Matthew 14:22-32

Barking Pigs

A priest, a minister, and a rabbi go fishing together.

After awhile, the priest says, “Brother, Rabbi, would you please both excuse me, I’ve got to pee.” He lays down his fishing pole, steps over the side of the boat, and walks across the water to the shore. In no time at all he finishes his business, then walks back across the water to the boat.

The minister then speaks up, “Father, I didn’t want to be the first to have to go, but since you did, I think I will too.” So he stands up, steps over the side of the boat, and walks right on top of the water to the shore. After he finishes his business, he too walks on the water right back to the boat.

The rabbi is awestruck. Imagine -- WALKING on water! He thinks to himself, “Well, if they can do this, so can I!” So, he excuses himself, puts his pole down, steps over the side of the boat . . . and sinks like a brick.

The priest turns to the minister and says, “You think we should have told him where the rocks were?”

I guess the point is that people really can’t walk on water! Not ordinary people anyway! Oh, we would like them to, though wouldn’t we?  Many pastor search committees say (hopefully, tongue-in-check) that they are looking for someone who can “walk on water.” Those scare me.  Haven’t met one yet who could – not yet at least.

Our text this morning, though, does talk of one who does just that.

It was springtime in Israel. The winter rains had come and the hills were green and lush in March and April.  It was also a tragic time for Israel.  John the Baptist, their great prophet and moral visionary, had been assassinated by King Herod and everyone was stunned by this tragic, shocking event.  As a nation, they were grieving, and so was Jesus. 

As our text picks up the story, Jesus is tired. He just fed the five thousand. He healed their sick and ministered to their needs. And now he wants some time to himself so he can grieve the loss of his cousin, John, and focus his ministry. So, Jesus instructs his disciples to set out ahead of him to the far side of the Sea of Galilee.

The disciples take off in their boat and Jesus goes up into the hills alone to pray.  Soon, a storm blows in – the magnitude of which threatens to capsize the disciples’ boat. 

Now this wasn’t some freak occurrence. The Sea of Galilee is notorious for these sudden storms. It is situated 613 feet below sea level, surrounded by hills, mountains and valleys and because of this, frequently the atmospheric conditions cause storms to appear out of the blue.

In this instance the waves are enormous and the disciples are rowing for all they were worth, but with little effect. 

 When you think about it, life is a lot like the Sea of Galilee. It’s unpredictable. Just about the time you think it’s smooth sailing all the way, one of those sudden storms sweeps in and threatens to swamp the boat of your life. Hey, we’ve all had those storms hit unexpectedly.

It might be the sudden loss of a job. Your company decides to downsize and your position is combined with someone else’s and they have more seniority.

It might be the storm of a divorce. It doesn’t even have to be yours… could be one of your children. Or a brother or sister.

Maybe it’s an auto accident.

It might be hearing the news that no one wants to hear, the doctor’s report that says the test results show you have cancer or AIDS or any number of other debilitating diseases.

It doesn’t even have to be a disease. The doctor says you or one of your children needs an operation and you don’t have any insurance.

Whatever it is, a storm comes rushing in and threatens to swamp the boat of your life. And like the disciples you’re filled with fear. You might be bailing like all get out but the storm has struck and your life has suddenly been turned upside down.

For our weary disciples, the wind was just too hard on this particular night for them to keep up with.  And they are scared.  And  remember, we’re not talking “land lubbers” here. Many of these men are professional fishermen who have spent years on this very body of water. 

After hours of fighting the unrelenting wind and waves, someone looks up and sees Jesus walking toward them on the water!

Their reaction isn’t, “Oh good, here’s Jesus to save us.” I don’t think that ever entered their minds. What could it be other than a ghost -- perhaps even an evil spirit!   I mean, what would you have thought?  Someone walking on top of the water – not something you see every day.  Actually, something you NEVER see. Terrified, they cry out in fear.  They are really frightened.

Jesus, seeing their fears, says to them, “Do not be afraid; it is I.”

Isn’t it comforting that we can know that Jesus will always reach out and give us strength in the midst of a storm.  But we must also remember that Jesus doesn’t always prevent them from happening, either.  What he does is promise to be with us always. And He promises to walk with us through whatever comes our way. He promises to help put the pieces back together.

Well, Peter now jumps into action. Not surprising, is it? After all, Peter was always the impetuous one, the one to leap before he looked.  He was the one who marched to the tune of his own drummer. We all know of people like that, right?

Robert Fulghum tells a wonderful story about a kindergarten class that decided to perform the story of “Cinderella.” All the children were assigned roles except one--a small chubby kid named Norman.

The teacher asked, “Norman, what are you going to be?”

“Well,” said Norman, “I think I will be the pig.”

The teacher said, “Norman, there is no pig in the story of Cinderella.”

And Norman said, “Well, there is now.”

The teacher could tell it would be senseless to argue, so she left it to Norman to decide what role a pig played in the Cinderella story. As it turned out, the pig went everywhere that Cinderella went and did whatever Cinderella did.

