“Lord, if it is You…”

Of all the stupid things Peter ever did (and he did some dumb things, let’s admit it) this, on the face of it, was one of the dumber ones. I mean put yourself in the boat with him and see if you don’t think so too.

Jesus had just worked a miracle, feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish. But He was subtle about how He did it, so not that many got it right away, not even the disciples, apparently. But when 5,000 get a free lunch, however they got it, it isn’t easy to get rid of them. They will want to stay for dinner. Then breakfast. Then lunch again. You can see the difficulty.

So right after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus made the 12 disciples get into a boat and cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (they were right on the shore) while He sent the multitudes away—and sending 5,000 people away after a miraculous free lunch just might be as impressive a miracle as feeding them in the first place!

You would think it would be okay for Jesus to leave the twelve on their own for a while, out boating on the water. After all, at least 4 of the 12 were trained and experienced professionals who had made their living sailing and fishing the Sea of Galilee. They should be able to sail from one side of the familiar sea to the other, right?

Well, not that particular evening. The sea was angry that night, my friends. The wind was contrary. They were getting nowhere fast and the waves were building and the situation was getting tense—even for trained professionals. You can imagine what Matthew the tax collector and the other Simon, the political agitator, were saying about it all… “Um… were you guys always great at sailing, or are you just rusty?” “Gosh, I can see why you might want to get into another line of work if this is a typical night on the sea for you....” Tempers probably flared a bit you’d imagine.

Meanwhile, Jesus is praying, alone on a mountain near the shore. But He sees and knows all the disciples’ troubles, great and small. So about the fourth watch of the night He goes to them, walking on the Sea because He has no boat and walking (they say) is wonderful exercise. Very good for you.

But it’s not the usual way of crossing the Sea. So when the disciples look and see this Guy walking calmly up and down this gi-normous waves like He’s having a pleasant stroll in some park, they are alarmed and troubled, saying “It’s a ghost!” And they screamed like little girls (a more dynamic equivalent translation of “they cried out for fear”).

But Jesus says right away: “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” I’m impressed that in a tense situation, performing a miracle, walking on what? Probably 3-5 foot seas? Jesus can still use proper grammar (I’ll be honest: a little excited, locked out of the house, banging on the door, I’ll go “it’s me!” instead of  the correct “it is I”) Dynamic equivalent again, Jesus simply says “Chill! It’s all good…”

And here comes that stupid thing that Peter does, at least it appears, on the surface, rather stupid. He says “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water…”

Think that through for a second: if it’s not Jesus, but some evil demon or ghost, then Peter will sink like a rock in the high seas, and that will be that. A rough way to find out it was a ghost after all, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it have been better to say something like “If it is You, Jesus, c’mon into the boat and let us see up close that it’s really You!” Isn’t that the tack most people would take?

But Peter’s excited. Walking on water has to be about the coolest thing Jesus has done yet, next to turning water into wine. And Peter wants to be part of it. Which, I think, might be the point of our Gospel. No matter how difficult or dangerous the places Jesus gets Himself into—trouble with the Pharisees, hatred from the mob, walking on water, nailed to a cross, escaping from the grave, the disciple will want to be there too. Because wherever Jesus is… it’s all good.

And the first bit goes great—Peter walks on water too! But then, he thinks about what he’s doing. And he sinks like a stone (maybe this is how he got the nickname “Rock”?). But as he’s going down, he does have the presence of mind to cry out “Lord, save me!” Which is what Jesus does best. Saving is His thing, see. So, He grabs Peter by the hand and gets him into the boat and the wind ceases instantly and it’s all calm and quiet. And Jesus just says, with a smile I think, “Oh you of little faith; why did you doubt?” Why? Why? Because I was walking on water Man! That’s why! On big waves! Give me a break!

So it seems to me it was kind of a stupid way to find out this was really Jesus. But also incredibly courageous. You can’t say Peter lacked physical courage. Prudence? Well, not so much of that. Common sense? Less than average.

But was it really so stupid in the end? John tells us that the sheep always know the voice of the Shepherd. Jesus called to them “Be of good cheer! It is I! Don’t be afraid”. And surely there was something in that “don’t be afraid” that stilled all Peter’s fears, gave him courage that’s hard to understand, that made him think: “Gosh, wherever the Lord is, that’s where I want to be!” thus making him speak his un-cautious request.

As the world sees it, we are always stupid for casting caution to the wind and stepping out of the boat, into the sea, with nothing but the Word of Jesus to hold us up. We Christians are the most foolish and stupid people in the world, as the world counts wisdom, to stake everything we have (even Life itself) on the voice of Jesus calling across the water, promising: wherever He is (even walking on the water!) there we can be too…

But He calls to you still today, just like Peter. You know it’s Him. You recognize His voice. But the face, you can’t quite make it out. The eyes can’t be sure the ear has it right. So you take a chance and say: “Lord, if it is really You, command me to come to You…” And He does. Out of your safe little rut, out of your comfortable life, into the storm and the wind and waves, into cross and trials, He bids you come, with only His voice, His promise to hold you up. With only the water of Baptism and the Word of His Gospel to keep you from sinking. And even when you doubt, even when you sink, His hand will snatch you back…

It may not be the smartest thing, but it is the bravest… it is the most joyful thing, saying: “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You...” And He will, see, He will. That where He is, you may be also. And one day, He’ll command you to come out of the deep, dark grave in which they laid you… He’ll bid you escape the darkness of your tomb, and enjoy eternal light and life with Him. And against all expectation, you’ll get up and walk out and join Him, just like Peter did that day on the Sea. And His Word will bear you up; His hand will catch you; and the Peace that surpasses understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Always. Amen.