In Matthew 14, the familiar account of Jesus walking on water is recounted. Told in many a Sunday school class, churchgoers know the account well. Often times when this passage is read and discussed, the subject of faith is discussed in great detail. Peter frequently gets a bad rap from this story for some reason. I’ve heard criticism of Peter’s audacity to even request to step out on the water with Jesus. And while his actions and subsequent sinking have long been discussed and debated, I wish to add a different perspective to the account.
So imagine - I mean really imagine - you are in a boat on a lake, sea, or ocean, and you see someone walking on water. (I explore the accuracy of this in Walking on Water Part I). I’m not going to debate the legitimacy of the account here. The Bible says Jesus walked on water, so I will leave it at that. What I want to discuss is the reaction to this supernatural event. As a former sailor, I have spent a significant amount of time at sea. I have ridden through thirty foot swells and experienced the serene calm a flat ocean can provide. However, if I ever had occasion to see a man walking on the water, I would have reacted with extreme skepticism. Peter, though, hearing the voice of his Lord, requests permission to join him. I think I might have asked him to jump up and down a few times, run back and forth, or even do a few push-ups just to verify what I was seeing.
But Peter doesn’t do that. No, he recognizes that it is Jesus. Like I said, Peter often gets a bad rap in this story because after he steps out on the water he becomes afraid and begins to sink. Such a simple interpretation of this passage is common by theologians and pastors. The lesson, as it goes, is about genuine faith, never taking your eyes off Jesus, etc. Now I’m not saying those points aren’t valid. They are. However, there is more to this passage, I believe, that often is overshadowed by the face value of the account. As I stated, I have spent a significant amount of time on the water. I have never seen someone walk on water. If I had, my reaction would be somewhat different. I doubt I would have the gumption to ask Jesus to join him.
Peter did, though, and to me that is the heart of the story. It isn’t about diminishing faith as many have taught based on Peter’s sinking. No, it’s about having the faith to step out in the first place. So, let’s pretend we’re Peter for a moment. We see someone walking on the water, we recognize it’s Jesus, and we decide we want to join him. Pause. What must have gone through Peter’s mind at this point? Clearly he knew he couldn’t walk on water. Yet he also knew - that is, he had faith - that because it was Jesus, he could. I know what you’re thinking. You’re rushing ahead to the part where he sinks and saying, “He had faith to step out but it faltered.” Okay, we’ll get there in a minute. Let’s focus on the most important part of this story. Peter had the faith in Jesus to step out of the boat and onto the water. When he did, he became one of only two people in history who have ever walked on water. Place yourself in his position for a moment. Peter, a grown man, familiar with sailing and the physics of water, waves, and wind, does something supernatural. Of course, this was not of his own power but Jesus’. Here he is standing on water, something that he knows is physically impossible (Isaac Newton’s theory was not necessary). I imagine he took in the moment - he looked around, perhaps he smiled at the disciples in the boat as they looked on in astonishment, and he considered the circumstances.
Okay, now to the part you’ve all been waiting for - he got scared and sank. Oh, you foolish pundits. You’re missing the point of the story. This isn’t some simple Sunday school lesson with obvious imagery - keep your eyes on Jesus or you’ll sink. No, this is a lesson about faith and its true nature. When Peter sank, Jesus said, “You of little faith. Why did you doubt?” Many (wrongly) believe Peter’s faith in Jesus vacillated and that is why he sank. While even the most ardent believer can have doubts, I don’t Peter’s faith in Jesus ever faltered. No, I believe the reason he sank was because his focus switched from Jesus’ ability to his own. As Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians). Indeed, that is true. However, if we try to do things on our own, we fail. I believe that is what happened here. Peter did not have the faith to step out onto the water with Jesus, which was tremendous by the way, and then suddenly lose it because of the wind. No, that’s not what happened. That is much too simple and demeans the true nature of faith.
This story illustrates the duality of faith. We are called to follow Jesus, to take him at his word as a child would. Through him we can do all things. Nothing is impossible for God. However, if we focus on our humanity, if we rely on our ability to do what God has called us to do, we will indeed sink like Peter. There are two elements to faith - belief and action. First, like Peter, we must believe. Second, we must act. Peter did both. He believed Jesus when he told him to join him on the water. What an incredible act of faith that was. Second, he acted on that faith by climbing out of the boat and onto the water. Imagine what a remarkable experience that must have been! But cut Peter some slack. Like all who are called to act in faith, we doubt - we doubt ourselves mostly. That is, we doubt we are really capable of doing what God has called us to do. However, as this story illustrates, if we are called, God will provided the ability to do what it is he has called us to do no matter how overwhelming it may seem. Peter was literally called out of the boat, and he was given the ability to do precisely what Jesus called him to do. There was nothing lacking. Jesus gave Peter the power, that is the ability, to walk on water, to do something supernatural, something beyond comprehension and understanding.
All believers are called to act in faith just as Peter did. When he flung his leg over the side of the boat, Peter stepped out in faith. In doing so, he demonstrated that he was in fact a true believer. His faith in Jesus never faltered. He never questioned him, “Are you sure?” Interestingly enough, no one questioned Jesus’ ability to walk on the water. It is not sufficient to simply believe, to remain in the relative safety of the boat. No, we are called to step out on the water, to know that as we do we have been equipped for the task at hand. And even if our faith falters because we are human and doubt we are capable, even through God’s power, he will sustain us and never let us sink. That, I believe, is the real lesson of this story.
Comments
Post a Comment