Matthew 14:23-33, #2

Matthew 14:23-33 #2
What a great scene this is. We need to picture it in our minds in order to understand the lesson for us. Remember that the apostles had been rowing all night against a powerful wind and were still stuck in the middle of the sea. Jesus came walking on the water and would have passed by them until the twelve cried out in fear. When Peter realizes it is Jesus and sees Him walking on the water, he makes a request that only a man like Peter would make. Impetuous and always willing to say what others are thinking, Peter’s motives may have been to simply get the experience of doing something no one else would ever be able to do. Who among us would not have wanted to do the same? What fun to actually walk on water!But Jesus did not allow Peter to do this in order to “play” with His miraculous abilities. Jesus saw a lesson in it, a lesson Peter needed, a lesson the twelve needed, and certainly a lesson every disciple needs. You see, when Peter stepped out of that boat, the storm on the sea was still raging. These were not calm waters so that sinking into the sea would simply mean swimming back to the boat. Such violent waves would engulf a man in a moment. So Peter steps out, at first only thinking about the fact that the Lord bid him to come. He is looking at Jesus; he is not thinking about the waves or what could happen if he sank. He is simply looking at Jesus, and when a man is looking at Jesus, there is no fear.

But once on the water, somewhere between the boat and Jesus, Peter realized the danger he was in. He looked at the raging sea and the natural result was panic. Immediately he thought, “What am I doing? I can’t do this, I’m just a man!” He took his eyes away from the Lord and looked at the circumstance and then sank. And notice this, only when he screamed for help did the Lord grab his hand. The lesson is clear, isn’t it? When our eyes are on Him, no trial of life is too much for us. When we take our eyes away from Him, we are doomed to sink beneath the waves. “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Berry Kercheville