Norman had no lines, but his face reflected the action of the drama. When things were serious, he was serious. When things looked worrisome, he looked worried. When things were in doubt, he looked anxious.

He filled the stage with his presence of response by simply sitting there. And at the end of the performance when the princess was carried off to live happily ever after, Norman stood on his hind legs and … barked.

In rehearsal this had been troublesome because the teacher said, “Look, Norman, even if there is a pig in the story, pigs do not bark.”

And Norman said, “Well, this one does.”

You can imagine what happened the night of the performance. There was a standing ovation at the end for … the pig. Norman, the barking pig, who was, as it turns out, the Cinderella in the story after all.

Word gets around, and people called up the teacher and said, “We hear you have this dynamite Cinderella thing. What is so special about it?”

She said, “Well, there is a pig in it--actually, a barking pig.”

And the person on the other end of the telephone would say, “But there is no barking pig in Cinderella.”

And the teacher would say with great conviction, “Well, there is now.”

I think Jesus would like Norman and his barking pig. Norman was someone who wouldn’t let other people set boundaries around his imagination. He was going to be what he was going to be--no matter how foolish he might seem to others.

Jesus’ disciple Peter was somewhat like that. It’s only natural that when Peter saw Jesus walking out to them on the water, he would jump overboard and try to walk out and meet Jesus.

With all his impulsiveness, all his bravado, all his unbridled enthusiasm, Jesus loved Simon Peter. Even though he often kept his foot lodged firmly in his mouth, and even though he nearly drowned on this occasion, Jesus loved him.

Truth be told, when it comes right down to it, Peter was a man of incredible faith.

Of all those in the boat, he is the only one who has enough confidence in Jesus to think that, simply at Jesus’ say-so, a man could walk on water. That’s faith!

Peter yells across the waves, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus agrees. Peter steps over the side (no doubt to the horrified looks of his compatriots), waves crashing against the side of the boat, the wind whipping his hair into his eyes, and begins to walk on the water toward Jesus.

Suddenly, our big fisherman realizes what he is doing, looks around at the storm going on, and starts to sink like a stone. “A-H-H-H!!! Lord, save me!”

And, as we all know, the Lord does just that, while giving that mild admonition, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 

I think that the point, though, is not that he doubted, but that he tried. See, I believe Jesus prefers people who are doers. People like Norman, the talking pig, and Peter floundering there in the water,.

The Good Samaritan didn’t become good by playing it safe and never doing anything impulsive. He won Jesus’ praise by taking the risk of stopping to help a man who had been attacked by robbers. He could have offered up all kinds of rationalizations why it would be more prudent to pass this man by on the other side, but he saw a need and he plunged right in.

Simon Peter could have stayed safely in the boat. But if he did we wouldn’t be reading about him today, would we?

That being said, there is a place for caution in the Christian life. I hope you understand that. By praising Peter I’m not suggest we let go of common sense and embrace reckless, foolish behavior.

Cowboy writer Curt Brummett tells of how proud he felt the day his father gave him his first real rope. All young cowboys dream of owning their own rope, which they can use to rope steer.

As his father tied the rope into a lasso, he gave Curt one important piece of advice, “Never . . . put it on anything you can’t get it off of.”

Well, that evening, company came by the Brummett home for coffee. Curt and his little sister were playing in another room. He was trying to rope her feet as she ran by. She retaliated by tying a knot in his rope. He decided that next time she came through the room, he would catch her for sure.

A few minutes later, the kitchen door opened. Curt, hiding behind the door, swung out his lasso. It landed firmly around a single female foot. He gave the rope a tug. The next thing he heard was a tremendous crash.

Curt peeked around the door to see that he had just roped his mother. The crash?  The tray she was carrying, loaded with coffee cups and coffee.

That evening, Curt’s mother cut up his brand-new rope into little, tiny pieces. And his father’s only words of comfort were, “I told you not to put that rope on anything you couldn’t get it off of.”

That’s good advice. There is a place for caution in the Christian life. There are risks we should not take. Anything that endangers our relationship with God, anything that endangers our relationship with those we love, anything that endangers our emotional, physical and spiritual health must be handled with greatest care.

Still, that is not the problem for most followers of Christ. Most of us are like those other disciples with Peter that night--we’re content to hold on to the safety of the boat.

It makes me wonder if too many of us are merely splashing about in the safe shallows and therefore have too few opportunities to test and deepen our faith.

There comes a time when you must step out of the boat.

As author Kent Crockett has said, “God places many of His blessings outside of our comfort zones, then asks us to come get them. If we ever want to receive some things we’ve never had before, we’ve got to do some things we’ve never done before.”

Or as Marv Levy, the former coach of the Buffalo Bills football team once said, “You have to take some chances. If Michelangelo wanted to play it safe, he would have painted the FLOOR of the Sistine Chapel, not the ceiling!”

An oft-overlooked truth of discipleship is this: Fishermen rush in where ordinary saints fear to tread. In other words, it is not enough to know that Jesus walked on water; we need also to take the first step in joining him.

And in doing so we need not fear – for Jesus will always be there to grab us if we begin to sink.  Thanks be to God!

Amen…