Heaven meets earth
by Pauline Simonsen
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Truly you are the Son of God! (Matthew 14:33b)
Read Matthew 14:22–33
Jesus is mourning the death of his relative John the Baptist, executed by Herod. Jesus has tried to withdraw from the crowds to grieve, but they pursue him, and in his compassion, he tends to them. He feeds 5,000 men (plus women and children!), and when all are satisfied, he dismisses them. Once more he withdraws, sending his disciples off in the boat across the lake, while he goes up into the hills to be alone with his Father.
What happens next reveals Jesus in a different realm than us mortals. After communing with his Father and receiving divine comfort, refreshment and energy, he decides to rejoin his disciples. Being far out on the lake, battling a savage headwind and buffeting waves, doesn’t appear to be an issue for Jesus. He walks out to catch them up, striding powerfully through the waves as though walking along a dusty road in Galilee. This Jesus is also the Son of God, Creator Lord of this natural realm.
This is how the disciples encounter him – a pale figure in the darkness striding past them on the water. A phantom?! This extraordinary figure, untroubled by wind, waves and darkness, greets their terror with the words, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’
For a moment, Peter glimpses the divine realm, his Master’s home, and he wants to experience it. When Jesus invites him, Peter climbs out of the boat and walks towards his Creator Lord. What an experience! In Jesus’ presence, the divine and mortal realms meet; heaven intersects with earth, and humans walk on water.
It only lasts a moment. Like the pull of gravity, Peter’s mortal nature reasserts itself. He sees the waves and feels the wind buffeting him, and he is once more merely human, now sinking into the Sea of Galilee, crying out to his Lord for salvation.
Immediately, Jesus reaches out his hand to catch Peter, to save him and bring him into the boat of safety. ‘You of little faith,’ he says to Peter, ‘why did you doubt?’
Why do we doubt our Lord Jesus when he brings the limitless power of his divine home to our cramped, mortal lives, when his hand alone saves and restores us to the safety of the boat with our fellow travellers?
Lord Jesus, forgive my doubts and fears, and stir my faith to see your true identity as my Saviour Lord and my God. Remind me that one day, your home will be mine as well. Amen.
Pauline lives in sight of the ranges in the beautiful Manawatu region of New Zealand with her husband Roger and their two cats. There, she leads Emmaus Bible College and offers spiritual direction and supervision to people from a wide range of backgrounds and denominations.
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