FAITH AND REALITY
Matthew 14
“Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
Whatever it was that John heard about Jesus the Messiah, it caused his faith to falter. Yet, all credit to him, he decided to confront Jesus. Jesus’ answer was simple: reality has been overcome; the divine has come. It was not a simple display of power but power that brought good. There was a character to that power.
However we perceive of the divine, what must be clear is that the divine must be greater than reality. Under the sun all must obey the rules of reality. Anyone who claims to be divine must be outside reality. Christian faith must necessarily have a supernatural bent because we believe in the divine.
Jesus sought to expand the faith of his disciples over and above his display of supernatural healing and authority over demons. Firstly he multiplied five loaves and two fishes to feed five thousand people. Secondly, he walked on the lake.
When the natural exuberance of Peter bypassed his rational mind (that’s how I describe it) and led him to ask Jesus to invite him to step out into the water, Jesus did not hesitate. “Come,” he said.
The Christian faith has evolved from those heady days of miraculous signs and wonders and now is mostly expressed in air-conditioned halls filled with songs and prayers. We rarely exercise our faith in the markets, the crowds, the jungles and in places where danger is rife. Christian faith rarely challenges the harsh reality of our world these days.
However, I do not think the proper response is to throw rationality out the window and rush blindly to challenge the wrongs of our society. Peter correctly sought Jesus to invite him to leave his boat into the lake where he was. Blind faith is useless. Our faith must be centered on Jesus who is divine. The question is whether we would even ask Jesus to tell us to go to where he is, among those who are in need of kindness, of hospitality, of comfort. The truth is that most of us would be happy to remain in air-conditioned comfort.
“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.