December 2017

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. ²³After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, ²⁴and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. ²⁵Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. ²⁷But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ²⁸‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water.’ ²⁹‘Come,’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ ³¹Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’ ³²And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. ³³Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” – Matthew 14:22-33

Think about the logic of Peter’s demand: If You’re the Christ, tell me to come join You. If You aren’t, tell me to stay put.

I love Kenneth Copeland’s insight: “What was Jesus supposed to say, ‘No, it isn’t Me’?”

Peter didn’t give Jesus much wiggle room. I count only three options.

Contradiction

Christ could lie about His identity, but what choice is that?

“It is impossible for God to lie” – Hebrews 6:18

The Father knows His Son.

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’” – Matthew 3:17

Jesus recognizes His role in God’s plan.

“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah’ (called Christ) ‘is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.’ ²⁶Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you–I am He.’” – John 4:25-26

He is the Christ; soon afterwards, Jesus will commend Peter for recognizing this fact.

“‘But what about you?’ He asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ ¹⁶Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ ¹⁷Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.’” – Matthew 16:15-17

The Lord will never mislead you or deceive you about Himself. You can rely on Him.

Correction

I suspect this is what most Christians would expect. Jesus will confirm it’s Him on the water but He’ll reject Peter’s conditions. “Yes, I am the Christ, but no, you can’t presume to work miracles on that basis. You’ve exceeded your authority, Peter; stay in the boat.”

Jesus would have been within His rights to dismiss the apostle’s reasoning. Fearing this, too many believers suppress their requests before they express them. Seeking to honor the Lord, they abort their chance of receiving a miracle.

In your desire to respect God, are you depriving yourself of something special?

Challenge

Jesus accepted Peter’s terms but He dared him with them: “If you want a miracle, I’m game; let’s go!”

Christ challenged Peter with his own words. No arguments, no instructions, but a simple command: Come!

Did Peter mean it? Only one way to tell–get out of the boat.

And he did!

True, Peter let fear of the storm get the best of him, even though it didn’t make any sense. As Copeland asked, Would it have been any easier to walk on the water if it had been calm?

Impossible is impossible! Only God’s grace and power can make miracles happen, so give up worrying. You don’t have to understand the mechanics of miracles to receive one.

Jesus didn’t criticize Peter, but He did admonish him. “You had enough faith to get out of the boat; your faith, though small, kept you afloat. Trust Me and you won’t sink!”

Don’t bury your wishes; honor Jesus by voicing them without reservation.

And if you find yourself trying to control what God can and can’t do, get ready for the Lord to put those conditions on you. Not to shame you, but to train you.

“All things are possible with God.” – Mark 10:27

“Everything is possible for one who believes.” – Mark 9:23

Don’t worry about trapping Jesus with your cunning; there’s no way you can! But He will use the words you speak to frame the arena in which you experience the miraculous.