Anyway, I was reading
the passage in Chapter 14 and story of Pete and Jesus walking on the water a
few weeks ago (verse 22) [click for link]. For
those of you unfamiliar with this passage (and I assume that really this is
none of you), I shall attempt to summarise.
Jesus had just
finished feeding the five thousand, starting with only five loaves and two
fish, ending up with 12 baskets of leftovers – You must know that story. His
disciples got into a boat to go to the other side, but Jesus decided to take a
short cut, by walking across the lake – yes – you remember it now, don’t you.
Peter, on seeing
Jesus, decided that it might be a pretty cool idea to join Jesus on the water. So
naturally, (cutting a long story short), he stepped on to the water, promptly found
himself up to his knees in water. Peter cried out for help, whereupon Jesus took
him by the hand and they returned to the boat.
The usual thoughts on
this are a mixture of limited amount of praise for the initial act of faith.
Actually to me it looks on the surface like an act bravado or stupidity? – How
would you have advised him to do this, if he had asked your opinion? “Oh yes –
this sound like a pretty good idea – let’s all drown”.
It is not clear to me
what Peter’s motivation was and I do not recollect having heard any ideas on
this. Whatever it was, it was an individual one. Perhaps he had been drinking
too much Galilean coffee and had a caffeine rush. Perhaps he was just plain
impulsive (and there is some evidence that his character was of this nature). Perhaps
it was just something that he wanted to do.
Perhaps he wanted to
put Jesus to the test to see if his faith in Jesus was really justified. Peter
might trust Jesus, but could he trust himself to know what he should do here?
But Peter’s motivation
in leaving the boat was not initially my central observation. Rather it was the
view we have formed of Peter’s cry for help, on seeing what he can got himself
into.
Commentators are very
patronising about Peter in this story. He cried for help, when he saw the wind
and waves after which he began to sink. I was struck by the commentary in my
bible, which said that Peter had only “beginning faith”, whatever that means.
(I don’t like the commentary in my bible anymore – If “Beginning Faith” means
that you step out on to the water in the middle of the storm, this will do for
me).
Well, of course, he
began to sink and had the water up around his knees. There was a storm going
on. And of course, he cried for help. What was he supposed to do? (“Jesus, I
think that I am going to drown, but that’s fine by me”). Even if he had been
looking direct at Jesus (which is the normal lesson of this story), he would
still have seen the waves.
My thought here is
that he sank or at least thought that he was sinking, not because of lack of
faith – whether he sank or not was Jesus’ doing. The extent or lack of his
faith was shown in his response, in crying ”Oh Lord, save me”. Is this a good
cry or not? Is it an example to follow or not? Did this show faith or lack of
it? If he had had more faith, then what would his response have been? Would a man of more faith have been silent?
But I have been here
before [click here] with another story involving storms.
But back to the
opening point. Why did he do this in the first place? His motivation was
probably a combination of a number of the possibilities that I put forward. And
what equivalent events is this meant to represent in our lives? If Peter was
just putting Jesus to the test, it seems that there is little to be learned
from this. Equivalent might be: “I think that I will run across this motorway
to see what happens”. Putting God to the test for its own sake was something
for Jesus rebuked the Devil in the temptations in the wilderness.
But putting God to the
test for something that has purpose or meaning is another question. We could
wait for God to tell us what to do. Sometimes we need out own convictions to
show us where to go. But we worry (not unnaturally) that I might be wrong (“The
waves”). Suppose that I have deceived myself (“The wind”).
The decision was Peter’s.
He had the conviction and the (beginner’s!!??) faith to do this, and despite
the wind and the waves, Jesus kept him and brought Peter back to the boat.
