The account of Jesus walking on water is recorded in three of the gospels (Matthew, Mark, and John), but only Matthew tells the story of Peter climbing out of the boat and walking on the water with Jesus on the the Sea of Galilee. It happened just after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, and something must’ve gone down because immediately after all the leftovers had been picked up, Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, even before he’d dismissed the crowd. We can speculate as to the whys of that decision, but for whatever reason, Jesus made them go on without him. The word “made” suggests this action was not optional for the disciples (kind of like I made my kids clean their filthy rooms last weekend before they were allowed to do anything remotely fun). I can just picture the Twelve arguing with Jesus as he was corralling them into to the boat and shoving it away from shore. “But, Jesus…” “You’re not coming?” “Well, when will you join us?” “Can’t we just wait for you and all go together?” But Jesus made them go.
After he shipped them off and cleared the crowd, Jesus went to be alone to pray. Meanwhile, the disciples rowed for hours, straining at the oars, because the wind was against the boat. By now, it was dark and the disciples were three miles out, while Jesus was alone on the shore, but Mark 6:48 says that Jesus saw the disciples and how they were struggling. During the fourth watch of the night–between 3:00 and 6:00am–Jesus walked out on the water, to the boat in the middle of the lake. The boys in the boat were terrified when they saw him, but he told them not to be afraid.
Peter, always the bold one, said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus did. I wonder if Peter wished he’d kept his big mouth shut or if his adrenaline was pumping so hard he couldn’t form a coherent thought. Either way, he dropped his oar and swung a leg over the side of the boat, lowered himself to the tumultuous surface of the sea and began to inch his way toward Jesus. He was doing it! He was walking on the water with Jesus!
Before long, though, the wind in his face and the waves crashing against his legs got to him. Fear took hold and Peter sank. Jesus immediately reached out and saved him, and they climbed back in the boat together. The other disciples in the boat–I picture them with their jaws hanging open and their eyes as big as basketballs–broke out in worship of Jesus and said, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”
Like I said, this story has been speaking volumes to me. Here are just a few of the points that have hit my heart lately.
- Sometimes, Jesus sends us into situations we don’t understand. We can argue and question, but ultimately we have to trust that he has a plan, and he’s not going to let us drown out there.
- He sees us. Even when it’s dark and it seems like he’s miles away on the shore, he sees us straining at the oars with the wind against us, and he’ll come to us wherever we are.
- It’s okay to ask for confirmation. Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Sometimes, the storm is raging so hard that it’s difficult to see God even if he’s right in front of us. He doesn’t mind when we ask, “Is that you, God?” He’ll tell us not to be afraid and give us the confirmation we need.
- Even in our brokenness and failure, God is fulfilling His purposes in us. As far as water-walkers go, Peter was a failure. He went a few steps and then sank. But his purpose on earth wasn’t to be the world’s best walker on water. It was to point the world to Jesus, to be a fisher of men. His few faltering steps counted. The guys in the boat truly believed for the first time that Jesus was the Son of God because they watched Peter fail and be rescued. Even as Jesus fished Peter out of the sea, Peter’s purpose as a fisher of men was being fulfilled.
A prayer for you: Father, bring encouragement from this old, familiar story today. Show us how you’re fulfilling the purposes of our lives, even in the midst of our brokenness and failures. Be near to us. Let us hear your voice and feel your presence in a new way, and give us the confirmation we need to take the next step with you.
photo credit: http://www.wylio.com/credits/Flickr/2544387679