Matthew 14:28-33 28And in answering him, Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29He said, “Come.” And getting got out of the boat, Peter walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out saying, “Lord, save me.” 31And immediately, reaching out his hand, Jesus took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
The story continues with Peter’s response of faith. Peter tended to be the one who spoke out first in many situations in the Gospels. This may have been because of his personality or his growing faith. The first word Peter uttered is Lord. This word (kyrie) can simply mean “master,” as in a sign of respect. But there may be more intended in Peter’s response to the “I am” of creation. His request shows great faith. If Jesus could walk on the water because he is the Messiah and Immanuel, he could also enable Peter to do the same. Peter saw something powerful at work in Jesus. He was beginning to accept Jesus’ authority. This was a small miracle compared to what the disciples had seen thus far.
Jesus response is simple, the same invitation Jesus gave Peter years earlier when he was a fisherman. Jesus always gives this invitation to people. It is up to each person to accept the invitation and take the step of faith towards him. Peter accepted the invitation and took the step of faith. But with faith often comes testing and trials. In Peter’s case, the testing came in the way of wind. The wind was a diversion that took his attention and focus away from Jesus and put it on the obstacles around him. Taking our eyes off of Jesus because of distractions will lessen our faith. Faith is our required response to find victory and experience miracles.
Peter learned an immediate lesson when he began to sink: salvation is found only in Jesus. Although this was a miracle of nature, the spiritual implication cannot be missed. Every element of this story has an application to our spiritual journey. The big challenge we face is found in Jesus’ response to the sinking Peter: O you of little faith. Why does our faith grow weak? One reason is because we take our focus off Jesus and allow other things to distract us from what is most important. Another reason is that we allow doubt to creep in. Having the wrong focus grows into doubt. Doubt can bring fear and even panic, like the sinking Peter.
The saving grace of Jesus can be seen in his outstretched hand. Jesus have spoken a word to fix the situation, like when he spoke to the storm in 8:23-27 . But instead, he gave Peter a firm grip and pull to safety. Peter should have learned a lesson from the earlier experience of the boat in the storm, but like us, he was slow to learn. The great I AM not only came to the rescue of the sinking Peter but removed the object of fear since the wind ceased.
Matthew records also the response of those in the boat, most likely the other close disciples of Jesus. This was not a private miracle of one person but an opportunity for them all to grow in their faith and recognition of Jesus. Seeing Jesus save Peter and stop the wind instantly grew their faith. They only worthy response to the I AM is worship (proskynēsan), a word that dependence, admiration, and reverence before a divine being often by prostrating oneself. The disciples saw something powerful in Jesus that could only come from God. They were beginning to recognize that Jesus was not only a great prophet but was the Son of God. Their response indicates strong certainty and conviction. Unlike the sinking Peter, they were putting their full faith in Jesus.
For older posts, click here.