Many sermons have been preached about Peter walking on the water. A while back I had my theological take on this story challenged. In Matthew 14 Peter walked on the water while the other disciples watched from the boat. I’ve always tried to be that guy, the one who tries the impossible, to jump out of my comfort zone and “walk on water”. Occasionally I have taken a few steps above the wave. Other times I have gulped some water, been dragged behind the boat and even run over by the boat. That’s just how I roll.
On occasion, I have been challenged in certain instances, leaving me feeling accused of being the one in the boat. I took this to prayer for God to reveal to me if that were so. I felt the Spirit speak to me a Word from that story I had never realized before. He called my attention to the fact while Peter was walking on the water no ministry was performed. Though it was an incredible faith building exercise for Peter and even the disciples watching, no one was healed, not one person delivered from their sins, nothing. The ministry happened when Peter and Jesus climbed back into the boat and landed in Gennesaret where the crowd surrounded them and brought the sick and their hungry hearts. Maybe that is why John and Mark, who also recorded the story of Jesus walking on the water, left out the part about Peter. The real story was not about Peter’s aquatic hike at all, it was about Jesus meeting them and going to the other side.
Many messages have been preached, even by myself, about jumping out of the boat to walk on the water. We must be careful, though, not to have too many people jumping out of the boat and walking their own way. Never again will I condemn the ones who stay in the boat. They are just waiting on me to get back in so we can row together to the other side and minister to those that can’t walk out on the sea.
