With Jesus on the Shore of the Lake of Tiberias

An excerpt from Encountering Jesus: A Holy Land Experience by Vincenzo Peroni

Here in the hills around the lake, Jesus has just performed the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, which the Gospel writer Matthew recounts. So what does Jesus do now? Jesus seems to be saying, “Let’s see if you understand something. I am arranging to send the people home, so go to the lake ahead of me and begin crossing it.” The disciples obey and go to the boat on the lake. Jesus dismisses the crowd and once again retreats to pray. It was evening when he sent his disciples to cross the lake, and he prayed for a long time, almost the whole night.

Meanwhile, the wind stirs up the water. Toward the end of the night, Jesus comes toward them, walking on the water. The sea, this great body of water, is once again, a symbol of sin and death. Why does Jesus walk on the water? Did he perhaps want to demonstrate that he is more capable and physically versatile than others? No. It simply means he has the power to put sin and death under his feet, so much so that he waits for the end of the night because it is toward the end of the night that the resurrection occurs. It is at very early dawn when the women go to the tomb; they find it empty and hear the announcement of the resurrection. Jesus had risen toward the end of the night.

Jesus, walking on the water toward the end of the night, preannounces his resurrection, saying, “I am able to walk over sin and death. I am also the Lord over sin and death.”

When the disciples see him, they demonstrate something typical of human beings: we are disposed to believe absurd things rather than surrender to the facts. It is obvious that Jesus is walking on the water, that there is something extraordinary and divine about him, but they are ready instead to say that it is a ghost, to believe something that does not even exist. How many times, just to continue with what we are already thinking, are we willing to believe the irrational and the absurd rather than submit to the evidence of reality? “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” The disciples had cried out because they were afraid. Peter, sensing that it is Jesus, says to him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on

the water.” Peter’s request here is good because he is really saying, “Make me a participant in your life and in your power over these forces.” Jesus says, “Come.” The following point is generally overlooked.

Getting out of the boat, Peter does start to walk on the water. He too has now walked on water, so good for him for trusting Jesus! Peter was an expert fisherman, so he knew this lake and its dangers well. This is not a body of water in which one can float without knowing how to swim; in this lake one sinks! He obeys Jesus and begins to walk, but then a wind comes up that distracts him from Jesus. As long as he was focused on Jesus and was obeying him and looking at him, he could walk on water, thereby sharing in Jesus’s power and resurrection. But then he lets himself get distracted by the wind. Whenever there is a danger or difficulty, what do we do? Peter begins to sink. That is also how spiritual life works. When we pay more attention to our understanding of situations and obstacles, we distract ourselves from Jesus and are not able to keep moving forward; sin and death then have the upper hand. However, Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!!” This is the really great cry that we ought to address to the Lord. First, calling him Lord, we should say, “You are my God and you are my savior; only you can accomplish this.” Secondly, we should say, “Save me in my weakness,” which is similar to the cry of the good thief on the cross when he says, “Remember me” (Luke 23:42).

We also learn from Peter the humility of crying out to Jesus, the ability to keep our gaze fixed on him and to know that only if Jesus stretches out his hand can we be saved. Jesus waits for us to cry out to him this way. Then Jesus reproves Peter: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” We could think, “Poor Peter. He is walking on the water and a strong wind comes up. It’s normal that he was a bit fearful.” Yet Jesus reproves him because, although it is true that many things can distract us, he, Jesus, is there and our gaze should be fixed on him. Every time we look away from Jesus, it basically means that we are not trusting him very much, that we are not so sure he is really taking care of us.

They had hardly gotten back into the boat when the wind ceased; it was enough that Jesus was there. “Truly you are the Son of God.” We too, after crossing over Lake Tiberias, hope to be able to say not only with our lips and minds but also with our hearts, our wills, our affections, and our emotions, “You are the Son of God.” We can choose to fix our gaze on him and not let ourselves become too disturbed by the wind and waves that life will make us experience again, once we return home.

Prayer I praise you, O Lord, for the power of your word;

I praise you for the victory of your resurrection; I praise you for the faithfulness of your friendship. I bless you, Lord, for the hard work of growing in faith; I bless you for the waiting that increases my desire for you; I bless you because you always hear my cry for help. Heal the eyes of my faith, Lord; heal my unbelief; heal the wounds of sin. Teach me to recognize your presence, Lord; teach me to keep my gaze fixed on you; teach me to abandon myself to you.

Encountering Jesus A Holy Land Experience Vincenzo Peroni