“Why Did You Doubt?”
Job 38:4–18; Romans 10:5–17; Matthew 14:22–33
May 13, 2025
Dear beloved members and dear friends of Zion,
If you’ve been searching for a Conservative church in Downtown Tampa where the Word of God is taken seriously and Christ is at the center of everything, I want to personally welcome you. Here at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church near Ybor Tampa, we gather as a family-friendly church in Downtown Tampa to receive the gifts God so freely gives.
Beloved in the Lord, you heard the question. Jesus asks Peter, “Why did you doubt?” It is a question that echoes across all three readings today. It is the question the Lord presses upon Job from the whirlwind. It is the question Paul answers in Romans as he proclaims the certainty of faith that comes through hearing the Word of Christ. And it is the question that confronts us in our own storms, fears, and uncertainties.
This question is not meant to shame. It is meant to reveal. It exposes the fragile, sinful human heart, which so easily forgets the presence and promises of God. Yet it also reveals the steadfast mercy of the Lord, who meets doubters with His Word, His presence, and His saving hand.
I. The Storm Before the Storm: Feeding the 5,000
Matthew tells us in our Gospel reading, that Jesus “Immediately, . . . made the disciples get into the boat” (Matthew 14:22, ESV). However, remember that “immediately” prior to this command, something extraordinary had taken place. Jesus had fed the 5,000. The disciples watched Him take five loaves and two fish, bless them, break them, and multiply them until every person was fed and every person was satisfied. And, O, by the way, the disciples gathered up twelve baskets of leftovers.
They had just witnessed divine power—creative power—power to satisfy scarcity, hunger, and human need. They had seen a miracle that echoed the manna in the wilderness and pointed forward to the new covenant in the Lord’s Supper.
Yet Jesus sends them away immediately. Why? We learn from St. John that the crowd wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him their king. Jesus does not want His disciples to be stirred up by the wrong kind of expectation. Plus, if you remember, Jesus came to this desolate place to be by Himself to pray. John the Baptist had just been killed. So, Jesus sends them into the boat, into the night, into the storm. Jesus is teaching them something deeper than the miracle of bread.
Jesus is teaching them who He is.
II. Job’s Storm: “Where Were You?”
God’s servant, Job, knew storms as well. His calamities were overwhelming—loss of health, loss of livelihood, loss of his family. Job’s friends offered misguided advice, insisting that suffering must be punishment. Job cried out in confusion, frustration, and anguish.
And as we heard this morning, the Lord answered him—not with explanations, but with questions.
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4, ESV)
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began?” (Job 38:12, ESV)
“Have the gates of death been revealed to you?” (Job 38:17, ESV)
O, my! These questions may sound sarcastic and even cruel. Indeed, they are very humbling. They are corrective. They reorient Job’s vision. They remind him that the One who governs creation also governs his life. The One who sets boundaries for the sea also sets boundaries for suffering. The One who knows the depths of the earth also knows the depths of Job’s pain.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, as much as Job suffered—Job’s problem was not that he suffered. His problem was that he doubted the Lord’s presence in his suffering.
And who could blame him?
Yet the Lord does not abandon Job. He speaks. He reveals Himself. And, ultimately, Job responds:
“I know that you can do all things… therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:2, 6, ESV)
Job’s repentance is not despair. It is the surrender of his doubt before the Almighty God. It is Job’s restored trust in God that had been smothered in suffering and grief and confusion and DOUBT. Do you get it?
III. Peter’s Storm: “Take Heart; It Is I.”
Back on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples are battered by waves. The wind is against them. They are exhausted, terrified, and alone—or so they think. Then Jesus comes to them, walking on the water.
The One who multiplied bread now tramples the waves. The One who created the seas, and ALL things, now strides upon them. The One who commands the morning now approaches in the fourth watch of the night.
And Jesus speaks: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27, ESV)
The Greek phrase ego eimi—“it is I”—is the same phrase used in the Greek when God reveals Himself as I Am. Jesus is not merely comforting them to quiet their fears. He is revealing His divine identity.
You heard the account. Peter boldly challenges this ghostly figure, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28, ESV) “Come!” Jesus replies. And Peter did! Peter steps out of the boat. Peter walks on water! For a moment, faith holds him. But then he feels the wind and sees the waves. He doubts. He sinks. “Lord, save me!”
And Jesus immediately reaches out His hand.
