Devotion | Matthew 14:22-33

Matthew 14:22-33

You know who I've been thinking about a lot?  Peter.  Not the-rock-I’ll-build-my-church-on Peter.  The-sopping-wet-mess-at-the-bottom-of-the-boat Peter, fresh out of the water into which He had sunk. 

Peter got out of the boat.  Peter heard Jesus identify Himself in the midst of the darkness and storm.  And when the other disciples were sure they were seeing a ghost, Peter said, "I want to come to you! In the middle of the darkness and treachery, call me to you."  He wanted to be part of the miracle where Jesus was.   Note that Jesus didn’t call Peter out into deep waters until Peter asked him to do so.  Ultimately, he failed.  After he succeeded in walking on water, he failed to keep his eyes on Jesus and he sank.  But in his sinking, Jesus' miracle was even more miraculous.

So you know the first thing the disciples did when Jesus and Peter got into the boat?  They worshipped Jesus.  Peter was probably cold and wet and a heaping pile of soggy tunic at Jesus' feet, and the rest of the disciples were dry and worshipping.  Peter's presence and his humanity in contrast with Jesus' deity caused others to worship Jesus more.

The willingness to look like a fool is what catches my eye in this passage.  The idea that Peter just wanted to be part of the miracle with no thought of how he’d appear to others when it was all said and done.  My mind immediately connects this story to a prayer I've been praying: ”Lord, like the foal of an ass that carried you into Jerusalem, let me just be present and lift you up and hear people shout ‘Hosanna in the Highest.’"  It's from a prayer by AW Tozer in The Pursuit of God.  Now as I read this story of Peter, I imagine him down low, shivering and wet at the bottom of the boat, while Jesus stands perfectly dry.  What must it have been like to listen to his friends worship the Son of God and Savior Peter had just fully experienced?  Surely he had no concern for what his friends thought of him.  He knew their eyes were fixed on Jesus, because unlike before, now Peter’s were, too.  

What if it's our failures and our sinking in the midst of the miracle that provides the greatest opportunity for Jesus' deity to shine?  What if, when our circumstances get super dark and terrifying, we ask Jesus to identify Himself by calling us out into it. Then, at his beckoning, we run to Him, out onto the raging waters so that He can bring us back to safety. Sure, we may end up wet, and cold, and even a little silly looking; but we’d also end up surrounded by a cloud of witnesses worshiping the God Man who saved us and lifted us out of the water shouting "Hosanna in the Highest” — I think it would all be worth it.  Peter, you know, the silly looking one...I want to be that guy.