Session One Friday Evening

“Walking on Water” Session One | Friday Evening

Introduction People make fun of Peter. He’s often labeled impetuous, proud, or foolish. And that’s one way to look at a man who had the courage to ask questions, who tried to answer difficult questions, who attempted things too difficult for him, or was willing to fight to protect Jesus from harm. I think the way a person reacts to Peter reveals much about his or her own approach to life. Fearful people think of him as foolish, but bold people think of him as someone brave enough to take a risk and fail. But whatever we might think about Peter’s behavior before the Day of Pentecost, there can be no debate about who he became afterward. He, along with John, became the principal spokesman for the early church, and performed miracles as remarkable as those performed by Jesus Himself. So, regardless of how we react to him during his years as Jesus’ disciple we have to admit that his aggressive approach to discipleship doesn’t seem to have damaged his spiritual potential. He became an indisputably great leader. He was a central figure in welcoming Gentiles into the Jewish church. He wrote two great letters that we still use today, and he died as a martyr, bravely confessing Jesus to the very end.

This weekend we want to focus on one particular event in Peter’s life which revealed his heart as clearly as any recorded in the gospels: the moment when he stepped out of the boat and walked on water. We’ll begin by re-telling the events of that evening, and then ask the question: Why did Peter want to walk on water? The other eleven disciples all stayed in the boat. It probably never even crossed their minds to ask Jesus if they could walk on water.

But Peter did, and we know his request pleased Jesus because He answered, “Come!” and then scolded Peter when he became frightened. That means that in the midst of that terrible storm Peter didn’t do something foolish; he did something right. He was an example of what Jesus would want you and me to do, not an example of what to avoid. In other words, Jesus would have been happy if all twelve had asked to get out of the boat and come to Him.

You and I might think that because we weren’t there, sitting in that boat, that we will never know how we would have responded, but that’s not true. Jesus tests us all. Sooner or later every one of us finds ourselves deciding whether or not to “step out of the boat.” He gives us opportunities which force us to decide whether or not we’re willing to “walk on water.” If, however, we allow fear to keep us in the boat, we won’t experience the joy that comes when we are forced to desperately depend on Him.

Tonight let’s listen again to that amazing event, and then try to answer one simple question: Why did Peter want to get out of that boat?

Crossing the lake (Mt 14:22-34; Mk 6:45-53; Jn 6:16-21) After Jesus fed about fifteen thousand people with five loaves and two fish a mob-like atmosphere began to stir. The crowd intended to seize Him and force Him to become their king. So Jesus acted quickly. First, He made His disciples get into their boat which was waiting on the shore and told them to row westward toward Capernaum, apparently stopping at Bethsaida on the way (Mk 6:45) to pick Him up. Then, He turned and addressed the crowd, telling them to go home, and somehow in the confusion He slipped away unseen to a nearby hill to pray. By that time it was growing dark, and a strong wind had begun to blow in from the west. The crowd lost

Pastor Steve Schell | NWC 2017 Men’s Retreat | “Walking on Water” track of Him, but people by the beach stood guard to prevent Him from trying to sail away in one of the boats.

Jesus remained up on that hill praying throughout most of the night. From where He sat the lake was spread out before Him, and, since it was near the time of Passover, there would have been nearly a full moon casting its light over the lake. That meant that He was able to watch His disciples struggle as they rowed against a strong west wind. Capernaum lay about five miles northwest. By three o’clock in the morning the boat had covered only three to four miles, and the men were exhausted. Suddenly someone looked behind them and spotted a human shape walking toward them through the darkness. At first they thought it was a demonic spirit (phantasm, Mt 14:26) pursuing them, and they became terrified. I would suppose their first response was to row harder to try to outrun it, but that soon failed as the strange being caught up to them and began to pass by on one side.

