Homily for 26 July 2015, the 9th Sunday after Pentecost--"Don't Challenge God to Prove Himself"

Don’t Challenge God to Prove Himself

Homily for the 9^th Sunday after Pentecost (26 July 2015, 29 July 2012)

1 Corinthians 3:9-17                         Matthew 14:22-34

 

What do you remember about today’s Gospel reading?

The first thing that anyone remembers about this passage from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew is that Jesus walks on the water.  Then maybe we remember that Peter also walks on the water (but with much less confidence and not for very long).

One thing that I always remember in this passage is what Jesus says to His terrified disciples:  “Take courage.  It is I.  Do not be afraid.”

Maybe we also remember that Peter cries out, “Lord, save me!” and that Jesus says that Peter is a man “of little faith.”

But there is something else here—something that should teach us an important lesson about our relationship with God.

When Peter sees Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the high waves and strong wind, he basically challenges Jesus to prove to them that He is really the Lord.  Peter tells Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

So Jesus simply says, “Come.”

Be careful what you ask God for.  You might get it.  And then you will probably get more than you imagined you would.

Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk on the water.  So when Jesus does command him, he has to obey.  We can’t ignore God’s commands.  (Remember what someone once said:  “It’s the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.”)

It seems that Peter speaks before he thinks, because when he actually tries to do what Jesus commands, he becomes afraid and starts to sink into the water.  He should not have asked Jesus to prove Himself.  We are not supposed to test God.

But, like Peter, we do test God.  We do it all the time.  We make rash promises, like, “O Lord, if You give me what I want, I will never miss Sunday liturgy again.”  Or we come up with stupid rationalizations for doing things we know are wrong, like, “If God really didn’t want me to do this, He would have stopped me.”

And the truth is that we test God because, like Peter, we are people of “little faith.”  We have enough faith to ask God for help, but not enough faith to live without doubt and fear.

Instead of asking God to prove Himself, we need to ask God to improve us.  Whenever we encounter the Lord or enter into a conversation with God, we need to start with grateful recognition and acknowledgement—something like we sing in the Great Doxology:  “Glory to You, O Giver of Light.  We praise You, we bless You, we worship You, we glorify You, and we give thanks to You for the splendor of your glory.”

Instead of asking Jesus to command us to do something outrageous, like walking on water, we need to ask Him to make us faithful to His commands, as we pray three times also in the Great Doxology:  “Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me your statutes.”

I’m sure we can all agree that it is hard enough to hold onto our faith and practice it in everyday life.  We don’t need to challenge God to prove Himself by commanding us to do unnecessary things beyond that.  Let us simply ask, “Lord, have mercy,” and give thanks and praise and glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.  Amen.