Maybe Peter Wasn't Supposed to Walk on the Water

Our call to the community that is the Church

It’s interesting that the disciples are terrified when Jesus shows up in the middle of the storm.

We would likely expect Jesus to show up in our times of difficulty. Maybe the disciples did, too. But apparently not in the way he showed up. Walking on water in the darkness, amid the chaos, he looked more like a ghost than a savior. We usually expect and prefer a quick deliverance. I wonder if we sometimes miss Jesus’ help because we don’t expect it to arrive in the way it does. Divine presence can look strange in the middle of our storms.

Then there’s Peter. He decides to test Jesus. I always find it perplexing when people hold Peter up here as an example of strong faith because he followed Jesus’ “call” to come out on the water. Somehow, people often miss that it wasn’t Jesus’ idea. Peter told Jesus to call him out on the water. And Jesus simply said, Come.

And Peter sank.

The entrappings of individuality are certainly nothing new to humanity. But it’s perhaps no surprise that today’s cultures — especially Western ones — love the idea of Peter walking alone on the water to Jesus, apart from the group. The drama of singular faith, the glory of personal risk…these are tempting but hardly at the heart of Christ’s way.

Matthew’s gospel is deeply focused on the community of the Church.¹ Earlier in verse 22, Jesus’ instructions were specifically for the disciples to get in the boat and travel together across the sea. As such, Peter’s departure —trying to seek and reach Jesus on his own terms— undermines the communal movement, both for Peter as an individual and the collective identity of the disciples.

Early Christians sometimes used an image of a boat to illustrate the Church.² The boat holds. The community rows on together in the same direction. Jesus comes near. Don’t leave the boat. Travel together. When Jesus shows up, seek to encourage one another in discerning and believing in him, point the boat together, and keep rowing in his direction.

Matthew 14:24-34

Meanwhile, the boat, fighting a strong headwind, was being battered by the waves and was already far away from land. Very early in the morning he came to his disciples, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” They were so frightened they screamed.

Just then Jesus spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, order me to come to you on the water.”

And Jesus said, “Come.”

Then Peter got out of the boat and was walking on the water toward Jesus. But when Peter saw the strong wind, he became frightened. As he began to sink, he shouted, “Lord, rescue me!”

Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him, saying, “You man of weak faith! Why did you begin to have doubts?” When they got into the boat, the wind settled down.

Then those in the boat worshipped Jesus and said, “You must be God’s Son!”

When they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret.

Psalm 103:23-30

Some of the redeemed had gone out on the ocean in ships, making their living on the high seas. They saw what the Lord had made; they saw his wondrous works in the depths of the sea. God spoke and stirred up a storm that brought the waves up high. The waves went as high as the sky; they crashed down to the depths. The sailors’ courage melted at this terrible situation. They staggered and stumbled around like they were drunk. None of their skill was of any help. So they cried out to the Lord in their distress, and God brought them out safe from their desperate circumstances. God quieted the storm to a whisper; the sea’s waves were hushed. So they rejoiced because the waves had calmed down; then God led them to the harbor they were hoping for.

Prayer

God,

Help us to recognize your presence, particularly in times of difficulty. Some things that look safe are not and others that look dangerous are actually your way.

I pray for the community of the Church, so battered and splintered by the things of the world. Bring us back and keep us together.

By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.

1. Matthew is the only gospel that uses the word ekklesia, from which we derive the word “church.”

2. Further, the Greek word nau (ναῦς), from which we get words like nautical, was used for ships but also became associated with the "nave" of a church—the central part of a church building where the congregation gathers, reflecting the deep Christian association between the boat and the Church. You might also think of the ark that carried and protected Noah and his family through the travail of the storm and flood, cleansing the world from sin.