Matthew 14:22-34, August 10, 2025, Osaka Church
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
It takes courage to leave your familiar home and journey to a new land.
The same is true when you abandon a long-established way of life and embark on a new one, no matter how unpleasant it may be.
It can be very difficult to believe only in what you can see and touch, and to always be on guard, thinking, “No matter how “nice” people speak, everyone puts themselves first.” But once you get used to it, things become manageable. Once you settle into the realism of “life is just like this,” it’s hard to rise from that state of mind.
Christ calls us to leave this accustomed way of life (“the broad road that leads to destruction” (Matthew 7:13)). He then points to a way of life that demonstrates in our daily lives that love is not an illusion, saying, “Love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34), and invites us to “go there.” The Holy Apostle Paul also promises that “if we do so, we will receive the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
And the Lord says that what can support this new way of life is Faith.
After Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 people on the shores of the Lake of Galilee with five loaves of bread and two fish, he had his disciples get on board first and head for the town on the opposite shore. However, a strong headwind soon began to blow on the lake, and the boat was tossed about by the waves, making it impossible for them to move forward. What made the frightened disciples even more frightened was when a black, monster-like shadow approached them from between the dark waves. In fact, it was Jesus walking on the water. When Peter noticed, he asked, “Lord, if it is You, tell me to come to You on the water.” Encouraged by the Lord, Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk a few steps, but when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink. The Lord reached out and grabbed him, scolding him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” The two then climbed back into the boat.
A new way of life is an unknown way of life. What was previously “natural” is no longer “natural.” A new way of life is one that truly embraces the love of Christ…the one who prayed to God on the cross for forgiveness for those who were trying to kill him (Matthew 24:34) as one’s new way of life. It’s a new way of thinking. For example, rather than “dismissing” people we “don’t like” by despising, ignoring, or judging them, the new “natural” is to pray for them first.
But we often become afraid, wondering, “Should I forgive them? Is it okay to live life so defenseless?” In our fear, we sink into the sea of “natural” things that we thought we had discarded. “I won’t let them fool me!”
But just as the Lord did for Peter, who sank into the water in fear, He reaches out to us even as He scolds us. This is because He knows all too well our fear as we embark on this unknown journey.