Peter Steps Out

Have you ever had an experience when you had to experience blind trust?

When I was in college, my brother, my parents and I took a trip to Hawaii with some other families. We were actually on a mission trip, really suffering for Jesus. One afternoon we went to a beach at Waimea Bay. When we arrived, I quickly noticed people jumping off the large rock jutting out of the ocean. I immediately thought two things: (1) “I don’t want to do this” and (2) “I’m going to have to do this.” In addition to not really appreciating the thrill of jumping off something tall, I also don’t do too well with peer pressure.

Before I know it, I’m on top of this rock. I noticed that there seemed to be a different dynamic than other tall things I’ve jumped off of. People seem to be timing their jumps. When it was my turn to approach the edge, there was a man who pointed out the waves below. When the waves rolled in, the water was deep enough to catch you without major trauma to your legs and ankles. But when the waves pulled back out, it wasn’t really deep enough to jump into. You had to time your jump perfectly! I did not like this set up. But there came a moment when I just had to close my eyes and jump. I screamed very loudly, but I survived.

There is one story that really made Peter famous. It happens right after Jesus fed thousands of people with a miracle. Look at Matthew 14:22-27:

“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.’”

At the beginning of this story, Jesus does something pretty interesting, He sends His disciples away to go before him into the Sea of Galilee in a boat. While they do this, Jesus withdraws to pray. By the time Jesus is ready to rejoin His followers, the boat has drifted into the middle of the sea and a storm has risen up. There’s no way for Jesus to get to them, except for the fact that He’s Jesus. So He walks out to them on the water. Naturally, this totally freaks out the disciples and they’re convinced it’s a ghost! After Jesus identifies Himself, Peter speaks up in Matthew 14:28:

“And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’”

Think about what Peter is doing here. Peter asks for an invitation to come out on the water. Peter is watching Jesus do something that Peter himself cannot do. Jesus is standing on water – He walked out to them there! Jesus responds to Peter’s request in Matthew 14:29-31:

“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?’”

Peter follows Jesus out of a boat and does the miraculous – his feet hit the unsteady foundation of the waves, but Peter finds himself standing on solid ground. He slowly moves forward, shocked to find himself walking on water! It’s amazing. There’s a reason that this moment makes Peter famous. When Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink. Peter quickly transitions from trusting Jesus to being distracted by his surroundings. He takes his eyes off of Jesus and begins to sink. But what does he do in the middle of that? Peter cries out to Jesus. Jesus reaches out His hand, saves Peter, and takes Peter back to the boat. Look at the end of this passage in Matthew 14:32-33:

“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.’”

I think this last verse in this passage is what really helps us see what’s actually on display in this passage. Think about it. Jesus walks on water through a storm, calls one of His disciples onto the water with Him, and ultimately quieting the winds. What’s on display here? The primary thing on display in this passage is the power of Jesus Christ.

So often, that’s not our takeaway from this story. We want to make this a story of blind trust. We make this story about what Peter has done and what he is able to accomplish. We walk away from this story with a wonder that there was actually a guy who walked on water. We miss what’s really on display here. This is not a story about blind trust. This is a story about the power of Jesus Christ.

Peter doesn’t just get a crazy idea and jump out of the boat and hope that something magical is going to happen to prevent him from drowning. That would be stupid. But that’s not what’s recorded here. What we read in this passage is Peter, seeing Jesus move in power, asking for an invitation into that.

We want to make this story about doing something impressive. We think this story is what should motivate us to do things that make us feel like I felt standing on the top of that rock in Hawaii. We want to feel like we’re risking everything jumping into the sea. We think we’re supposed to close our eyes, jump, and blindly trust that something magical is going to catch us.

That’s not what we see in this story. We’re watching Peter grow in faith. Peter has met Jesus, seen His power, and now Peter is asking Jesus to call him into greater dependence. Peter is not closing his eyes and jumping, but asking Jesus to invite Him into the water.

This is not a story about closing your eyes and blindly jumping – it’s a call for us to see the power of Jesus and place our trust with Him. The question for us is not how can we push ourselves to do the thing that makes us most uncomfortable, but what is God calling me to do? Where is Jesus inviting me?

Maybe God is calling you to reach out to someone in your life (like a neighbor or a family member). Maybe God is calling you to forgive someone. Maybe God is calling you to greater involvement in what He is doing at your church. It’s easy to feel like Jesus would be great at those things but lack the confidence to do anything yourself. What would it look like for you to ask Jesus for an invitation into what He is doing?

We are serving a God who can walk on water, who can calm the winds, and who can invite us to do great things – not for our own glory, but for His.

Peter is growing ever-dependent on Jesus, who is worthy of that kind of sold-out dependence for us. I wonder if we can be the kind of people who pray along with Peter, “Command me to come to you.” Will we listen when Jesus calls us? Will we trust Him to lead us where He wants us to go?