by David Clayton
One of the most unusual events which
occurred in the experience of the disciples of Jesus, took place one
dark night on the sea of Galilee. As they sat exposed and helpless in
the boat they beheld through the gloom a mysterious figure approaching
them apparently walking on the surface of the water. Their terrified
cries brought the reassurance that the eerie figure was none other than
Jesus and their fear was replaced by a sense of awe.
What happened next is not easy for me to understand. It is
difficult to follow the workings of Simon Peter’s mind. I cannot quite
put myself in his shoes and see myself making the same kind of request
which he made. But the record is plain. Upon hearing that it was Christ,
he instantly called out, “….Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee
on the water.” (Matt 14:28).
Peter did not make this request
in order that his faith might be strengthened. The wording of his
request makes it seem that he was saying, “I am not sure that it is you,
but if it is you, then tell me to come and I will come.” If Peter had
been uncertain of the identity of the figure on the water would he have
dared to venture out of the boat? I don’t think so. He knew that it was
Jesus and it was on that basis that he made his request. What is more
difficult to understand is, what was his motive in asking? Was it simply
that he wished to experience the thrill of walking on water? Was he
thinking of what a great story he would have to tell his grandchildren?
Was it that he was so anxious to meet Jesus that he could not wait until
He got into the boat? None of these suggestions make much sense, but
what is certain is that Jesus immediately spoke one word. Without
hesitating He said, “come.”
Jesus’ response is as puzzling as
Peter’s request, but it was not untypical of the way He operated. There
rarely ever was a time when He denied the request of any person no
matter how unreasonable or unrealistic it seemed. For example, when He
was asked to turn water into wine in Cana of Galilee, He complied, even
when it seemed that it was contrary to His plans. There was no apparent
need to grant Peter’s request. On the surface of it, it seems that Peter
just wanted to get a thrill, or to show off to the other disciples.
Whatever the reason, Jesus told him to come, and immediately Peter
stepped out of the boat and began to walk on the water.
It was
as easy as breathing. Peter had never studied the theory and practice
of walking on water. He had never trained himself to walk lightly, he
had never discussed the mental and spiritual attitude or the physical
qualifications necessary to successful water-walking. His eyes were
fixed on Jesus and on the strength of that single word, spoken by lips
that could neither lie nor fail, he stepped out of the boat in perfect
peace and confidence. No human being will ever be able to explain the
mechanics of what happened. It is useless even to think about it.
Perhaps the sea suddenly became as solid as stone, or maybe Peter became
as light as a helium-filled balloon. Probably none of these options is
correct, but the plain fact of the matter was that he was involved in
doing something which was impossible, and he was doing it with no
effort.
What was the secret of Peter’s successful walk that
night (for as long as it lasted). What were the vital elements necessary
in order that walking on water could be successfully carried out and –
let us not forget – maintained.
First, there was the word of
Jesus. That single word, “come,” was backed up by the integrity of a
life in which there was no shadow of guile, no variableness nor shadow
of turning. It was spoken by lips which had never lied, nor ever been
involved in idle jesting. There was no question that the word carried
the stamp of infallible truth and authority.
Secondly, there
was the presence and power of Christ. In Him was power which had never
failed to perform even the most seemingly impossible tasks, even to the
raising of the dead. In Him there was the assurance of infallibility and
omnipotence.
Thirdly, there was the faith of Peter. It was
not bravado which caused Peter to step out of the boat in the perfect
confidence that he would walk on water. It was not mere suspicion, or
hope, or the thought that it might be possible. With his eyes on Jesus
there was not a question in his mind as to what would happen when his
feet touched the surface of the water. When he found himself walking on
the water, he was not the least bit surprised. He had known exactly what
would happen and that was the reason why he had stepped out without a
life jacket, without a lifeline, and without asking any of the other
disciples to standby in case of an emergency.
We may not know
exactly what thoughts went through the minds of Peter and Jesus that
night, but we can be confident that this remarkable miracle has been
recorded and preserved in order that we might learn some vital lessons
from it. Who knows, perhaps it is the very reason why Jesus consented to
Peter’s request. Jesus performed many miracles while He was here and
while not all of them were recorded, in each of those of which the Bible
speaks we can find vital truths and principles which have powerful
lessons to teach with respect to the Christian life and how it is lived.
