The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

A few weeks ago I wrote about being Protected from Deception and the story of Jesus walking on water from the Gospel of Mark. I want to expound on this a bit, this time with the added details that Matthew adds about Peter and his walking on water.

As you know, the Gospel of Mark spoke about their hardened hearts and I explained how being with the miracle worker could actually make them prideful. Being with Jesus, they were “winning”, and winning didn’t make them grow in love, or even rely on the Father more, instead it made them feel courageous and strong of their own accord. They were on a spiritual high that made them feel like they were kings instead of knowing well the King Himself and relying totally on Him. Why do I say this? Let’s take a look at Matthew’s version of the story, and Peter in particular;

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves for the wind was against them. And he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I, have no fear.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-33

So the first thing I noticed in this translation is that it said Jesus made them get in the boat to go before him. It struck me that that seems reversed. Shouldn’t the Lord go before us always, the way he did for Joshua? Why would Jesus make them get in a boat that he knew would put them in peril without him?

We know from Mark’s Gospel that their hearts were hardened. We know Jesus does not do anything that the Father does not will. This scary situation needed to happen to soften their hearts and make them to understand Jesus is not here to make us feel good or make us win while others lose. He came for us to have life, and life means to be perfected in charity. This is one of many situations where they do not recognize Jesus. We don’t recognize Jesus when we are hard of heart.

When Peter says the word, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” It reminds me of something else in Scripture;

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus didn’t succumb. Here it is Jesus who led Peter out into the boat and when Peter sounds like Satan… if it is really you... the temptation isn’t for Christ, but Peter’s own temptation to be God. Jesus did go before him. He underwent the test first. In His human nature He knows how this feels, but doesn’t fall. But Peter having witnessed all the miracles is puffed up in the glory of his own pride. While He knows Jesus is a miracle worker, He also thinks something of himself may be making these things so. He thought himself special. We all want to feel special. But being special isn’t why God came. He came to share His glory, which is a gift, not something we can grasp. The lack of faith and reliance on himself that Jesus saw in Peter’s heart took place before he even stepped a foot out of the boat. Jesus already knew the wind would distract him because Peter’s heart was not on solid ground. He was still working in his own ego.

Jesus in His might and glory allows Peter to walk on water, but also allows him to fall. This is a God who knows exactly what Peter needs to be purified of self. Peter must cry out, “Lord, save me”, and it is here that the Lord has softened his heart and rightly ordered it. Peter is bold in even knowing walking on water is a possibility for him, and it’s what makes him a great leader because he sees the possibility, but his reliance on himself too often is what makes him fall again and again.

Friends, I tell you all this because this is the temptation for us. We think ourselves Godly, but we don’t always give God the credit, nor do we think big enough of God. We boast when we are winning and we fail to be rightly ordered towards love. God answers a prayer and we gloat rather than giving thanksgiving and keeping our eyes on Jesus. This is more apparent every day in the media. Men in particular fall into this temptation, not that woman don’t, we definitely do, but women are more used to being vulnerable, so they can more readily recognize they are not the Savior. There were many women at the Cross, but only one Apostle. We should pay attention to this. We need to be vulnerable to God. We need to humble ourselves before him.

Our entire walk is a preparation for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Time belongs to God and ego, impatience and imprudence hinder our holiness. We need to learn to wait with an open heart, to suffer well and to grow in charity. God’s glory is a gift, don’t reject the gift by thinking you did something special to earn it. Realize that it is God alone who matters, who loves you, who saves you, and He will go before you always.