Brendan then set forth with his company, leaving their blessing with the prior of the monastery…And Brendan then went westwards, and fourteen brethren with him, till he reached the island of a holy father named Enda of Aran…And when the boat was ready, Brendan bade his company embark in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
– The Life of Brendan of Clonfert
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
– Matthew 14.28, 29
Like the leather of a sandal
The boats Brendan and his company constructed for their journey over the western sea were made of leather, like the ordinary leather used to make Peter’s sandals, and reinforced with iron. “And they smeared their joinings within and without with myrrh and bitumen, and pitch and resin”, to prevent leakage, of course. Leather boats were not uncommon in Ireland in the 6th century. But they were more like canoes, used for navigating rivers or rowing close to the shoreline. It might thus seem unlikely that Brendan and his crew could build a leather boat to sail out on the ocean.
To test that part of the story, as to its historical reliability, Tim Severin and his team, in 1977, built a boat out of leather, draped and sewn over a wooden frame, and named it Breandan. In that boat they set out to replicate Brendan’s voyage and thus to demonstrate the historicity of this beloved ancient story.
Brendan sailed first to Aran, where he may have been supplied for the first part of his journey. After that the company set their sails, took up their oars, and headed off to find The Promised Land of the Saints. It wasn’t the same as walking on water like Peter did, but it took just as much faith, I’m sure.
What waters will you walk?
Brendan believed the promise of God, sent by His angel, that He would be with him and his crew throughout their journey. Drawn by the vision and buoyed by the word of promise, Brendan and his team readied their boats and pushed off to find The Promised Land of the Saints.
Peter’s request to Jesus was typical. Peter was always the one standing forth brashly: correcting Jesus, boasting of being willing to die for Him, drawing his sword to protect Him. Throwing Himself into the sea to be the first to Jesus.
Peter could be a little brash, it’s true. But, hey, he walked on the water with noting between him and drowning but the leather on his feet.
Oh, and the Word of God sustaining him.
As Jesus kept Peter when he walked on water, and as He enabled Brendan and his crew to sail on the Atlantic Ocean in a leather boat, so He can help, sustain, and guide us through any waters of trial, testing, or tumult we may need to walk on today.
Look to Jesus. See Him exalted in glory.[1] Gaze at the beauty and radiance of His face.[2] See Him upholding His witnesses—and you among them—in His strong right hand.[3] Hear His voice as He speaks the cosmos into continued existence, flourishing, and beauty.[4] And meditate on all this while you preview the day ahead and its difficult, uncertain, or foreboding waters.
Then arise from prayer and venture out on the waters that are before you, knowing that whatever Jesus has called you to do, He will do through you.
For Reflection
1. What “difficult, uncertain, or foreboding” waters do you face in a typical week?
2. How can you improve your vision of Jesus, calling you to walk with Him on these waters?
Psalm 77.16-20 (Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
The waters and the deeps all tremble ’neath Your hand.
The clouds give forth, the sky resounds across the land.
Your lightning flashes forth and lights the earth around;
we feel beneath our feet the trembling of the ground.
Your way leads through the sea; Your path the water parts.
Your footprints are to us deep mysteries in our hearts.
As then by Moses’ hand and Aaron’s law-filled voice,
You led Your sheep, lead us that we may all rejoice!
T. M. Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, continues to unpack the secrets of the Kingdom. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
[1] Colossians 3.1-3
[2] 2 Corinthians 4.6
[3] Revelation 1.16, 20
[4] Hebrews 1.3
