October 24, 2010 Red Letters We Wish Were Gray: Don't Be Afraid

**The following is a draft of the message given on 10/24/2010**

What scares you?

If we were to sum it all up, our greatest fear is fear of the unknown.

Finishing this series Red Letters We Wish Were Gray

Let's look at our text today from Matthew 16:22-33

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they

said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."

28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

PRAYER

“Don’t be afraid.” Why in the world would anyone ever think that those would be words that we wish were gray?

HISTORY

To understand this, we must first have a brief bible history lesson. The Gospel of Matthew

- Written for the church

- Under the rule of Flavian dynasty who supported the persecution of Xns.

- Nero, still active in the memories of the Xn church, still able to strike terror in their hearts

- Also, keep in mind that this gospel depicts events Pre-Pentecost, that is before bestowing of the Holy Spirit upon the church

ALONE IN CHAOS

- For the 1^st time in this gospel, the disciples are sent forth w/o Jesus – Jesus, who represents the presence of God is not with them

- The sea represents chaos, a threat, representing the anxieties and dark forces the threaten creative order.

- The sea presents itself a barrier between the disciples and Jesus

- Their susceptibility to being caught off guard (afraid) was already heightened

STORM ARISES

- It is impossible for Jesus to be with them on the other side as he had promised

- Yet in the darkest of night, he comes walking to them on the sea

- He came beyond their hope, for they did not expect him

- They thought him to be an apparition to be feared

JESUS CALMS THEM

- Today we think of this as being miraculous because of his defying gravity, but for them it was because he overcame the power of chaos

- No human could perform such a feat, only a deity – only God

I AM

- Jesus does what only God could do and then answers with an “I Am” (YHWH)

PETER QUESTIONS AND STEPS

- Peter addresses as a believer would, “Lord”

- For Matthew, the problem wasn’t that he took his eyes off of Jesus, but that he wanted proof of the presence of Christ in the first place

- He cries out, “Lord, save me”

- Doubt - distazo = vacillation, not skepticism

How many times do we feel lead to do something, but we need that assurance

- Peter’s response “if it is you” is reminiscent of Satan’s first words to Jesus

- Peter hears Jesus claims, just like we hear

- Matthew’s claim that Jesus makes God present with us

- In a chaotic world where such a claim oft appears false, hollow, or empty, many would like some experiential, spectacular reassurance that is really is so.

TEST OF FAITH

- For Matthew, the lesson is not “If he had enough faith, Peter could have walked on water” just as the message for us is “If we have enough faith, we can overcome all of our problems in some spectacular way”

- This leaves us feeling guilty for not having enough faith

- What if the message of this text were “If he had had enough faith, he would have believed the Word of God, Jesus, mediating the presence and reality of God?

- Faith is not being able to walk on water, but daring to believe, in the face of all of the evidence, that God is with us.

CONCLUSION

Gospel of Matthew begins and ends asserting this idea of not being afraid

Begins with the recalling the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy at Jesus birth, “And he shall be called Emmanuel = God is with us”

Likewise it ends with these Red Letters from Jesus, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age."”