Immediately. Not eventually. Not reluctantly. Immediately.
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31, ESV)
It can be said that this is not a scolding or a condemnation. It is, most certainly, a question that reveals the heart of faith. Peter doubted because he looked at the storm instead of the Savior. He doubted because he trusted his senses more than the Word. He doubted because he forgot the One who fed the 5,000, who walked on water, who is the great I Am.
IV. Why Did Peter Doubt? Faith as Gift and Growth
Peter’s doubt is not surprising. Like Job, Peter is a man in process. Faith, the free gift of faith, is given by the Holy Spirit in a moment—punctiliar—as Paul teaches:
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)
Yet the life of faith, our faith journey—if you will, is also a continual formation, a daily dying and rising, a growth worked by the Word of God. The Bible says, Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…(Hebrews 6:1a NIV)
Peter’s life demonstrates this beautifully.
1. The free gift of Faith Begins by the Word
Peter follows Jesus because Jesus speaks: “Follow me.” (Matthew 4:19, ESV) The Bible says, Immediately, they left their nets and followed Him.
As world acclaimed theologian Francis Pieper writes: “The Word of God is not a dead letter, but truly the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Vol. I, p. 108–109)
2. Secondly, in Peter’s faith journey, we see that Faith Falters When Our Eyes Leave Christ.
In our reading this morning, Peter walks on water because Jesus says: “Come.” (Matthew 14:29, ESV) And he does! But when Peter feels the wind, when he takes his eyes off Jesus, he doubts. He sinks in his doubts and fears.
The Word creates faith; fear distracts from it.
3. Faith Grows Through Revelation
By now, Peter has seen and heard and experienced numerous faith-building revelations. So much so, that when Jesus asks, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”, Peter confesses: “You are the Christ. The Son of the Living God!” (Matthew 16:13, 16, ESV)
Jesus responds: “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 16:17, ESV)
Faith grows because God reveals Himself to us through His Holy Word.
4. Faith Is Unassuming
By that I mean that we can easily impose OUR will over the direction that faith would lead us. Again, we learn from Peter’s faith journey. Jesus was teaching His disciples that He must suffer and die. Peter and the disciples did not like that prospect! Peter said, “Far be it from you, Lord!” (Matthew 16:22a ESV)
Do you remember how Jesus rebuked Peter? “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23, ESV)
Faith is unassuming in that we can still impose our stubborn human-will over it.
5. Faith Falls Under Fear
Peter was so fearful that he, too, would be crucified that he denies Jesus three times. Yet Jesus, prior to Peter’s triple denials told Peter, “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” (Luke 22:32, ESV)
Christ sustains our faith even when our fears suffocate our faith.
6. Faith Is Empowered by the Spirit
At Pentecost, Peter preaches boldly: “This Jesus, whom you crucified, … God raised him up.” (Acts 2:32, ESV)
The doubter becomes the preacher. The Word has done its work.
V. God Secures His Children by His Word
Turning again to Pieper:
“God preserves His children by His Word, for the Word is the almighty, creative, and sustaining power of God Himself. As the Word called the world into existence, so it calls faith into being, keeps it, strengthens it, and brings it to completion.” (Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, Vol. I, p. 112–113; Vol. II, p. 27–28)
This, then, is our comfort: When, not if, we doubt, God’s Word secures us. When, not if, we falter, Christ’s hand rescues us. When, not if, we fear, the great “I Am” speaks peace.
VI. The Gospel Predominates: Faith Comes by Hearing
“Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17, ESV)
Christ meets us in the storm. Christ speaks into our confusion. Christ reaches out His hand. Christ is the great I Am. And faith comes by hearing Him.
God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ, who loved us (Romans 8:37, ESV)
Come and Worship With Us
When doubt comes, when fear rises, and when the storms of life seem to overwhelm us, Christ does not abandon His people. He speaks His Word. He reaches out His hand. He strengthens our faith and reminds us that He is with us.
If you are looking for a Conservative Church in Tampa, a Lutheran Church near Ybor City, or a Family-friendly church in Tampa, we invite you to join us at Zion Lutheran Church. Come hear God’s Word clearly, receive His gifts faithfully, and be strengthened in the faith that comes through hearing the Word of Christ.
Come and worship with us this Sunday. Bring your questions, your fears, your doubts, and your burdens. The Lord meets His people with grace, truth, and mercy.
Zion Lutheran Church — A Christian Family Who Cares for You!
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