Each year, millions of Australians flock to the beach to enjoy the sun, surf, and sand. At a lot of beaches, we can find red and yellow flags with people near them wearing the same colours. They are the surf lifesavers who patrol many beaches to watch over people and keep us safe when we swim in the ocean. If swimmers get into trouble while they are in the water, they can signal to the surf rescue on the beach. The lifesavers will come to their aid and bring them back safely to shore.
Can you imagine Jesus wearing the red and yellow uniform of a surf lifesaver? What would you think about a piece of Christian art which represented our Saviour wearing red bathers, a yellow long-sleeved top, and the classic surf lifesaver skull cap? Maybe Jesus has more in common with surf lifesavers than we realise as our rescuer, saviour, and lifesaver.
In the gospel reading from Matthew 14:22-33 we read about the disciples sailing across the Sea of Galilee at night. Jesus had just fed the 5,000 men (plus women and children) and was spending time alone in prayer. While the disciples were crossing the lake that night, a storm suddenly surrounded them. Matthew tells us that early in the morning, possibly around 3am, Jesus appeared, walking on the water. The disciples were afraid, thinking that it was a ghost. Jesus called out to them to let them know it was him, and Peter responded by asking Jesus to call him out onto the water. Peter stepped out in faith, but when he saw the wind and the waves around him, he panicked and started to sink. He called out to Jesus to save him, so Jesus reached out, took hold of his hand, and carried him back to safety in the boat.
One way we can interpret this story is to focus on Peter and the way he stepped out in faith. Many people who preach or comment on this story emphasise that if Peter had kept his eyes fixed on Jesus and continued to trust him like he did when he first stepped out of the boat, then he would have been able to walk on the water through the storm, just like Jesus did. This story can encourage us to move out of our spiritual places of safety, comfort or convenience. Like Peter, when we fix our eyes on Jesus, trust him and step out in faith, then we can do more than we imagine, just like he did when he was walking on the water.
This is clearly one aspect of the story. The wind and the waves can represent the storms we face in our lives. Seas and oceans in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, often represent those things in life which are out of our control, chaotic, or throw us around in life like a small boat on stormy seas. When these storms hit, like the disciples, we can do our best to try to sail through the storms and keep things under control in one way or another. We might want to retreat to what we hope will be a safe place from the storm, try to look for an easy way out, or search for a comfortable spot to wait until the storm is passed.
However, like Peter, Jesus comes to us in the storms and calls us to himself, not to just look for a safe, warm, comfortable place where we can wait the storm out. Jesus calls us from our places of safety and comfort to step out in faith, focusing on him and trusting in his power to keep us safe in the middle of the winds, rain and waves. Instead of retreating to an easy, safe, or comfortable place, faith can mean stepping out boldly, doing something risky, or taking a chance to follow Jesus and live as his disciple in the world.
While this is a clear message from the story, it isn’t the only message we can hear. As the story unfolds, Peter lost his nerve when his focus shifted from Jesus to the wind and the waves around him. Instead of keeping his eyes on Jesus, he was distracted by the storm in which he found himself. In many ways this can reflect our experience too. No matter how good our intentions might be, or how much we try to keep focus on Jesus and trust him in our lives, there can be times when the storms around us just seem too big to overcome.
That’s when we can shift our focus in the story from Peter to Jesus, from what we should do to what Jesus does for us, and we can find good news in this story. When the storms of life are getting the better of us, then the winds we’re fighting against seem too strong and the waves come crashing in on us with soul-destroying regularity, then Jesus comes to us, not as a swimming instructor who tells us how to keep our heads above water, but as a surf lifesaver who holds our heads above water for us. Imagine Jesus walking to us across the waves in his red boardies, yellow long-sleeved top and surf skullcap on his head. Jesus reaches out to us, holds us in his nail-scarred hands, and keeps us safe until we reach the boat. Just as the wind stopped when he reached the boat with Peter, he will also calm our storms in his time. When everything seems so overwhelming and we feel like we’re sinking, that’s when Jesus meets us as our lifesaver to rescue us and carry us to safety.
When people learn about keeping safe at the beach, one of the most important things we learn is that if we need help and have signalled for assistance, when the lifesaver arrives, we need to do nothing. The best thing to do is trust our rescuer, stop struggling or trying to help, relax, and let the lifesaver get us back to shore. This becomes an important message for us as followers of Jesus as well. There are times when Jesus calls us to step out in faith, keep our eyes on him, and actively trust him by taking risks for him and the gospel. There are also times in life when faith means letting him know that we need his help, waiting for him to come to us with the saving help we need, and then doing nothing as we rest in his arms and trust him to carry us to safety. The Christian life as Jesus’ followers can encompass each of these, both an active and a more passive faith, at different times. Wisdom means learning when to step out in faith and when to trust that he’s holding us.
As we approach another Aussie summer, we shouldn’t be afraid to jump into the water and enjoy the surf. We can thank God for the people who stand on the beach in their red boardies, yellow long-sleeved tops, and cool little skull caps, watching us, waiting for us, ready to jump in and bring us to safety if we need it. In the same way, God give us the faith to step out, to take risks for Jesus’ sake and the sake of the gospel, while we keep our eyes fixed on him. Maye if we did that, we might be surprised at what God does in us and though us. However, when the storms are rough, when we’re getting knocked around or overwhelmed, God also give us the faith to call out to our divine lifesaver who walks to us on water, reaches out his hand, holds our head above the waves, and brings us to safety.
More to think about or discuss:
- Have you ever been to a beach where surf lifesavers patrol? Did their presence make a difference to your day at the beach? Spend a few moments explaining why…
- Have you ever thought of Jesus as a lifesaver, complete with boardshorts, long-sleeve top and cap? What might challenge you about this image? How might it help you trust in Jesus’ saving help?
- What storms are you facing in your life? How might this story of Jesus walking on water help you to step out in faith or find peace in his saving grace?
Pastor Eugene Online 
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