Proper 14
Preaching
PREACHING MATTHEW'S GOSPEL
A Narrative Approach
Jesus is busy and active in this week's appointed text. He made the disciples get into the boat: v. 22. He dismissed the crowds: v. 22. He went alone to pray: v. 23. He came to the disciples walking on the sea in the fourth watch of the night: v. 25. He ordered Peter to "Come," walking on the water: v. 29. He caught Peter's hand lest he sink in the waves of doubt: v. 31.
When Jesus came walking on the sea in the middle of the night the disciples were afraid. "It is a ghost!" they wailed. All the disciples cried out for fear. Jesus spoke simply: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
Jesus' words are more than mere identification. They are really an awesome formula of self-revelation, literally "I AM" (ego eimi). Jesus presents himself to his disciples as the solid and saving presence of the eternal God (1:23; 18:20; 28:20; cf. John 8:58; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10).1
As we have seen in Matthew's story, it is to the disciples, the "babes," the "little ones," to whom the Father is revealed: 11:25-30; 13:10-17. Now it is revealed to the disciples in a very special way that Jesus is Emmanuel.
Jesus can speak the name of the divine as revealed to Moses: Exodus 3:13-15. "I Am Who I Am." "I Will Be What I Will Be." This is the name God revealed to Moses. There was a great desire in the ancient world to know the name of God. They thought that if they knew God's name they could control and manipulate God for their own purposes. In the light of this desire, the divine name God revealed to Moses is fascinating. Moses got a name. He did not, however, get the name of a God he could manipulate. "I Am Who I Am." And so it is with Jesus. Emmanuel-Jesus is never a God whom humans can put to work for their own ends. Emmanuel-Jesus ("It is I") works for our ends! Humans never control the God revealed in the Bible.
Peter--who else?--answered Jesus' claim. "If you're really who you say you are, bid me to walk on the water." Peter suddenly takes center stage in this story. In just these few verses we hear of Peter's pride, his fall, his rescue, and his restoration. It is not just in this story that Peter plays a central role. Throughout the central section of Matthew's Gospel Peter plays a vital role.
A striking feature of Matthew's Gospel is the prominence accorded to Peter, especially here near the midpoint of the narrative in a series of scenes, most of which find no place in the other Gospels (14:28-33; 15:15; 16:13-20; 17:24-27; 18:21-22).... Readers disagree about the significance of Peter in Matthew's Gospel. Is Peter chief among the Twelve, holding a position of unique leadership among them? Or is Peter typical of the Twelve? The latter seems more likely.2
Peter is pictured in Matthew's Gospel as a man who believes and disbelieves in almost the same moment. In the language of Martin Luther, Peter is simul justus et peccator, simultaneously a saint and a sinner. He believes enough to walk on water. When he sees the wind, however, he is afraid. He cries out to be saved: "Lord, save me." We hear this cry to the Lord for help throughout Matthew's Gospel: 15:22, 25 (a Canaanite woman); 17:15 (the father of an epileptic son); 20:31, 33 (two blind men). We take these to be the cries of faith. The person of faith is the one who cries out to Jesus in time of need. That's what Peter did.
Jesus calls Peter's plea "faith." But it is "little faith," v. 31. Jesus often speaks of the disciples as those of "little faith"--6:30; 8:26; 16:8; 17:20. Matthew gives us, therefore, a complex picture of the disciples. They are special. It is to them that God has revealed secrets. (See above.) They understand: 13:51. But at the same time they are those of "little faith." Our rational minds push for one or the other. Either the disciples are men of unbelief or they are men of great faith. That's logical. Logical, perhaps, but not true to life. We think of our own lives. Sometimes we believe. Sometimes we have "little faith." Matthew paints a true picture. Simul justus et peccator is a wise analysis of the Christian person.
