Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV Updated Edition)
Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
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"Our gospel today continues directly on from last Sunday's gospel where if you remember Jesus was re-enacting the manna and quails in the desert, he was re-enacting Moses, feeding the people but being much more than Moses, being the sign of what Moses had been pointing to. And we continue in exactly the same vein today, but now we move from Moses to Joshua.
"It's all in very fast motion. Today's gospel begins, “Immediately.” Jesus is in a hurry to get his disciples into the Promised Land that they should understand that that's what the purpose of the journey of the People of God through the wilderness was, was to get to the Promised Land. So he makes the disciples immediately, before he even sends the crowds away, makes them get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side. In other words, he's sending 'Joshua and his troops' on ahead into the Promised Land, actually the troops representing the 12 tribes on ahead into the Promised Land.
...
"When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified saying, “It is a ghost!” In other words, their first reaction is to misapprehend what's going on here, because the one walking across the sea is Joshua, who led the people of Israel and the Ark of the Covenant across the Jordan dry-footed. ... Here we have Joshua and the Ark itself re-performing the miracle - one greater than Joshua, one who actually is the Ark - re-performing the miracle of the walking across the Jordan. But they of course slightly misget it, think it's a ghost. They are not quite aware that they are re-enacting the second part of the move to the Promised Land.
"And they cried out in fear but immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” This is wonderful, he's quoting something from Isaiah here, ... Isaiah 43, “Do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you.” So this is the Lord confirming to the people who are making the trek into the Promised Land, this is what's going ahead.
...
"Peter kind of half gets the idea right, he half realizes that this is a Joshua thing and therefore he who's the leader ought to be kind of Joshua too, so he wants to see whether he can walk across the river of Jordan dry-footed as well. So he says, if you command me to come to you on the water, saying, yeah I get it, I want to be I want to be your Joshua... All this is entirely unnecessary, Peter's doing this is just, if you like, a fit of enthusiasm which requires him to get out of the boat which is perfectly safely going across the storm. ...
"Our Lord reaches out to him, catches him, saying to him, “You have little faith right now,” and the funny thing is that we all resist, [we] all assume that that means, “Why did you doubt in your walking when you walked on the water?” But maybe it means something richer? “Why did you doubt that I was coming to you in the boat, that the Ark would cross, that the Lord would be with you in the boat as I was before, last time we had this story. You didn't need to get out, I am coming into the boat. The Ark is going in the midst of the people, and I am more than the Ark, I am more than Joshua, and you are going to get to the other side safely and fully. ...
"Again this wonderful realization that it is the Lord, the Lord whose ways are through the waters - this is a quote from Psalm 77: “Your way was through the sea, your path through the mighty waters, yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” And here by the hand of Joshua all of this is brought beautifully to life.
"In Psalm 107, which is actually obviously being quoted here since it actually has the sense of crying out, the disciples crying out to the Lord in their distress. “And bringing them out of their distresses, he makes the storm calm so the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desire haven.”
"So please notice what we're having here is the second part of the trek into the Promised Land, the Lord showing that there is one more than Joshua and that even the manner of following and being the new people doesn't even need a leader, a 'Joshua' style leader. He will be in their midst, all together, and will be carrying them across himself."
- James Alison, from video "Homily for Sunday 19 in Ordinary Time Year A" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spx7AtFj8Us)
[For analysis and discussion on all the lectionary texts for this Sunday, see also: http://girardianlectionary.net/reflections/year-a/proper14a/]
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