Peter and I Walked on Water

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

 

 October 1, 2019

Peter and I Walked on Water

Page 130-131

Matthew 14: 24-36; Mark 6:47-56; John 6:17b-21

Twice in this passage Jesus comments on the disciples’ lack of faith. We know Jesus does not intend for his followers to literally walk on water or alter the forces of nature. Considering his many misadventures at sea, such power would have been invaluable to the Apostle Paul. While Paul didn’t calm the seas or walk on water, he did reveal the heart of a disciple whose life had been transformed by Jesus; he was not incapacitated by fear. Unfortunately, too many commentators and preachers diminish the power of this episode by saying something cutesy like, “if you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.”

I think Jesus was walking on water because it was the most expedient way for him to catch up to the disciples. Jesus was not challenging them to show their faith by walking on water; he was challenging the disciples because of their lack of faith. Jesus had just finished feeding thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and two fish. What else did the disciples need to believe that when Jesus is present all human boundaries are lifted? Why were they terrified to see Jesus coming to them? They responded from fear and missed being comforted by Jesus through faith. This episode is an encouragement for us to live with a made up mind: Jesus will take care of us; all things are possible with Jesus; we can rest in the assurance that Jesus knows where we are, and he is all we need.

My Takeaway: We all face times of great anxiety. The gale force winds and rough seas encountered by the disciples are a good metaphor for such times in our lives. In those times, if we will but listen, we will hear Jesus say, “Don’t be afraid. I am here.”

With Jesus closely by our side, we’ll pass safely through the storm.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Copyright © 2019 by Alex M. Knight

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

• Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

• The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.