Jesus Called
Peter to Walk on the Water
Matthew 14:22-33
“What do yo
u
think the meaning of your life is?” A researcher asked this question to those
whom he met on the street. Someone answered, “Umm, I think the meaning of life
is seeking happiness. And shouldn’t I find the happiness in myself?” Another
person said, “Let me see. I believe it is living a right life. I do my best to
raise my children to be good persons.” A teenager replied, “I would like to experience
everything I want to do, whether it is good or bad.” A Christian believer
answered with confidence, “The meaning of life is in doing what God told us to
do.” Even some pe
ople said that they had never thought about the meaning of
their lives seriously until they were asked by the researcher. Although this
question is very important, it is not easy to answer and people’s thoughts and answers
are so diverse. It seems that there is not any “absolute meaning of life.” Why
is it so difficult to find the meaning of life? Probably it is because of “death.”
Who can talk about the meaning of life in front of death?
Steve Jobs
founded the Apple Company and developed many revolutionary products such as
iPhone, which changed people’s life so radically. In his later days, however,
he suffered from pancreatic cancer, and he passed away in 2011. While he was
struggling with the incurable disease, he said many famous words, and here is
one of his sayings quoted frequently:
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever
encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all
external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these
things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly
important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to
avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.
There is no reason not to follow your heart.
This saying of Steve
Jobs shows well the serious and truthful reflection of a man in the face of
death ahead. Even with his deep and thoughtful reflection, however, he doesn’t
seem to be able to give us any advice on “how to live a meaningful life.” He
doesn’t say anything about what the “what is truly important” is and about
where we should go by “following my heart.” The wisdom he gained from his
desperate situation that death was coming closer day by day was the wisdom that
there is nothing he can own in the true sense. Having this wisdom as a new
starting point, he expected to move on toward a more meaningful life. Still I
am not sure if he had lived a satisfactorily meaningful life during the period
between this awakening and his last breath, or if he had made at least a step
in that direction.
In today’s passage,
Peter gets down out of his boat, and comes to Jesus by walking on the water. It
was during the fourth watch of the night, which was 3-6 o’clock in the morning
when darkness was still deep before daybreak. on the previous evening, Jesus
performed the miracle of feeding more than five thousand people with five
loaves and two fish. Then he made his disciples get into the boat and go on
ahead of him to the other side of the lake, and left alone, Jesus went up on a
mountainside and prayed there by himself. While crossing the Sea of Galilee on
the boat, the disciples were caught in a stormy wind and high waves in the
middle of the water. The billows almost overtook the boat. When the disciples
were struggling with the wind and waves, Jesus came to the disciples, walking
on the water. But seeing Jesus walking on the water, the disciples were
terrified and cried out in fear, “It’s a ghost!” Jesus immediately said to
them, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” When he heard Jesus’ voice,
Peter replied, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus
said to him, “Come,” and then, Peter got down out of the boat, and walked on
the water toward Jesus. It was truly amazing that Peter listened to Jesus’ word
and walked on the water, not just because a man walked on the water but because
Peter trod on death and came to Jesus.
The disciples
on the tiny boat were toiling in the middle of the stormy water at dark night. In
the darkness, they could not tell where they were and which direction they
should go. The wind and the waves tossed the boat up and down, and the
disciples were barely managing to survive relying on this small boat. Nobody
knew their miserable situation. It was even more impossible for somebody to
come and rescue them through this storm. In fact, this hopeless situation of
the disciples represents people’s life. Figuratively saying, people’s life is “an
aimless journey on a boat drifting over the sea of death.” When we see this
reality of our lives, we can understand why it is so hard to give a clear
answer to the question on the meaning of life. People are confined in “a small
boat.” And within this narrow boundary, they should find something meaningful.
