?   Have you forgotten what Elijah forgot, what the disciples forgot, what Peter forgot?   Have forgotten to TRUST God and his promises.

When God called to Peter AND the disciples, Come!   He wasn’t calling them to fail.   He was calling them to step out with faith and be with Him.   Where in your life is God calling you to come to Him?

Step out onto the waves of your personal storms in faith. Trust Him and even if you do falter, know for sure that He will immediately stretch out His hand and save you.   Step out onto the waves in faith and expect to experience the unusual demonstration of God’s power.