They weren’t able to see well enough to recognize who or what it was, and became so frightened they trembled and began to scream. All of them had heard stories about night spirits who would creep up on people to bring disaster (Fritz Rienecker/Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, Zondervan, 1980, p.106). So in that moment of confusion they thought they were doomed. Mercifully, as He was passing by, Jesus spoke to them saying, “Be encouraged, it’s Me (I am), don’t be afraid” (paraphrase). Then Peter did something completely unexpected. He yelled into the roaring wind, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You upon the waters.” Apparently as soon as the fear left him, this life-long fisherman became so fascinated by the fact that a human being could walk on water that he wanted to try. Somehow he realized that Jesus was showing them something that was possible for them to do, so he dared to ask if he could walk on water too. And that Jesus fully agreed with his assessment of the situation is proven by His one-word answer, “Come!” Peter immediately lowered himself down from the boat, and began to walk toward Jesus on the water. At first it must have been a shock to sense the water become firm beneath his feet, but he kept his eyes focused on Jesus and began moving toward Him. Somewhere between the boat and Jesus, he stopped to look around. High winds were still rushing across the lake. Great waves were rolling by, making the surface of the water uneven. And the spray blowing in his face must have made it hard to see. So he turned and glanced back at the boat and then again at Jesus, and it was at that moment that he started to sink. He didn’t plunge down into the water all at once, he went down gradually. Now Peter was a fisherman and could swim (Jn 21:7) which gives us some idea of how violent that storm must have been. If a trained fisherman was terrified, those must have been gale-force winds with high crashing waves. As he sank he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him. Then, as He lifted him up, He said, “Little faith, why did you waver (distazo: to stand in two places; wavering between two paths, wondering which one to take)” (literal). In other words, He asked Peter, “Why did you stop and debate in your mind about whether to keep coming toward Me or to turn back to the boat?”

As they both climbed into the boat the wind suddenly died down. Mark says when that happened the disciples became overwhelmed (“beside themselves”) (Mk 6:51), and then he explains why. He says it was because they still did not understand the spiritual lesson they should have learned from the miracle of the loaves (and fish) because their hearts had been “hardened” (Mk 6:52). Matthew tells us that when Jesus got into the boat the disciples actually worshipped Him, declaring, “Truly, You are the Son of God!” (Mt 14:33). Unfortunately the miracles that took place that evening did not produce a lasting faith. They soon returned to doubting that God would provide for them (Mt 16:7-12; Mk 8:14-21).

One more miracle may have taken place before that journey ended. The boat had been about a mile and a half from shore when Jesus joined His disciples, but John says, “At once (straightway,

Pastor Steve Schell | NWC 2017 Men’s Retreat | “Walking on Water” immediately) the boat was upon the land to which they were going” (literal). His choice of words seems to imply that they were miraculously transported there in an instant.

Asking the question After listening to this description of those events let’s ask the question, “Why did Peter want to walk on water?” because the answer to that question explains why you and I should also want to walk on water.

Before we begin we need to recognize that no answer is given in the text. We only have a description of what Peter and Jesus did and said, but we are not told why. So we have to guess. There are several possibilities. One is that Peter simply wanted to be near Jesus. That was a common characteristic of him. He followed Jesus into Caiaphas’ house and waited in the courtyard during the trial (Jn 18:15). He and John ran to the empty tomb after Jesus was resurrected (Jn 20:3, 4). He even threw himself into the lake and swam to shore when he recognized the resurrected Jesus standing there (Jn 21:7). Another possibility is that he wanted to be like Jesus so much that he wanted to do whatever He did. If Jesus walked on water, then he wanted to walk on water too.

But there is another possibility, which I think is the main reason Peter called out to Jesus in the middle of that storm, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You upon the waters” (literal). I think he longed to feel the joy of having God’s miraculous power hold him above the water. After experiencing a miracle like that who could ever doubt the reality of God again? He would be like his ancestors who walked through the Red Sea, or the priests who stepped into the Jordan River and then watched the water stop flowing. He would know the power of God, not as a spectator but as a participant. And who can blame him? Don’t you and I long for that same joy?

Discussion questions 1) Has God ever asked you to “step out of the boat”? What did He want you to do? 2) What was the fear-factor? Why did it seem impossible? 3) Did you do it? Why, or why not? 4) What happened?

Pastor Steve Schell | NWC 2017 Men’s Retreat | “Walking on Water”