Sunday LINK – JESUS COMES TO US IN THE STORM | sl20260809

SERMON  

Jesus Comes to Us in the Storm    

Matthew 14:22–33 (ESV)

²² Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  ²³ And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴ but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.  ²⁵ And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.  ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.  ²⁷ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  

²⁸ And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 

²⁹ He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”  

³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  

³² And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  ³³ And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  Matthew 14:22–33 (ESV)  

Sometimes life can feel like a storm.  Have you felt this?  We try to move forward, but the wind is against us and everything feels heavy and difficult.  We keep rowing, but we do not seem to get anywhere.  Whatever kind of storm we face, this Gospel passage reminds us of a deep and hopeful truth: Jesus comes to us in the storm.  He enters the story, comes near to us, makes himself known to us, and comforts us.   

Our gospel story for this Sunday draws us into the middle of a chaotic storm on a very deep lake called the Sea of Galilee.  This event on the lake takes place at the end of an extraordinarily long day.  The narrative picks up where we left off last Sunday.  It’s the same day.  

• Here’s a quick recap: Jesus attempts to get some solitude, but the crowds follow him. 
• He took compassion on them and healed those who were sick. 
• Then much to the disciples’ astonishment, Jesus asks the disciples to feed them.  The crowd is more than five thousand people!  They only have five loaves and two fish.
• Jesus takes this small amount of food and offers it up to his heavenly Father. 
• Then Jesus tells them to give the two fish and five loaves to the thousands of people.  When they do, the food is miraculously multiplied.  
• In the end, the disciples come away with more scraps than the food they started with!  

Let’s continue the story in Matthew 14.

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When evening came, he was there alone, (Matthew 14:22–23)   

Jesus is alone.  Finally!  He goes up the mountain to pray.  Well, Jesus isn’t exactly alone, is he?  The Son lives in constant communion with his Father in the Spirit.  Even in his humanity, Jesus depends completely upon the Father’s love and presence, living by the Spirit.  We say our God is “triune” because that means relating to three.  God is three-in-one, the Trinity.  God has always existed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — three distinct Persons in perfect union and harmony. 

As Jesus prays to his Father, “the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them” (Matthew 14:24).  When night falls over the Sea of Galilee, a storm blows up.  The image is vivid.  The disciples must be exhausted.  Jesus saw them laboring against the waves (Mark 6:48).  The sea is violent.  

In the ancient world, the sea often represented chaos, danger, and forces beyond human control.  Superstition caused people to believe this deep lake at night was a place of demons and haunted by evil.  Now the storm makes it an even more unnerving and scary place.  And the disciples are caught in the middle of it.  

The disciples are not making bad choices or sinning when the storm comes.  In fact, they are exactly where Jesus told them to be.  That matters because many people quietly assume that the “storms” of life only happen when they have failed themselves, others, or God.  Yet here the disciples obey Jesus, and still the waves rise against them.  

Now as we look at this Gospel story, our focus will not be “How can we brave the watery storm?”  No, our focus is “What kind of God walks into the storm to be with us and save us?”  

Let’s continue with Matthew 14:25 and 26.  

And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.  ²⁶ But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.   

Then, sometime between three and six in the morning, Jesus comes to them walking on the water.  Instead of relief, the disciples react with terror.  They think it’s a ghost; they do not recognize Jesus.  

Jesus is with them now, but the storm is still raging.  Do we ever assume that if God were really present, things would feel calmer?  Do we expect Jesus to remove the storm before he comes near to us?  In this story, the waves are still crashing.  The wind is still howling.  Yet there, in the middle of the chaos, Jesus draws near.  Jesus comes to us in the storm.  

Matthew 14:27 …

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  

The phrase “it is I” carries deep meaning.  Jesus is not simply saying, “Don’t worry; it’s just me, your Rabbi.”  In the language of Scripture, these words echo the divine name God.  In the Old Testament, God revealed himself to Moses, the leader of ancient Israel.  And God told Moses his mysterious divine name, which meant something like, “I AM” — the One who is always present, always living, always faithful.  So, when Jesus says, “It is I,” he is identifying himself as the Son of God, as divine.  He reveals that the living God has come near to frightened people in the person of Jesus. 

The God who revealed himself to ancient Israel has come near in Jesus Christ.  This is Immanuel — God with us.  God has not stayed far away from human suffering.  In Jesus, God himself has stepped into the storm with us.  The One who rules over the chaos is now standing beside frightened people, speaking peace.  “Take heart; do not be afraid.”  

Even so, it’s unclear whether or not the disciples understand who this is yet because Peter still has a question.  

Matthew 14:28 … 

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”   

Peter’s words hold both trust and uncertainty together.  On one hand, there is clearly trust in Jesus.  Peter actually believes Jesus can command him onto the water.  No ordinary rabbi could do that.  

But on the other hand, the wording “if it is you” does carry a note of uncertainty and questioning.  Peter does not yet fully understand who Jesus is.  Yet Jesus meets him there anyway.  Jesus comes to us in the storm.    

