Matthew 14:22-33 – 8/9/2026 – The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
You of little faith, why did you doubt?
Matthew 14:31 (NRSVue)
Jesus walks on the water, the surface of the Sea of Galilee. Peter sees this, and says, “Me too!” and jumps out onto the waves. Once Peter realizes what he is doing, that he is really walking on water, he freaks out and starts to sink. Jesus, of course, does not let Peter drown, but he does have a tough and perhaps unfair question for Peter, why did you doubt?
It’s not the question itself that sounds a little unfair to me, it is Jesus’s description of Peter, as “you of little faith.” The question, “why did you doubt?,” is a fair one and one that can show care. Jesus wants to know what it was that kept Peter from trusting fully, even after everything he’d seen and experienced. But why did Jesus call Peter “of little faith”?
First, I want to challenge the idea, my first impression, that this is an insult. Jesus elsewhere praises faith as small as a tiny seed. Peter has faith, even if it is a small faith, and small faith is blessed by Jesus in one of his most famous teachings.
Second, I want to challenge the idea that Peter not believing he could really walk on water was a bad thing. Did it really matter that Peter could walk on water? No, it only matter that he did not drown. By doubting and starting to go under, Peter had to reach out for Jesus. It’s probably wise for Peter to not believe he could walk on water, and wise for him to reach out to one who could for help.
The lesson I draw from Peter’s little faith is that we are not self-sufficient. We cannot do the things we cannot do, like walk on water, so we need help from those who can do the things we cannot do. We must rely on each other and acknowledge that we rely on things that are out of our control and only in the hands of the creator. Self-sufficiency is a dangerous myth. Remember, we need each other in our weakness, and each of us has weaknesses. Small faith is a reminder of our own need for others.
Revised Common Lectionary Readings for 8/9/2026, the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost:
1 Kings 19:9-18
Psalm 85:8-13
Romans 10:5-15
Matthew 14:22-33
Reflections of a Dionysian Lutheran, comments on the daily readings of the Revised Common Lectionary by Justin Marquis
Dionysus on a Bike 
Leave a comment