April 14 - 2nd Week of Easter - Saturday

­­+ In our day and age, if we saw someone, in middle of the night, come walking toward us on a wind-swept sea, we would probably be as terrified as the disciples were in the boat that was out on the lake.

But I would offer here maybe an educated guess as to what actually happened here – seeing how “they wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading” makes me think that perhaps it was only “the appearance of Jesus walking on the water” that they saw – maybe there were rocks on which he could walk, on some kind of a jetty-like object, or even a sturdy sand bar.

Whatever happened, the key to understanding the scene is that the disciples were terrified at something they could not compute or understand, even it being the Presence of Jesus, but when they became afraid and cried out: then Jesus says “It is I. Do not be afraid.” And their fears ceased, and they wanted to take him into their boat – but then the scene ends.

When we are situations – that feels like a wind-swept sea is rocking the boat of our lives in ways small and great – we must not look inward to our own fears and inadequacies – but we must look up and out, for Jesus will be passing by, in some person, maybe the one we would not likely suspect, but we must cry out to him, we must use our voice, if only in a whisper – and say: Lord, is it you? Lord, it IS you! and then, in the situation, he will communicate to us somehow that it is indeed he, and that we no longer need be afraid – because, we have already made an act of faith, in our addressing him – and he will calm the situation.

Now he won’t get into our boat, settle in for a cup of tea – and a chat – though he can if he wants – but he just wants to assure us that when we activate our power as a child of God, as a brother or sister of his, as a redeemed precious lamb, then he will always be there when we call, but we  must call out!

May we today call out, as often as necessary, “Jesus, is that you?” and he will immediately be present and answer back, if we have the “eyes of faith to see, and the ears of faith to hear!”

See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine.