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I haven't posted anything here in a while, as things have been busy ... but I came across this article, which I had written for a magazine, where I was working earlier and I thought, it's a good one to put up here:
There’s never a place where ‘fear’ & ‘faith’ can co-exist in its totality. There are umpteen scriptures which talk about an ‘either-or’ situation, both explicitly & implicitly.
Fear is natural & so real; whereas faith is unnatural & optimistic – yet, it can be realistic!
Everyone has a certain measure of fear – to fear is human.
But when that fear start to dictate terms, we dwell on that reality and DOUBTS creep in – that’s why it’s so important for us to develop a habit of focusing on that which help us nurture our faith – so, we can look beyond the natural, which causes us to drown at times.
Faith can be as real as fear is!
The study for this issue is taken from: Matt.14:22-34 – ‘JESUS WALKING ON THE WATER’
BACKGROUND INFO:
The incident prior to this event was Jesus feeding the 5,000+ crowd.
In vs.15, the disciples seemed very concerned for the people, who were with them this long. However, Jesus didn’t panic.
In fact, in vs.18 – Jesus directs the people to sit down for a meal.
Note that Jesus did this job? Why didn’t the disciples do it? Well, this is a faith project and the disciples showed that they didn’t have much of it – they were perhaps ‘grumpy’.
If the disciples would have been told to do so, they would have gone into the crowd and said something like this: “Look, we told him, but He insists we sit down for a meal. There’s only 5 loaves and 2 fish – so, if you want a piece of that food, you better be the first in line otherwise it wouldn’t last for too long”
That would have surely dampened the spirit in the crowd & probably a stampede would have occured. The Disciples didn’t even expect Jesus to meet this need.
It’s in this context we read the passage before us (please read the scripture, before you proceed further):
From this passage there are 2 things which are evident: FEAR & FAITH
1) FEAR
There are 2 expressions of fear. One involved all the disciples, and the other involved Peter. Both circumstances were so real and it justified their fear.
How is it that the disciples didn’t recognize someone who was so close to them? Whom did they cry out to anyway?
THEIR RESPONSE IN FEAR:
On both occasions, they pray out instantly – it was neither fabricated nor fancy, but straight to the point. And note that the answer was immediate too!
Peter, being a fisherman must have known some swimming. Why wasn’t he ready to swim back to the boat, or even towards Jesus, when he began to drown? What does that show about his faith in Jesus? When Peter was drowning did reality matter or the words of Jesus? What are its implications?
2) FAITH
Jesus demonstrated faith; Peter demonstrated it; and so did the people at Gennesaret, when they brought the sick to Jesus to be prayed for, believing in His ability to cure.
WHAT MADE THEM TICK?
*** Jesus developed a life-style of balancing His time with:
· the Disciples – in Private with the 12 and the inner circle – Peter, James & John
· the People – in Public
· the Father – in Prayer (this discipline being the key)
The prayer aspect enabled Him to keep His focus right at all times. He was never too busy to spend time with the Father, in spite of being extremely busy with the people. Here we see Jesus sending the disciples & the crowd away to go up on a mountain to pray. He was there from evening until the fourth watch – a long time since he started praying.
Info: An evening time is before the commencement of the ‘watch’. There are 4 watches during the night as per the ancient custom. First watch is from 6-9 pm; second watch from 9-12 midnight; third watch between 12-3 am; & fourth watch from 3-6 am.
Jesus went up the mountain in the evening and returned only during the 4th watch of the night. As per the above time-frame, even if we calculate the end of 'evening' and the beginning of the 4th watch .. Jesus spent time alone with the Father for about 9 hrs.
*** Peter’s faith must have been spurred to action, by him confirming his call at this juncture.
Vs.28,29 – Seems like Peter is asking a dumb question. At least, it seems like it. A ghost (as they feared it was!), could have easily said COME too! So, what is Peter trying to do?
Perhaps trying to associate this word ‘COME’ with his call (cf. Matt. 4:18-20).
Faith is not being blind to the situation around us nor is it being presumptuous – it’s a trust in a God, who is Almighty & Sovereign (cf. Heb.11:1).
HOW DO WE CULTIVATE THIS FAITH IN THE MIDST OF FEAR?
1) Meditate on His Word
Rom.10:17 – “…faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ…”
- Let’s make a commitment to read His Word (Bible) on a regular basis & meditate on it.
2) Meditate on His Works
Faith is built as we reflect on His goodness in the past
- Let’s analyze our life to see how He has proved Himself in the past – this will give us the confidence in taking the step of faith NOW and in the future.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
From the Passage:
** Vs.22,23 – There was a huge crowd – 5000 men + women and children. Jesus sends the disciples on their way first and then dismisses the crowd? Why didn’t Jesus let the disciples disperse the crowd, or why didn’t they volunteer to do that, before they left that place?
** Vs.31 – Peter chastised for doubting. Actually, he’s the one who took the step of faith. The 11 disciples didn’t even venture, but they were spared. Why is this directed at a man who once took that bold step of faith? What does it say about the life of faith?
** Vs.32,33 – It could have been so tempting for Peter to raise his collar and grab all the attention once they stepped back into the boat. The disciples could have praised Peter for his effort – but, they show exemplary model in worshipping Jesus. What does this say about the attitude of the disciples and Peter?
** Vs.35,36 – The people at Gennesaret passed the message about Jesus immediately and brought many who were sick. This is in sharp contrast to the disciples, who had been with Jesus all along and saw all that He did and still failed to comprehend His true nature – here were some simple folks, who believed & passed the word around so quickly and saw many healed. What does this say about our responsibilities in fulfilling the Great Commission in South & Central Asia and beyond?
From other Scriptures:
Mark 4:35-41 (*40) – Can fear exist, when there is faith? What is Jesus saying to the disciples regarding believing in His ability, after experiencing His goodness?
Mark 5:21-43 (*36) – Is it possible to believe the words of God in faith, when the reality is totally different? What makes it possible or impossible?
Mark 10:46-52 – Blind Bartimaeus receives his sight. Jesus declares that his faith has made him well – he did have reasons to fear, when the disciples and the others rebuked him in vs.48, when he cried out to the Lord? What made him persist?
