Daily Manna, Year Two · Day 89 · March 30
The Fourth Watch
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.”
Somewhere between three and six in the morning, in the middle of a lake, in a wind that has been against them since before midnight. They have been on the oars for hours and no shore is getting closer.
Matthew is precise about the hour: in the fourth watch of the night. He is equally precise about who put them out there. Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side. They are in that wind under orders.
Then a figure on the water, and the fright, and his voice across it: Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter does what nobody else in the boat does. Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. He asks for a command before he moves, which is more careful than he usually gets credit for. The command comes back as one word. Come.
He walks. Then: when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink. Nothing in the weather had altered. The wind was contrary while he asked, contrary while he climbed over the side, contrary the whole time he was upright on the water. What changed was where he was looking while he did it.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him. Immediately, with the diagnosis coming afterwards: O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? The hand does not wait for the question to be answered.
Notice also who is never rebuked. Eleven men stayed in the boat and Matthew has no criticism of them at all, which ought to slow down anybody who has been told from a pulpit that the lesson here is to get out of boats.
Carry the water with you today. What did you ask him about, get an answer on, and then spend the next fortnight watching the weather instead?
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year one reading for day 89 is Betrothed Forever (Hosea 2:19).