God Must Laugh

If you grew up in church, I imagine you’ve heard quite a few sermons about Peter’s brief attempt at water walking.  Most of the ones I’ve heard something like this: “Peter should have kept his eyes on Jesus. He got distracted by the noise and rush of the world. Don’t be like Peter.” But I say, our lives and our world would be better if we all acted more like Peter.

Jesus sends his disciples ahead of him. He tells them to cross the sea. They called it a sea. We’d call it a lake. 13 miles long. 8 miles wide. But here it is, night, and they’re only halfway to the other side. A storm came up, and the wind is right in their face. Their master said to cross, so they don’t quit. They row all night long, and now the dawn is about to break and here comes Jesus walking to them across the water. They’re wet. They’re exhausted. They’re frustrated. This is just the last straw. They cannot believe what they’re seeing, so they have to come up with another explanation. “It’s a ghost!”

Jesus says “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” In Greek, it actually reads “I am.”  Take heart. I am. Does that sound familiar to you? When Moses asked God “Who shall I say sent me?” God answered. “I am what I am. Tell them I AM sent you.”  Take heart. I am. Don’t be afraid.

But the disciples don’t answer. They’re still afraid. They speak when they should be silent and stay silent when they should speak. But Peter? Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you, ask me to come out there with you.” Which, when you think about it, is just about the worst proof-test ever.

Photo by HappyA

Imagine we’re back in WWI, in the trenches on the western front. It’s late at night, edging toward morning. You’ve been on guard duty all night. You’re tired and hungry, but you have a job to do, so you keep watch. And out of the mist, you see someone moving toward the line. “Don’t shoot, it’s me!” It sounds a bit like Captain Smith, and it looks though the haze like it might be Captain Smith. So, what do you say?

Exactly!  “If it’s really you, what’s the password?  What’s my hometown? Who plays third base for the Yankees?” You could come up with a hundred good questions to ask. You know what you wouldn’t say?  Not in a million years? “Hey cap, if it’s really you. Call me out there into no-man’s land with you.” What if it’s not really the captain? What if it’s just some German with a good accent? You’d be toast!

It’s not like people in Bible times were stupid. When Jesus was on trial before Herod, He said, “If you really are the Son of God, do a miracle for me.” The soldiers that blindfolded him and beat him said, “If you’re really a prophet, then prophecy. Tell us who just hit you.” When he was hanging on the cross the people said, “If you’re really the messiah, come down. If you’re the savior, save yourself.”

But Peter says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” We’re stepping into interpretation now, but the only way I can read it this story so it makes sense is like this: Jesus comes walking through the storm, and the disciples say “This is terrifying!”  But Peter says, “That looks awesome!”

He has enough faith in himself to trust his eyes. He’s just as tired and frustrated as everyone else, but he looks through the fear and the exhaustion to the one he knows. He’s seen Jesus do miracles before. Is walking on walking on water beyond the power of one who can heal the sick, or feed the 5000?

The question isn’t, “Is this really Jesus?” or “Is this really possible?” The question is, “Did Jesus really mean it when he said this life is for us?” So Peter lays down the gutsiest challenge. “If the Jesus I know, the messiah, miracle worker, and Son of God, the one who loves me, if that Jesus is walking on water, I want to do it too.” And his trust in his teacher is so great, that when Jesus calls, Peter steps over the side.

If you’re looking for a moral here, try that one. It was faith that enabled Peter to ask the question. And the very next thing that happens, the very next step, requires greater faith, because he has to step off the boat. The next step requires greater faith, because he has to put his weight on both feet. The next step requires greater faith, because he has to let go of the boat. The next step requires greater faith, because he has to face the storm. How’s that for a moral? You are never done. Faith is about becoming. We’re all worried about getting into heaven someday. God’s worried about changing lives today.

Photo by Jim Boud www.JimBoud.com

You’re a seeker. Great. Get out of the boat. You’re a believer. Great. Get out of the boat. You’re a lifelong believer, and you do good works, and you tithe a tenth of your income, and you run a soup kitchen out of your actual kitchen, and you pray so much people can actually see your halo?  Great!  Get out of the boat. Because where ever you are, whoever you are, God has more to give you, more for you to receive, more for you to become.

You know what happens next, right? This is the part everyone wants to talk about. Peter fails. He looks away. He gets distracted. He gets scared. He starts to sink. Brothers and Sisters, this is not a warning. This is a guarantee. If you try to live a faithful life, if you trust God enough to step out of the boat, you will get distracted. You will get scared. You will sink. It will happen. And when it happens, be like Peter.

He doesn’t swim back. He reaches forward. “Lord, save me!” Even his failure is an act of faith. Call out to Jesus, reach out your hand and lean on him. He can take it! Keep your eyes on him and hold on tight. Once you’re safe, you know what you do next? You follow where he leads, even if it’s out into another storm.

Peter isn’t a warning. He’s an example. When preachers tell the story, they might poke fun, and if Peter were here he’d probably laugh. But looking back, I bet he remembered that day for the rest of his life as the day he walked on water. And I bet all the other disciples remembered it too, as the day they stayed in the boat.

First preached at First Congregational Church of Saugatuck on August 7, 2011.
Texts: Matthew 14:22-33

Get Out of the Boat  is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Link to revsmilez.com.