There aren't many downsides to having grown up in church and having been taught Scripture at an early age. That’s obviously a blessing! However, it can occasionally lead us “born and raised” church folks to gloss over some amazing stories in the Bible. Familiarity breeds contempt, as the saying goes, but in this case, I think familiarity breeds apathy. And that causes us to miss key elements in the Bible that are waiting to comfort, encourage, and convict us.
One story that’s recently jumped out at me in a fresh way is the story of Jesus (and then Peter) walking on water in Matthew 14. Are you familiar? Probably. But humor me, and read it all the way through:
Matthew 14:22-33 (ESV) says, "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
One thing that strikes me is the three ‘immediately’s contained within the passage.
Here’s the first one in verse 22: "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds…"
To set the stage for this first ‘immediately,’ we must know where the disciples and Jesus had been. What happened before this ‘immediately'? You guessed it—another popular Bible story…the feeding of the five thousand (which didn’t count the women and children, so, a TON of people). A miracle of epic proportions had just occurred. Jesus put on a massive feast to meet the physical needs of the people who’d been following him. And then, we have our first ‘immediately’—Jesus made the disciples get into the boat.
Not a big deal, right? They just needed to be on their way to the next thing. But it is a big deal because Jesus didn’t go with them. He sent them, then dismissed the crowds, and went to a quiet place to pray. He needed to recharge and be alone with God the Father. This shows us so much about Christ’s dependence on God and is a beautiful example we can follow. After all, if Jesus needed to withdraw to be alone with God, how much more do we need to?
The disciples, however, were not having quality alone time in prayer. They’d been sent—on purpose by Jesus, remember—into some semblance of a storm (assumed from the phrase “beaten by the waves” and “the wind was against them.”) This was not a stress-free sail.
The disciples are taking turns taking watches, and right around three or four in the morning (isn’t everything a little creepy during that time?), they see a figure walking across the sea. Now, I don’t blame them at all for shouting “Ghost!” and being afraid, do you? The Bible actually uses the word "terrified" in the ESV. This was no mild jump-scare followed by a nervous giggle. This was true, pure, raw, fear.
Which brings us to the next ‘immediately’…
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
I love this so much. Jesus didn’t let them wallow in their fear! He didn’t chuckle or roll his eyes or say, “Come on, guys, really?” He spoke encouragement. He spoke truth. He spoke peace. And He didn’t hesitate to do so. He came for them physically and literally, walking toward them on the water, but He also came for them emotionally and mentally. He calmed their fears with His voice and His presence.
Spoiler alert—He does that for us, too.
What happened next is kind of hilarious to me. Peter challenges Jesus’ identity and essentially says, “Prove it.”
(Part of me is sitting here in my well-lit, very non-stormy living room, thinking, "Good grief Peter, how did you not recognize your Lord?" But then again, middle of the night storms on boats probably don’t provide great lighting. And their freak out probably began when Jesus was still a good ways away from the boat. So, we can cut him some slack.)
Maybe Peter truly couldn’t see who it was and wanted to make sure he and his buds weren’t about to be tricked by a ghost. Or maybe Peter just wanted Jesus to command him to walk on water, because, hey, that’d be amazing. Regardless, Peter did his Peter-thing, and Jesus, in all His graciousness and mercy, simply said “Come.”
And in granting Peter that request, Jesus set up a beautiful metaphor for us to follow thousands of years later. But we’ll get to that.
Off Peter goes! Now, here, we have no idea if he’s scared. Arrogant. Nervous. Excited. I can easily picture him being a little cocky just as easily as I can picture him being a bit eager, golden-retriever about it all. I have no idea Peter’s heart posture when he hiked up his tunic and put one foot on the waves. I have no idea what went through the man’s head as he walked atop the water toward Jesus. Were fish flipping up next to him? Could he see Jesus via the lightning bolts splitting open the sky? Was it pitch black? Did rain pelt his face? Were his feet completely on top of the water or set a few inches in?
I have no idea the details I’m so curious about. But I do know that the next verse states that at some point on his journey across the sea, Peter got scared again. He “saw the wind” and began to sink. The water that previously held him up stopped doing its job. Everything got really real, really quick. Suffice it to say, if Peter had started out a little cocky, that was all gone by now. Peter cries out to Jesus, “Lord, save me.”
I bet you can guess what that leads us to next—the third ‘immediately.’
"Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'”
If that doesn’t make you love Jesus a little more, I don’t know what will. The kindness. The compassion. The strength. Jesus immediately responded to the disciples’ fears, ever catered to Peter’s random request to do the impossible, and immediately saved him when he failed.
Jesus is so stunning here. I can’t even write this part without tears.
Maybe you’re like me and you haven’t ever tried to literally walk on water. But here lately, you sure feel beaten by the waves and intimidated by the wind in your life. You feel like you’re going under, and quick. You’re thrashing in the relentless waves of failure, of messy relationships, of prodigal kids and aging parents and financial woes and anxiety flair-ups. You can’t breathe for the waves pelting your weary heart and exhausted mind.
Jesus comes for you, too, friend. Peter wasn’t the exception. He calms the storm, speaks to your fear, invites you into adventure, and saves you in your weakness.
Again, I wasn’t there. I don’t know for certain the body language Jesus had as he addressed Peter or His tone of voice when he asked: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” But I know Jesus isn’t cruel. So I can’t help but think His tone was gentle, His words coaxing, maybe almost teasing. “Why’d you doubt, Peter?”
Why are you doubting, reader?
Your storm can’t sink you—not when you’re with Christ. He was with the disciples and feisty ol’ Peter, and He’s with you. With me. Right now. Keeping our heads above water not because of who we are or what we deserve, but because of who He is. Because of the stunning beauty of His character, because of His divine nature that is bent toward saving even the least of us.
Wherever you’re at in the waves today, call out to Him for rescue. Maybe your circumstances won’t immediately cease to be painful. Maybe your ‘immediately’ will still feel like it’s taking forever. But His presence is immediate, always. His peace and joy and strength are readily available at a moment’s notice.
We’re guaranteed to get wet in these storms of life. But we are not destined to sink.
PS – After Jesus saved Peter, they got back in the boat and the wind stopped. Every storm has a purpose, dear friend.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Alexmumu