Online Archives

Okay God, I think I get the picture. I?ve received your message and you can stop now. Thank you very much.

In the last three weeks, I?ve heard the story of Jesus and Peter and the whole walking on the water thing five times. First, there was Duffy Robbins at ROCK in Ocean City; then Leadership Days in Baltimore; then a worship service at the chapel at American University; then Leadership Days near Washington.

Then on the Beltway this morning, a bumper sticker: 'Next time you think you?re perfect, try walking on water.'

Five times. What on earth is going on, God?

You know the story. Matthew 14:22-33. Peter and the disciples are in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. It?s the middle of the night and a storm is tossing the boat like the S.S. Minnow of 'Gilligan?s Island' fame (thanking Robbins for planting that image in my brain at ROCK).

Then, suddenly, Jesus comes to the disciples, walking on the water. The group thinks it?s a ghost and becomes afraid. But then Peter, being Peter, said to Jesus, 'If that is you, let me walk on the water to you.'

And Jesus, being Jesus, said to Peter, 'Come.'

You know what happened next. Peter, being Peter, got out of the boat and started walking on the water. And, being Peter, it wasn?t long before he got things wrong; it wasn?t long before he started to sink. The commonly held theory is that he started to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. What the Bible says (Matthew 14:30, NSRV) is that Peter noticed the storm and strong wind, became frightened, and began to sink.

And immediately, Jesus caught him.

This means at least three things: 1) Jesus was near if not next to Peter; 2) Peter had walked only a short distance away from the boat; 3) Jesus wasn?t sinking.

It?s that last point that has been driven home for me this past month. What I?ve learned is that Jesus believes in me.

A video that Bishop Schol used during Leadership Days and at the American University chapel is what?s done it. The video gives a wonderful explanation of what the word 'disciple' means, especially in light of Jesus? day, when Jewish rabbis each had disciples of their own.

The process of becoming a disciple wasn?t easy. You had to be 'the best of the best of the best,' the video says; a student had to memorize huge amounts of Scripture and pledge to not only do what the rabbi does, but be like the rabbi is.

Jesus turned that all upside down. Jesus called his disciples from those who hadn?t made the grade: Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen; Matthew was a tax collector. The video explains that this meant they weren?t disciples of another rabbi; they weren?t the best of the best.

But, the video says, it is from the collection of 'anybodies' that the course of human history was changed.

So the video goes on to explain how this group of disciples was in the boat. Peter, wanting to be a faithful disciple, wants to BE like Jesus. That explains to me why he wanted to walk on the water, too.

And so he does. But it is when he loses sight of Jesus that he begins to sink; it is when he notices the storm, the wind and the waves, that he begins to sink. Jesus, thank God, is standing close by. He reaches out his hand and rescues Peter.

And then Jesus rebuked Peter with the words, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' To me, this verse has always seemed like Jesus took a harsh tone with Peter. To me, this seemed like Jesus was saying to Peter, 'Man, if you only had more faith in me, you would not have sunk.'

I don?t know about you, but I?ve had several people in my life tell me that I?m not a success, or I didn?t get that promotion, or I didn?t win that 'prize' because I didn?t have enough faith: faith in God, faith in Jesus.

But now I?m beginning to understand this: Jesus didn?t lose faith in Peter; Peter lost faith in Peter.

How many times in your life have you lost faith in you? How many times have you felt (or been told) that you?re not good enough?

How often have I smothered myself in fear that someone, somewhere, some time, will discover that I really don?t know what I?m doing; that the confident, successful, powerful fa?ade of the day/profession comes crumbling down when I look in the mirror?

How many times have I been in situations that I don?t have a clue as to what I?m doing? How many times does it feel like I?m walking on water and I?m wet up to my waist?

Now hear this: Jesus believes in Erik. Jesus thinks Erik can do it. Jesus is there to catch Erik when he falls. Jesus knows that when Erik gives his best, that?s all he can do; he doesn?t have to be perfect.

I had come to believe that my faith in God and in Jesus was the most important thing in my life. But maybe there?s something just as important? More important?

Jesus believes in me. Who wouldn?t want to be his disciple.