S166P1 – The good disciple: a frightening walk
Mt. 14:28-32
Peter answered [Jesus] 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. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
Each of the disciples was a different person with a different personality. Just like a shepherd today leading a flock, Jesus had to manage a dozen men who behaved and thought as the individuals they were. Peter stands out from the others as one who seems to be directly involved in many of the lessons we learn from the scriptures. The event described in this passage is one of those lessons. During a tense moment, he was the one who spoke up to take action and figure out what was happening. Often the one to rush in, Peter took that first step only to discover that his faith was insufficient to make it all the way to Jesus. This does not mean, however, that this step was a failure.
It is important to note what Jesus says and does not say here. When Peter took that first step, he was responding in faith to the voice of Christ. That was a good thing. Then, the storm around him distracted him enough to take his eyes off Jesus. In that moment of believing more in the power of the storm than in the power of his Lord, Peter began to sink. Yet, it was Jesus to whom he cried out when the water was about to overtake him. The thing is, Jesus did not admonish Peter for having no faith. Peter simply had not yet built up enough faith. He was still on his way there. He had only a little faith, but the point is that he had some faith. It is a place we all will occupy as we mature.
I have been challenged many times to do things that I thought I could not do. Particularly as a child, I had to be prodded and convinced to get over my fears and apprehensions to take that step. I cannot say how many times someone has asked me just to try despite whatever my misgivings were. I see Peter here as someone who was trying to have the faith necessary to walk out to Jesus even if it turned out that he did not. I think a lesson here is for us to take those steps even if we fail so that we can do better the next time, building faith one step at a time. Father, give us the courage to take steps in faith just like Peter here and to grow in our faith as we see your faithfulness in our lives.