Peter often gets a hard time in this event. If you follow the gospel- and as we continue
through the story- you’ll get the idea that Peter is pretty hot-headed, has a
temper, pretty quick on the trigger- that kind of thing. At first glance then, when you see him
getting out of the boat, we’re tempted to think, well there goes Peter again-
being all rash and just jumping into the lake as soon as he can. You get the sense that the Peter is being the
stupid one, the one who lacks faith- while the other disciples are being more
prudent and responsible by staying in the boat.
But you know what question the first century audience
hearing this story would be asking- how come the other 11 disciples stayed in
the boat? Seriously. Jesus is a rabbi- a Jewish teacher. And in this culture, if you were fortunate
enough to be selected by a rabbi for further education, then it was expected
you would do whatever the rabbi did. So
when Peter sees Jesus walking on the water, he isn’t thinking ‘oh, here’s my
chance to separate myself from the pack, make a name for myself, etc’. No, he’s thinking, ‘well if my rabbi can walk
on water, then I can too’. It’s the
other 11 who would have looked like fools, not Peter.
And here’s the other thing- Peter actually walked on
water. Yes, for only a few steps, but
that’s a few more steps than you or I have been able to accomplish- right? I mean, the last time I tried to walk on
water, it didn’t go so well. So while
Peter does fall, he still walked on water!
We’ve been talking this morning about being a blessing to others, about
being a Good Samaritan to others, and all it really takes is a couple of steps
out of the boat. When you mentor a
child, help a child read, serve at the Powerhouse, pack a backpack, get
involved with foster care/adoption, or any one of the limitless ways you can
physically live out the gospel, you’re taking a step out of the boat. You’re doing what your rabbi wants you to do.
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