O you of little faith, why did you doubt?

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

- Matthew 14:22-36

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard of Herod's fear that He is John the Baptist returned from the dead, He departed by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   This is the second time that Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see 8:23-27).  My study bible explains that the first time, He was with them.  Here He had left the disciples alone.  In this way, their faith is strengthened that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  A boat became by tradition symbolic of the Church, our faith teaching us to negotiate the storms that come, and each storm teaching us a greater dependence upon God.  We must note that It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58).  Christ reminds the fearful disciples, my study bible says, of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  This miracle confirms Jesus' divinity, as only God has dominion over nature.

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study bible notes that it is Peter's faith that allows him to walk on the water.  We remark that Peter doesn't ask to walk on the water per se, but to come to Jesus.  My study bible suggests that Peter's desire is not to perform miracles but rather to be with the Lord.  As long as he keeps his focus on Christ, he's able to participate in Christ's divine miracle.  But as soon as he's distracted, he begins to sink.

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  In Greek, the word for doubt here means "wavering" or "hesitation."   Peter's cause of sinking wasn't the storm itself, but his doubt.  Therefore Christ doesn't rebuke the wind, but Peter. 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."   This is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  They know that only God can be worshiped, and so they confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  My study bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch in order to show that His very body is life.  Contact with His flesh is life-creating (see 9:20-22).

What we first notice in today's reading is the story of the faith confession of the disciples, and Peter's experience of seeking to come to Jesus on the water.  Peter derives his very name from his confession of faith later on in Matthew's Gospel.  Jesus will tell him, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (16:18).   (In the Greek, there is a play on words here:  Πέτρος/Petros is the masculine form of πέτρᾳ/petra, which means "rock.")  But here in today's story, with some irony, it is Peter who is rebuked for his little faith, and it is those who were in the boat who came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."   Peter's evolution and transformation as disciple and apostle -- and later on, as "first among equals" of the apostles -- gives us a continual portrait of what faith does in our lives.  He is the example of wavering and yet coming to tremendous faith and courage.  Most notably, he will later deny Christ three times after Jesus is arrested (26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, John 18:16-18,18:25-27).  In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul takes Peter to task for refusing to eat with Gentile believers, fearing those who've come from Jerusalem and emphasize differences between Jew and Gentile faithful in Christ (Galatians 2:11-13).  Peter becomes our example of "doubt" as the text translates Jesus' word.  In Greek this word literally means to "stand in two places" or to be divided in some sense.  This wavering within a double stance, shifting between positions, is what is implied in the word for doubt.   It creates hesitation, uncertainty in how to choose or what we will put our faith or trust into.  The character and persona of Peter throughout the New Testament Scriptures gives us a picture of this great spokesman and orator for the apostles, capable of tremendous leadership, but also susceptible to doubt and wavering.  He will die a martyr's death of tremendous humility.  He is the humane picture of our own struggle with faith.  No matter what our gains and choices for faith, there is still the new crossroads ahead, a place of temptation to doubt.  If the leader of the apostles can be taken to task by St. Paul, who was not one of the chosen apostles during Jesus' human lifetime, but a persecutor of them, then where do all the rest of us stand?  St. Peter gives us the continual gift of understanding how our faith works, and that there is always room and need for a continual repentance.  We come up against our own temptations to please others before pleasing God, as does St. Peter, our fears in myriad forms, our doubts.  Let us do as he does, and return, and share in Christ's love, even to the end (John 21:15-22).