In Romans 1:16 the apostle Paul tells us,
For I am
not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. (Rom 1:16)
In these miracles of Jesus we most often
see the power of God applied unto physical restoration. Paul says that
the gospel is the same power, but applied to salvation. In both cases it
is the power of God. There is no difference in the way that healing is
applied in both cases, only that in one case, the body is affected and
in the other the soul, the mind, the spirit is affected. Why should we
believe that it is a more difficult thing for God to heal the spirit
than it is for Him to heal the body? The truth is that the miracles of
Jesus are full of lessons which, properly understood will enable us to
grasp the most critical principles necessary to the healing of the soul.
So let us see what lessons we may glean from Peter’s extraordinary achievement.
The most obvious lesson is that the victorious Christian life is not
difficult. It is no more difficult than walking on water. Both tasks are
of course, humanly impossible. No amount of will-power, concentration,
dedication, or studiousness will enable a person to perform either task
for even one single second. Humanly speaking, they are impossible, yet,
both await only one thing, that is the faith of one who simply believes
the word of God. Faith in that word makes the impossible not only
possible, but easy and effortless.
Another lesson which we
learn is that the accomplishment of the task is entirely the work of
Christ. What did Peter do to help Christ? What did he do to prepare the
way for the miracle? What did he do to prepare himself to do the
impossible? The answer is, he did absolutely nothing. All he did was
believe the word of Christ. That was all. When he believed that word, he
stepped out of the boat and into the world of the impossible. The task
was Christ’s, the preparation was Christ’s, He took care of the physical
difficulties. All Peter did was believe in Him and in His word. Is the
method of overcoming sin and living the victorious life any different?
Do we help Christ? Can we do anything at all to make the work easier?
No, all we need to do, all we can do, is believe God that He has
accomplished our salvation, our sanctification, our righteousness in
Jesus Christ.
Yet another lesson which is most vital, is the
lesson of the need to maintain our focus. Walking on water was not an
event which transpired and passed in a single moment. It required
maintenance, not just for a moment but for many steps over a period of
time. Peter started out well, but he did not maintain his focus. If his
journey had been 10,000 miles long and had taken him a year, would it
have required anything different along the journey than it had at the
beginning. How different was the walk than the start? There was not a
bit of difference. The same method by which he started was the method by
which he continued. Did the journey become more difficult? Was there a
time when he had to concentrate on the steps which he was taking? When
he had to think about the techniques of the task? Absolutely not!! All
he had to do was simply keep his eyes on Jesus and ignore all
distractions. In that relationship Peter did the impossible. In that
relationship he maintained the impossible. He only failed when he took
his eyes off Christ.
Is it the same for the Christian walk? It
is interesting that the Christian journey is often compared to a walk
in the Bible. We are admonished to “walk in the spirit,” to continue to
walk in the Lord Jesus as we have received Him etc. The emphasis is on
the maintaining of the original experience, the original focus. When we
have faith in Christ we have found the only method that is needed and
that will ever be needed to receive each and every blessing of God.
The fourth important lesson is the lesson of the need to avoid
distractions. This cannot be over emphasized. When Peter walked on
water, he was in effect a supernatural being. He did what mere humans
cannot do. With eyes on Christ, he entered the supernatural world and
exercised the powers of the world to come. But there were several
distractions which rivaled Christ for Peter’s attention that night.
(a) There was the majesty of the wind and the waves to be admired.
(b) There was the terror of the storm.
(c) There were the admiring, awe-struck disciples in the boat.
(d) There was the contemplation of the stories he would have to tell his grandchildren.
His task, his only task was to keep his eyes focused. He had no need to
learn the theory and practice of water-walking. All he had to do was
keep focused on Jesus and ignore the distractions, but in the face of
all that was going on, this was a challenge and it was one which he
failed to meet properly. He allowed his attention to be drawn from
Christ and immediately sank into the water. This is the same situation
which faces us today. Nothing can defeat us, we will not sin, we will
not be overcome by the enemy. We can do this as simply and easily as
Peter walked on water. The only condition is that we focus on Christ and
His word in faith, and that we keep our eyes focused on Him.
The question is often raised as to how a Christian may be absolutely
victorious over sin. The real question is, how can it be otherwise if we
truly have faith in Christ and His word? There is no failure in Christ,
only in man. When we trust in Him, He will do the job and He will do it
perfectly. We have only one thing to fear and that is, that we may take
our eyes off Him. There lies our great danger.
So, let us
take heed. No matter how mountainous the waves are, no matter how
awesome the distractions, no matter how men may admire and commend us,
no matter how Satan attempts to intrude vain thoughts into our minds,
let us never permit ourselves to be distracted. He is our hope, He is
our life, He is our everything. Believing this and living by it is our
only safety. May God help us that we may learn the art of walking on
water. If we do not know how to do this, it is unlikely that we will
ever learn how to overcome sin.