Matthew 24:29 … 

[Jesus] said, “Come.”   

Let’s pause here for a moment.  This world is obsessed with power and proving authority by force and might.  But here we see our God, the Creator of the universe who submits to the request of his creation!  Peter says, “Command me to come;” and Jesus does.  

God is omnipotent, all-powerful and has nothing to prove.  God is also all-loving and draws near to us so that we may come to know and trust him. 

Continuing in Matthew 14:29–31 …  

So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  ³⁰ But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”  

³¹ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  

Peter demonstrates both faith and confusion, trust, and fear at the same time.  And that makes him deeply relatable.  We struggle to trust God’s identity and goodness without demanding reassurance on our own terms.  It’s part of our unhealed humanity.  Like many of us, Peter reaches toward Jesus with a faith that is real but still trembling.  

So, Peter is neither a pure hero of faith nor a villain of doubt.  He is a disciple in process.  Peter’s understanding is incomplete, but Jesus draws him further into relationship all the same.  This is very good news for all of us.   

Our emphasis should fall less on analyzing Peter’s feelings and actions, anyway.  Our emphasis is on what Jesus does in this encounter.   

The important movement is this: Jesus comes toward frightened disciples.  Then Peter responds imperfectly, but Jesus sustains and rescues him anyway.  Jesus comes to us in the storm.  

When Peter cried, “Save me” we see an example of recognition and dependence.  It’s not meant to be an example of magic words that we must say first before God will act.  Can we imagine if Peter had not said it?  Would Jesus have let him drown?  Of course not!  God acts first.  God has acted first in sending his Son while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8).  We love Him because He first loved us (1John 4:19).  

In this story, we see Jesus perform a miracle by walking on water, then calming the storm.  We see Jesus lovingly save Peter from drowning.  But maybe you’re wondering what this story that happened more than two thousand years ago has to do with you?  Why should it matter to you?  

This storm on the lake pointed to a greater storm still to come for Jesus.  One day Jesus would step into the darkest storm of all — sin and judgment.  On the cross, the Son of God did not stand above the storm; he entered it fully for us.  He took our fear, our failure, our guilt, and our death  upon himself.  He sank into the depths so that we would not drown.  And when he rose from the grave, he broke the power of that storm forever. 

The cross was not an accident.  It was rescue.  Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves.  So, when we cry, “Lord, save me,” we are crying to the One who has already saved us.  He stepped into the ultimate storm and came out victorious for us.  

Peter’s cry, “Lord, save me,” then becomes profoundly representative of all humanity.  We all need God.  It is the proper human response when confronted with the reality that we cannot rescue ourselves.  Salvation is grounded in the faithfulness and action of Christ himself.  Jesus immediately grasps Peter.  Grace precedes, surrounds, and sustains the human response. 

Matthew 14:32 and 33 …

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”   

That is where this story has been leading all along.  The miracle is the revelation of who Jesus is.  Jesus walking on the sea is a revelation of divine identity.  In the Old Testament, God alone treads upon the waters of chaos (Job 9:8).  Jesus reveals himself as the Lord who stands sovereign over all that threatens humanity.  

And the revelation of who Jesus is leads to worship.  He is the Son of God who rules over chaos.  He is the Savior who comes near to frightened people.  He is the Lord who reaches into the deep to rescue those who are sinking.  Jesus comes to us in the storm.   

But some may feel exhausted from rowing against the wind.  Some may feel overwhelmed by grief, anxiety, suffering, loneliness, illness, addiction, or failure.  Some may feel ashamed of choices they have made.  Others may simply feel tired and afraid.  

This gospel announces that Jesus has not abandoned you.  The Father sees you.  The Son has entered the storm  for  you.  The Spirit is present with you even now.  Your rescue does not depend upon the strength of your faith,  but upon the strength of the Savior who holds you. 

He holds you even while your storms rage on.  

The good news is not that Christians never face storms, but that Jesus meets us in every storm. 

• He comes walking across the very chaos that threatens to undo us. 
• He speaks peace into our fear. 
• He reaches out his hand when we are sinking.  

Remember, Jesus does not remain safely on the shore.  He does not ask us to meet him halfway.  He comes into the storm itself.  God does not save humanity from a distance.  In Jesus Christ, God enters our condition fully — this is the Incarnation.  The Son of God steps into the depths of human existence — fear, suffering, alienation, death — in order to redeem humanity from within. 

Because he has already gone through the deepest storm of the cross and emerged victorious in resurrection, we can trust that no storm will finally overcome those who belong to him.  

So, when the waves rise and the night feels long, hear again the words of Jesus: “Take heart; it is I.  Do not be afraid.”  Jesus is with you through the presence of the Holy Spirit in you.  You are never alone.  

The good news of this story is not that courageous people can rise above storms or be bold enough to step out of the boat, but that Jesus Christ enters humanity’s chaos, unites himself to us, and brings us safely into communion with the Father through the Spirit.  

Jesus comes to us in the storm.  This is good news.  May it lead us to worship Jesus.  

SONG OF RESPONSE

CLOSING PRAYER

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