TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

When was the last time that someone tried to scam you? We seem to be besieged with emails and phonecalls from people who promise us everything from thousands of dollars to avoiding a prison term simply by providing them with some personal information or a little cash. So, we have by necessity become a nation of skeptics. Our mantra is "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is."

This mindset is a necessary survival tactic when dealing with anonymous phone calls and offers that come to us out of cyberspace. But in the realm of faith this skeptical attitude wreaks havoc, and has been doing so for thousands of years. The gospel story for this Sunday, Aug. 13, gives us a striking example: the story of Peter walking on the sea until he starts to sink and Jesus has to quickly reach down and pull him out of the waves (Matt. 14:22-33).

THE EAGER STUDENT

I read somewhere that in Jesus' time when a young man wanted to become a rabbi, he would find a rabbi that he respected and would ask to become his student. The rabbi's students learned by imitating everything their teacher did: how he sat, how he ate, how he spoke and walked. They tried to act like him in every possible way.. 

So, here's Simon Peter, a student of Jesus. When he sees Jesus walking on the waves, he wants to imitate his rabbi by doing the same. He asks permission, and Jesus says "Come!" Imagine Peter's excitement as he steps out of the boat and finds that the water supports his weight! To  his amazement he begins to walk on the water just like huis Master! So far so good.

We remember what happens next: Peter begins to hear the roaring of the wind and see the towering waves around him and begins to be afraid. "This can't be real! This is too good to be true!" he thinks. And at that moment he begins to sink beneath the angry sea. 

As Jesus hauls his soaked apostle out of the water he says to him "O you of little faith! Why did you doubt?"

MAKE UP YOUR MIND!

I want to look with you at Jesus' question, "Why did you doubt?" The Greek verb that is translated as "doubt" is "distazo." It's made up of the familiar prefix di-, meaning "two," and the root "stasis, to stand." Our Lord, then, is asking Peter literally: "Why were you standing in two places at once?" 

What a powerful image! Peter believes two contrary things at the same time: He believes that Jesus is able

to make him walk on water, but he also believes that human beings cannot walk on water. He is, as it were, standing in two places at the same time. He is overcome by doubt, and, predictably, begins to sink.

I think that this attitude of "doubt" is at the root of most of our faults and sins: We think that Jesus' promise to be with us always is too good to be true, or that his statement "My grace is sufficient for you" may not be quite true. It's as if one side of us suspects that Jesus's promises are a hoax, so we better not rely on them. We lose our nerve, and we turn to other means to achieve security or satisfaction instead of waiting for God to fulfil his promises. And that's the definition of sin.

Simon Peter is a good patron saint to pray to when we start to lose confidence in God's promises and are
tempted to look elsewhere to satisfy our hopes and desires. 

Saint Peter, who stood in two places at once, pray for us!