Re-focus
Kingdom Transformation - Part 1
Sunday, August 9, 2020
Matthew 14:22-33
But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Matthew 14:30
Does Jesus work miracles?
Absolutely.
Yet I find it interesting how often we find the miracles in the gospels dependent, at least in part, on the response of the people. It’s almost as though while Jesus could perform a miracle on his own, there’s something more important than the miracle itself that he’s trying to bring to our attention.
Last week we saw Jesus feed over 5,000 people with a few loaves of bread and fish. Only Jesus didn’t actually feed them. It wasn’t even Jesus’ bread and fish. That belonged to someone else who generously gave it away. And then it was the disciples who distributed the food to the crowds. Jesus simply gave thanks to God that they had already been blessed with all they needed.
Today we find another familiar miracle. Peter walks on the water. Surely he didn’t do that on his own. This has to be the work of Jesus and nobody else.
Well, yes… and no.
You see, if the miracle was only dependent on Jesus, then why would Peter sink? There is no evidence that Jesus was holding him up with some kind of Star-Wars like force and then simply lets go to teach Peter a lesson. Jesus didn’t make Peter sink because Jesus wasn’t actually holding him up to start with. Peter was able to walk on water not because Jesus gave him some magical power, but because he had the faith that Jesus was greater than the wind and the waves around him. Peter always gets a bad wrap for his lack of faith, but remember, Peter is the one who had the faith to step out of the boat in the first place when none of the others even considered the possibility.
Between the time Peter was walking confidently on the water and the time he began sinking, nothing at all changed in Jesus. Jesus kept his eyes on Peter. Jesus never abandoned him. Jesus never turned away. So what changed?
The difference between sinking and walking on water was not about where Jesus was looking but about where Peter was looking. When Peter focused on Jesus, the wind and waves faded away and he could walk in faith knowing that Jesus was in full control. When Peter looked away, Jesus didn’t lose control. Peter lost his focus. He allowed his circumstances to overwhelm him. He began to believe that the sea somehow had more power than Jesus, at least in that moment.
In this insane season we call 2020, most of us are weary and there are almost certainly days, if not weeks and months when you feel like you are just trying to keep your head above water. Jesus hasn’t left you. Jesus has not looked away. Jesus has not lost control.
Maybe, just maybe, what we need is not a miracle from God, but rather the will to turn our eyes back to Jesus and re-focus. The wind and the waves may not go away, but when we keep our eyes fixed on the one who can calm the storms, we know we can rise above whatever may bring us down.
Where is your focus right now? What are the waves you are paying the most attention too? Is Jesus beside you or behind you, in your peripheral vision? If so, it’s time to refocus. Turn your gaze until the eyes of your Savior are the only think you can see.
“Do not be afraid,” he calls. “Come”
Listen to this weeks’s sermon here…