At the end of the story the disciples have it right. They all fall down and worship Jesus. (See our Chapter 2 for material on worshiping Jesus in Matthew's Gospel.) "Truly you are the Son of God," they confess. Son of God. This is the identity of Jesus. We have talked in these last few chapters about the question of Jesus' identity that arises in 11:2-6 when John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus asking, "Are you the One who is to come or do we look for another?" In Matthew 12 the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees heightens. The Pharisees do not know who he is. They accuse him of having a demon: 12:24. Jesus' own family has difficulty understanding him: 12:46-50. His hometown folk can only imagine him as a carpenter's son: 13:54-58. They take offense at him. Herod thinks he is John the Baptist risen from the dead: 14:1-12. And now the disciples confess him to be "Son of God." Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the living God, in Caesarea Philippi is the climax of this series: 16:13-20. With this passage ending in 16:20 we come to the climax of the second part of Matthew's Gospel.
Part Three of Matthew's Gospel begins with Jesus' words to his disciples that as the Son of God he now must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day arise (Matthew 16:21). In the Preface we named this section of Matthew's Gospel (16:21--28:20): "Journey to Jerusalem." The very first words of this section speak of this reality. In 17:1-11 we have the story of the Transfiguration wherein God confirms from heaven that "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (17:5) Identity issues reach a climax in the story of the Transfiguration.
Homiletical Directions
Our first homiletical possibility is to take up the theme we have been discussing: the identity of Jesus. We discussed this as a possibility also in our Chapter 18. If you did not take up that possibility last week you can give it further consideration this week. Such a sermon might walk through the narratives beginning in 11:2-6 which track this issue of identity. (We have discussed these passages above and in Chapter 18.) Such a sermon might well lead to a question to be put to our modern audience. What think ye of the Christ? Who do you believe that Jesus is?
A sermon that asks the question of Jesus' identity, however, is not sufficient. We have certainly learned from Matthew's Gospel that the reality of Jesus' identity needs to be revealed. Humans do not come to faith out of their own insight and inner resources. Remember again 11:25-30 and 13:10-17!
The Father reveals these things to babes. To the disciples it has been given to know (13:11) the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
A closing proclamation might announce what it is that God reveals to us in this week's text. (An alternative is to base a closing proclamation on all the identity passages you narrate for this week's sermon.) Jesus says to us today: "It is I. Have no fear. I am Emmanuel come to save you from every wind and wave. I am the Son of God worshiped by the disciples. I invite your worship as well."
Close with a prayer to the Holy Spirit to plant Jesus' word of revelation deep in our hearts.
A second homiletical possibility is to deal with the simul justus et peccator theme. Tell first the textual story centered on Peter as one who believes enough to walk on water and disbelieves enough to need to cry out to Jesus in his need. Jesus calls Peter's faith "little faith." Following the story for this week's assigned text tell some of the other "little faith" stories from Matthew's Gospel. There is a very important "little faith" story regarding the disciples told in 16:1-12. (This story is omitted from the lectionary.) The sequence of the stories in 15:32--16:13 follows the Markan order. In 15:32-39 we have the story of the feeding of the 4,000. Immediately following this story the Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven: 16:1. They've just seen a multitude fed and they ask for a sign! Incredible. The disciples are no better, however. They get in the boat with Jesus at the end of a feeding afternoon and they realize they have no bread: 16:5. They, too, have just witnessed the feeding of the thousands and now they are worried about not having enough to eat. Doubly incredible. Jesus calls them men of "little faith" and reminds them of what they have seen. In this bracket of stories the disciples both assist in feeding the multitudes (an act of faith) and appear to be men of "little faith" in almost the same instant.
There is also a "little faith" story in 17:14-20. (This passage is not part of the Matthean lectionary.) The disciples have just come down from the mountain of transfiguration with their faith aglow. Back on the ground they do not have enough faith to heal a boy with a demon. They ask Jesus why they could not cast it out. Jesus answers: "Because of your little faith" (17:20). Once again faith and "little faith" appear to coexist in the disciples simultaneously.
A closing proclamation for this "little faith" theme might report Jesus saying something like this: "I loved Peter. I loved him when his faith was strong. I loved him when his faith was little. Through my love Peter will finally prevail. And so it shall be with you. I love you when your faith is strong. I love you when your faith is little. My love for you will finally prevail. You can trust me on this one. I am, after all, the very Son of God." Amen.