What can be meaningful to them? Confined in the narrow boundary, people often
say that we should find the meaning “in me.” Someone talks about “happiness
within me,” and Steve Jobs also says, “Follow your heart.” There is also the
famous song Listen to Your Heart. However,
there is nothing special in the heart of people drifting over the sea of death
without knowing where to go. There is only “fear and despair.” When Jesus
walked on the water to them, the disciples, instead of greeting the Lord with
gladness, were terrified and cried out, “It’s ghost.” This shows how their inner
hearts were at that time. In this way, people are surrounded by the stormy sea
of death outside, and are gripped by fear and despair inside. Their only
reliance is a barely floating small boat. In this circumstance, it sounds silly
and even nasty to ask about “the meaning of life.”
But here something very “meaningful”
happened. Seeing Jesus walking on the water, Peter said to the Lord, “If it’s
you, tell me to come to you on the water!” Then, Jesus said to him, “Come!” and
Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. I want to
say that this event is as meaningful as Jesus’ resurrection. It is because a
man found Jesus not “in him,” not “on a small boat,” but beyond them, found
Jesus standing on the water, stepping on death, and this man also made a few
steps toward Jesus, treading on death instead of being drowned in it. This
story shows where man can find the true meaning of life. It is in Jesus. More
specifically, the meaning of life is coming to Jesus, getting to know him, and
having fellowship with the Lord. This fellowship is not something empty,
confined by death. This fellowship endures death, and therefore it is eternal,
and therefore it is truly meaningful. With regard to this fellowship with the
Lord, St. Paul says, “Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the
sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost
all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in
him” (Philippians 3:7-9a). Before he met Jesus, Paul had lived more “meaningful”
life than anybody in the world. He was one of the chosen people Israel, and in
regard to the law, he was a righteous and faultless Pharisee. But when he came
to know Jesus, Paul considered all these “garbage.” He forsook them with no
regret. Even he wanted to be like Jesus in his death in order to know Christ
and the power of his resurrection. In this way, he pushed forward in knowing
Jesus and having fellowship with him until he received the “crown of life” that
the Lord prepared for him at the end of his journey of faith.
Peter got down out of the boat
and walked on the water, relying on Jesus’ word “Come!” on the way, however, he
saw the wind and was afraid, and then he began to sink into the water. Peter
cried out, “Love, save me!” and immediately Jesus reached out his hand and
saved Peter. We can find a similar scene in the book The Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan.
Christian, the main character of the story, left the City of Destruction and
set out on a pilgrimage to the City of God. Soon after his departure, however,
he fell into “the Slough of Despond (Swamp of Despair).” As he still had the
heavy burden of sin on his back, he could not get out of the mire. Then, a man
named Help came and gave his hand to Christian, drawing him out of the mire.
Then Christian asked Help why this dangerous swamp on the way to the City of God
had not been mended. Then Help answered, “Here have been swallowed up millions
of wholesome instructions brought from all places of the King’s dominions for
thousands of years, but the Slough of Despond is still there, and so will be. By
the King’s direction, there are certain good and substantial steps placed in
the midst of this slough, but they are hardly seen when the weather is bad and
people misstep in dizziness of their heads. Notwithstanding, the steps are firm
and always there.” This is true. There is nothing that can fill up the swamp of
despair, people’s despair out of death. Even millions of good words are
useless. But when Jesus said, “Come,” Peter stepped on the word, and walked on
the water to the Lord. Yes, the Word of the Lord is the rock of my feet. Psalm
40:1-2 says:
“I waited
patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He
lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
He
set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
We all want to
live a “meaningful life.” But such a life is not here in this world. It is not
in me, either. It is found only in Jesus and with Jesus. When we listen to the
Word of the Lord and obey the word by faith, we come to meet Jesus, get to know
him, and have fellowship with him. This fellowship is “eternal fellowship” that
cannot be swallowed up by death, and therefore it is a truly blessed meaningful
life. I invite you all to this blessed life of meeting Jesus the Lord through His
Everlasting Word that is firm even in the torrents of death.