Post #3158423

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” -Matthew 14:28-33 Why did St. Peter tell Jesus to command him to get out of the boat? Most likely it is because the Apostle knew Jesus *very* well. Jesus had a habit in those days of challenging people to exercise their faith in God and His Word. We see Him tell people to believe when they ask Him to heal them or their family members. We see Him calling people to faith in the Son of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. He invited people to step out of the pharisaic rabbinical system and have faith that their freedom wasn't sin. If the figure on the water was Jesus and not some ghost, St. Peter reasoned, then that figure would *challenge* him for his own good. Typically in sermons a minister will criticize St. Peter's lack of faith as he begins to sink, or comment on how he only began to sink once he took his eyes off of Christ. I find this to be off-base for a number of reasons. First, Christ says he is one of "little faith" - that's a start, not an absence. Second, and more importantly, would YOU have gotten out of the boat? Personally I struggle to say that I would. Eleven other men, Apostles hand selected by Christ Himself, did not get out of the boat or even dare to ask what St. Peter asked. To be of "little faith" is something a whole lot of people should aspire to, for only the Apostle with "little faith" got out of the boat. When St. Peter begins to sink and cries out "Lord save me," we ought to admire that this fisherman - who knew well that he could swim - still saw clearly that only Jesus could save. May we have the same outlook in the midst of our own, more embarrassing failures. The Apostles all rightly worship Jesus when He enters the boat and calms the storm. Even Judas. But let us not suppose that this is meritorious of them. Any man with common sense can see that someone who walks on water, empowers others to do the same, and calms the weather with a single look is probably Divine. But eleven of the Apostles stayed in the boat. It's easy to have faith when you are being saved from extreme circumstances, not so easy when it's time to rely on that faith for guidance, refusing the bad and embracing good. Judas worshiped Christ here when the storm scared him: he did not worship Christ when he was staring at a handful of silver. St. Peter as well worshiped Christ after being delivered from drowning: later he denied Jesus three times. Here, our Lord challenges us. Yes, we believe in Him when we need to be delivered from sin, the fear of death, and the devil. But do we believe in Him when it is time to stay loyal to Him above all? Do we truly fear God or do we fear men? Do we worship our Savior, or do we worship comfort and stability? May we look in faith to the Man who walked on water and rose from the dead, yes; even more so may we look to Him who challenges us to exercise that faith and stay loyal to Him no matter what.