____________
1. Robert H. Smith, Matthew: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1989), p. 187.
2. Ibid.
When Jesus came walking on the sea in the middle of the night the disciples were afraid. "It is a ghost!" they wailed. All the disciples cried out for fear. Jesus spoke simply: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."
Jesus' words are more than mere identification. They are really an awesome formula of self-revelation, literally "I AM" (ego eimi). Jesus presents himself to his disciples as the solid and saving presence of the eternal God (1:23; 18:20; 28:20; cf. John 8:58; Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 43:10).1
As we have seen in Matthew's story, it is to the disciples, the "babes," the "little ones," to whom the Father is revealed: 11:25-30; 13:10-17. Now it is revealed to the disciples in a very special way that Jesus is Emmanuel.
Jesus can speak the name of the divine as revealed to Moses: Exodus 3:13-15. "I Am Who I Am." "I Will Be What I Will Be." This is the name God revealed to Moses. There was a great desire in the ancient world to know the name of God. They thought that if they knew God's name they could control and manipulate God for their own purposes. In the light of this desire, the divine name God revealed to Moses is fascinating. Moses got a name. He did not, however, get the name of a God he could manipulate. "I Am Who I Am." And so it is with Jesus. Emmanuel-Jesus is never a God whom humans can put to work for their own ends. Emmanuel-Jesus ("It is I") works for our ends! Humans never control the God revealed in the Bible.
Peter--who else?--answered Jesus' claim. "If you're really who you say you are, bid me to walk on the water." Peter suddenly takes center stage in this story. In just these few verses we hear of Peter's pride, his fall, his rescue, and his restoration. It is not just in this story that Peter plays a central role. Throughout the central section of Matthew's Gospel Peter plays a vital role.
A striking feature of Matthew's Gospel is the prominence accorded to Peter, especially here near the midpoint of the narrative in a series of scenes, most of which find no place in the other Gospels (14:28-33; 15:15; 16:13-20; 17:24-27; 18:21-22).... Readers disagree about the significance of Peter in Matthew's Gospel. Is Peter chief among the Twelve, holding a position of unique leadership among them? Or is Peter typical of the Twelve? The latter seems more likely.2
Peter is pictured in Matthew's Gospel as a man who believes and disbelieves in almost the same moment. In the language of Martin Luther, Peter is simul justus et peccator, simultaneously a saint and a sinner. He believes enough to walk on water. When he sees the wind, however, he is afraid. He cries out to be saved: "Lord, save me." We hear this cry to the Lord for help throughout Matthew's Gospel: 15:22, 25 (a Canaanite woman); 17:15 (the father of an epileptic son); 20:31, 33 (two blind men). We take these to be the cries of faith. The person of faith is the one who cries out to Jesus in time of need. That's what Peter did.
Jesus calls Peter's plea "faith." But it is "little faith," v. 31. Jesus often speaks of the disciples as those of "little faith"--6:30; 8:26; 16:8; 17:20. Matthew gives us, therefore, a complex picture of the disciples. They are special. It is to them that God has revealed secrets. (See above.) They understand: 13:51. But at the same time they are those of "little faith." Our rational minds push for one or the other. Either the disciples are men of unbelief or they are men of great faith. That's logical. Logical, perhaps, but not true to life. We think of our own lives. Sometimes we believe. Sometimes we have "little faith." Matthew paints a true picture. Simul justus et peccator is a wise analysis of the Christian person.
At the end of the story the disciples have it right. They all fall down and worship Jesus. (See our Chapter 2 for material on worshiping Jesus in Matthew's Gospel.) "Truly you are the Son of God," they confess. Son of God. This is the identity of Jesus. We have talked in these last few chapters about the question of Jesus' identity that arises in 11:2-6 when John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus asking, "Are you the One who is to come or do we look for another?" In Matthew 12 the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees heightens. The Pharisees do not know who he is. They accuse him of having a demon: 12:24. Jesus' own family has difficulty understanding him: 12:46-50. His hometown folk can only imagine him as a carpenter's son: 13:54-58. They take offense at him. Herod thinks he is John the Baptist risen from the dead: 14:1-12. And now the disciples confess him to be "Son of God." Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the living God, in Caesarea Philippi is the climax of this series: 16:13-20. With this passage ending in 16:20 we come to the climax of the second part of Matthew's Gospel.
