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MESSAGE SERIES: "Second Looks"

Did Jesus really chide Peter

for lack of wave-walking faith?

A lie told over and over may become acceptable and

understandable, but that doesn't make it the truth.

The same goes Biblical innacuracies.

How many times have you heard it preached that Jesus

repremanded water-walking Peter for the serious sin of

lacking in faith and thus sinking down into the waves of

his circumstance?

"You of little faith," Jesus must have said sternly to His

rambunctious disciple, "why did you doubt?"

Coming from Christ, that's as stinging a rebuke as salt

spray in an open wound. Who among us today wants to

receive such a disciplinary lash from the Lord?

Yet there it is in Matthew 14:31. It's clear for all to see!

Or is it.

Peter, like John the Baptist in our previous message, gets a

bad rap here. More important, so does Jesus.

First, let's familiarize ourselves with the passage in

question. It's Matthew 14:22-31. If you don't have a

Bible handy, please look at the NIV translation below.

There are all sorts of dynamics occuring before this passage

that we don't immediately see. News of Herod's murder

of John the Baptist had just reached Jesus, who sought to

be alone.

The miracle of the loaves and fishes then follows as 5,000

are fed to satisfaction, with many eating their fill

perhaps for the very first time in their lives. It's Jesus'

only miracle mentioned in all four Gospels.

Does it strike you strange that Jesus immediately forced

the disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead of Him

to the other side? Let me offer this:

First, having killed John, Jesus knew King Herod likely

would be coming after Him too. Second, Jesus knew, as

John 6:15 points out, that the well-fed people planned

to forcefully make Him their king, and it was not yet

time to be crossing Spiritual swords with Herod. It might

even be true that Jesus' disciples liked the idea of making

their Lord king. Certainly we can all agree that Jesus

needed time alone with the Father following the sad news

that cousin John had been beheaded.

And so Jesus went up on a mountainside alone to pray while

the disciples rowed out into the Sea of Galilee where

they were hit by a storm. Tired and fearful after hours

of struggle against the wind and waves, the disciples

are stunned to see Jesus walking to them on the water.

Notice that Jesus was with them in the storm, as He will be

with us in our storms, calmly standing over the waves

while their boat pitched to and fro. Jesus yells to them,

saying "It is I Am," using the same name God spoke

to Moses from the burning bush.

William Carey said, "Expect great things of God, and attempt

great things for God." Certainly Peter did!

Most of us are satisfied with little things from God,

but not Peter. Out of the 12, only he asks to join Jesus

in walking on the water. "Come," Jesus says, and Peter

climbs out of the boat -- no easy task in a storm -- and

successfull walks on water.

Ah, but the harsh wind distracts Peter, and he begins to sink,

uttering the shortest prayer in the Bible: "Lord, save me!"

That Jesus immediately does. Then comes the rebuke:

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Many preachers, even commentators, jump to the conclusion

that Jesus was talking about Peter doubting the Lord's

ability to keep him atop the waves. Therefore, although 11

other disciples cowered back in the boat, Peter is scolded

for a lack of wave-walking faith.

Look deeper. Only Peter showed great faith! Does God really

want you to think Jesus was disappointed when Peter began

to sink? If not, then who would want us to think that? Sniff

the air for hell's smoke, because this is the devil's hiss.

To buy into this lie means you should stay safe in the ship

until sure you'd never take your eyes off Jesus, which could

well mean you'd stay in the boat forever.

What God wants and this world deseperately needs is more

people willing to get out of the boat and walk on spiritual

water when Jesus says, "Come."

The Lord knows we're weak, imperfect and likely to take our

eyes off Jesus and fearfully glance at the threatening

waves. The important thing with God is that we obediently

try, not that we don't sink some from time to time.

So, why did Jesus say those words to Peter? Simple.

As Peter began to sink into the raging waves, he feared

for his life, even though Jesus was close by. Our Lord

immediately reached out and caught Peter, then made

the remark in question.

I submit to you Jesus wasn't calling Peter's wave-walking

faith into question but Peter's lack of faith in His soul-

saving ability. Jesus in effect was saying: "Peter, after

bringing you out on the water, why did you doubt I wouldn't

save you?"

Jesus says the same of each of us, who like the other 11, are

cowering in the boat afraid to follow Peter's lead.

The Lord wants us to join Him amid demonic storms that

submerge lost souls. He wants us to obediently walk on

spiritual water with Him, knowing full well that we are

going to sink from time to time when we don't stay focused

on Him. And when we do start to submerge, Jesus wants us

to remember His rescuing hand is only a quick prayer away.

For previous message, Click Here:

SECOND LOOK

Open My Eyes

Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth You have for me

Place in my hands the wonderful key that shall unclash and set me free:

CHORUS

Silently now I come to Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see.

Open my eyes, illumine me, spirit divine.

Open my ears that I may hear voices of truth You send so clear,

and while the wavenotes fall on my ear, everything false will disappear:

CHORUS

Open my mouth and let me bear gladly the warm truth everywhere.

Open my heart and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share:

Chorus

Matthew 14:22-321

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on

ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside

by himself to pray.

When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was

already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the

waves because the wind was against it.

During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them,

walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on

the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said,

and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I.

Don't be afraid."

"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you

on the water."

"Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked

on the water and came toward Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to

sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

(NIV)