Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Aug. 10, 2014

Jesus walking on the water, Lorenzo Veneziano, 1370

The stories of the bible’s dysfunctional first family continue into the fourth generation! Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other children. This, not surprisingly, makes his brothers jealous. They briefly consider murdering him, but decide to simply sell him into slavery instead. Now scripture shows us again that even the patriarchs weren’t noble people but flawed, broken, sometimes downright bad. Yet still God loved them, as God loves us. Joseph will eventually forgive his brothers, as God forgives us.

Psalm (Page 738, BCP): Psalm 105: 1-6, 16-22, 45b

This Psalm remembers Joseph’s life as a slave in Egypt, his feet bruised in fetters and his neck choked in a stout iron collar. But God was faithful to Joseph, who gained the Egyptian king’s trust and eventually rose to a place of power in Pharaoh’s court. God has done marvelous things for the people, the Psalmist exults. Sing praises! Glory in God’s holy name!

Second Reading: Romans 10:5-15

Paul is urging Rome’s Gentile Christian community and its Jewish Christians to love one another. Salvation is for all through Jesus, he writes, emphasizing that there is no distinction between Jew and Greek (Gentile): God is God of all, and is generous to all who recognize Jesus as Lord and call upon God’s name. Don’t judge our neighbors, Paul says, but proclaim the good news of the Gospel so that all may be saved.

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33

Jesus walks on the water! This striking image is surely one of the most well-known Gospel stories. Now, imagine it from the viewpoint of the disciples. Jesus had “made them” go ahead without him, so he could finally get a little time alone to pray after his grief at hearing of his cousin John’s beheading was interrupted by the huge crowd that had to be fed. Now a violent storm has come up, the apostles are alone on the boat, and they’re scared … and here comes Jesus, calmly walking across the stormy sea! Peter, first to believe that it really is Jesus, steps out onto the water, too. But his faith isn’t strong enough to keep him from sinking, without Jesus’ help. Would you trust Jesus enough to step out of that boat?