Part Three of Matthew's Gospel begins with Jesus' words to his disciples that as the Son of God he now must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day arise (Matthew 16:21). In the Preface we named this section of Matthew's Gospel (16:21--28:20): "Journey to Jerusalem." The very first words of this section speak of this reality. In 17:1-11 we have the story of the Transfiguration wherein God confirms from heaven that "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" (17:5) Identity issues reach a climax in the story of the Transfiguration.
Homiletical Directions
Our first homiletical possibility is to take up the theme we have been discussing: the identity of Jesus. We discussed this as a possibility also in our Chapter 18. If you did not take up that possibility last week you can give it further consideration this week. Such a sermon might walk through the narratives beginning in 11:2-6 which track this issue of identity. (We have discussed these passages above and in Chapter 18.) Such a sermon might well lead to a question to be put to our modern audience. What think ye of the Christ? Who do you believe that Jesus is?
A sermon that asks the question of Jesus' identity, however, is not sufficient. We have certainly learned from Matthew's Gospel that the reality of Jesus' identity needs to be revealed. Humans do not come to faith out of their own insight and inner resources. Remember again 11:25-30 and 13:10-17!
The Father reveals these things to babes. To the disciples it has been given to know (13:11) the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
A closing proclamation might announce what it is that God reveals to us in this week's text. (An alternative is to base a closing proclamation on all the identity passages you narrate for this week's sermon.) Jesus says to us today: "It is I. Have no fear. I am Emmanuel come to save you from every wind and wave. I am the Son of God worshiped by the disciples. I invite your worship as well."
Close with a prayer to the Holy Spirit to plant Jesus' word of revelation deep in our hearts.
A second homiletical possibility is to deal with the simul justus et peccator theme. Tell first the textual story centered on Peter as one who believes enough to walk on water and disbelieves enough to need to cry out to Jesus in his need. Jesus calls Peter's faith "little faith." Following the story for this week's assigned text tell some of the other "little faith" stories from Matthew's Gospel. There is a very important "little faith" story regarding the disciples told in 16:1-12. (This story is omitted from the lectionary.) The sequence of the stories in 15:32--16:13 follows the Markan order. In 15:32-39 we have the story of the feeding of the 4,000. Immediately following this story the Pharisees ask for a sign from heaven: 16:1. They've just seen a multitude fed and they ask for a sign! Incredible. The disciples are no better, however. They get in the boat with Jesus at the end of a feeding afternoon and they realize they have no bread: 16:5. They, too, have just witnessed the feeding of the thousands and now they are worried about not having enough to eat. Doubly incredible. Jesus calls them men of "little faith" and reminds them of what they have seen. In this bracket of stories the disciples both assist in feeding the multitudes (an act of faith) and appear to be men of "little faith" in almost the same instant.
There is also a "little faith" story in 17:14-20. (This passage is not part of the Matthean lectionary.) The disciples have just come down from the mountain of transfiguration with their faith aglow. Back on the ground they do not have enough faith to heal a boy with a demon. They ask Jesus why they could not cast it out. Jesus answers: "Because of your little faith" (17:20). Once again faith and "little faith" appear to coexist in the disciples simultaneously.
A closing proclamation for this "little faith" theme might report Jesus saying something like this: "I loved Peter. I loved him when his faith was strong. I loved him when his faith was little. Through my love Peter will finally prevail. And so it shall be with you. I love you when your faith is strong. I love you when your faith is little. My love for you will finally prevail. You can trust me on this one. I am, after all, the very Son of God." Amen.
____________
1. Robert H. Smith, Matthew: Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg Press, 1989), p. 187.
2. Ibid.
