And He Said "Come!"

I grew up near the shore of a great lake and probably because of that my mother thought that it would be a good idea if I learned how to swim.  Our family spent summers in a very pleasant cottage nestled a top of a forested sand dune and during one of those glorious childhood days I was asked to leave family and friends and head to waters warmed by the Consumers Power Plant discharge in nearby Port Sheldon.  There a certain doctor conducted his swimming experiments by making young boys and girls splash unaided across a channel.  Swim or sink was the brilliant idea.  I sank.

Halfway across my doggie paddle ran out of gas resulting in me sinking below the surface while raising one hand above the water and making finger signs - One! - Two! - Three!  The "instructor" managed to get me before I ran out of fingers and that was my first and last lesson at Port Sheldon.  I suppose this experience was slightly better than the guy who said that his very demanding father taught him to swim by taking him out to the middle of a lake in their row boat and dumping him in.  "That was pretty rough" said the person hearing the story.  "No, the rough part was biting through the duck tape and then getting out of the burlap bag" said the guy.

My closest brush with death came during my late teen years while I was foolishly body surfing some large white capped waves alone one very windy day on the edge of our great lake.  I was waist deep one moment and then stepped into a hole in the sandy bottom where I could no longer stand with my head above water.  The undertow was taking me out and I swam and fought as hard as I could with the waves to make it back in.  I remember laying on the beach for about an hour, totally exhausted, thankful for life.

A friend of mine grew up on Beaver Island which is situated in the Northern part of Lake Michigan.  One day he told me something very interesting.  A lot of the permanent residents of the island either fish for a living or have some type of employment having to do with being on the lake.  The waters up there are usually a lot colder than where we live in South West Michigan and so many of the island people do not know how to swim.  To put it simply he said, if something happens to their boat and they don't have adequate floatation devices, which many don't, they are screwed.

There is a story in scripture about some men who made their living on the water of a large lake.  They had been called by Jesus to be disciples of His and so they had taken a break from their lively hood but now they were back close to home.  After Jesus feeds the 5000 He makes His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side . . . the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.  And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.  (Matthew 14:22-25)

Let me make a comment right here about walking on water.  This is not the only occasion given in scripture of Jesus doing this.  One time He clips along and passes right by the poor boys who are struggling to make headway in the wind and waves.  I wonder, water being liquid and all, how one gets traction.  This, mind you, does not bother me.  In my early years of being a believer I once read a book by a scientist trying to explain physical ways that can make miracles happen, i.e. the ax head of Elisha floats to the surface because of gasses released from the bottom because of such and such conditions.  I think I flipped that book into the proper file after about a chapter or two.  My mindset is much more like that of my deceased father-in-law who remarked about Jonah being able to survive 3 days in the belly of a great fish prepared by God;  "If God wanted He could have provided Jonah with air conditioning and a lawn chair."

So I don't have a problem with the creator of heaven and earth bending our understanding of the rules to do something He wants to do.  Somehow Jesus gets traction, comes near the disciple's boat and freaks them out; they cry out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I;  do not be afraid."  Now here is the part which I love.  Peter gets excited.  Remember, it is Peter who sees by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is more than just a prophet or a holy man.  He is the one who answers Jesus question, Who do men say I am? by responding; You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

It is Peter who has lived his whole life on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, who knows what the wind and the waves can do to mere men, whose weather worn face has seen fools like me venture out into the waters and not come back.  This Peter gets excited in his spirit and he asks; Lord, if it is You, command me to come to you on the water.  This is so much more than a little story tucked somewhere in the pages of our sacred Word.  Here is a question and a response that belongs to all that breath the wind blown air that traverses every body of water.  Jesus says; Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.  Our answer should be; Lord, if it is You, command me to come.

I have a son and four daughters.  At a certain time in their lives my wife and I would give a locket to our girls and Jackie would charge me with finding an appropriate Bible verse.  I remember praying for our youngest daughter Becky and being drawn to the verse in Matthew chapter 14, verse 29.  For me this was not about a verse looking toward salvation for she was always very strong in her faith since a little child.  Rather I believe it was prophetic, to remember that the invitation to faith in the awesome power of God holds strong and true no matter what the circumstances and that the loving promises of our Creator are sure despite the winds and the waves that we see in the physical.

And how does Jesus respond to Peter's statement; Lord, if it is You, command me to come.  Matthew 14, verse 29 provides it for us;  And He said, "Come!"  Peter now gets out of the boat and he too finds that divine traction, walking on the water toward Jesus.  Yes, Peter then feels the wind and becomes frightened.  He starts to sink.  He cries out as desperate people have done for ages; Lord, save me!  And Jesus does what He will surely do for you, what He has always wanted to do for you;  Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him and said to him (and to us as well), You of little faith, why did you doubt?