I get Peter. He was genuine but often impulsive. Courageous yet fearful. Loyal but inconsistent. His heart believed, but he struggled with his unbelief. In two well-known Peter-stories in Scripture, the focus is often on his failures while overlooking his victories.
The story begins with Jesus learning of His cousin John the Baptist’s death. He wanted to be alone, so He quietly slipped away in a boat. Crowds found out and followed Him. Despite His grief, Jesus compassionately healed them until late in the afternoon. Since the hungry crowd had nothing to eat, Jesus miraculously fed over 5,000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish. (Stay with me, please, even if you know this story well.)
Once they were all fed, Jesus sent the disciples across the lake while He dismissed the crowd. Matthew 14 tells us that Jesus then went up into the hills to pray. His grief had taken a break while He healed others, but His heart still needed to mourn. Even Jesus needed time alone to lay His sadness at His Father’s feet.
Strengthened through prayerful surrender, Jesus continued to disciple His disciples. They obediently obeyed His command to cross the lake. Soon, their boat was rocked back and forth by a storm in the darkness. When they saw Jesus walking toward them on the chaotic water, they thought He was a ghost until He spoke to them. Recognizing his Rabbi, Peter asks permission to come to Jesus.
(Time-out for a second.) Disciples in Jesus’ time closely followed their rabbis. They weren’t just sitting in a classroom trying to absorb new information. They followed them everywhere they went. They wanted to see what they saw, hear what they spoke, and learn from everything they did. They wanted to be just like them. So, for Peter to want to stay close to Rabbi Jesus at that moment meant he was being a good disciple.
That’s when something miraculous happened! Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and walked on water. We sometimes criticize ol’ Pete for what happens next. We see him focus on the chaos around him instead of on Jesus, and watch him sink beneath the waves. We consider his sinking to be a big, fat failure. We are tempted to judge him because we judge ourselves when our faith falters. Yet, if we fail to see his bravery, we miss recognizing his faith.
Truly, Peter sank, but he was the only one courageous enough to get out of the boat! He was the only disciple to feel the mighty waves roll beneath his feet and then see the face of Jesus above them. He knew what it felt like to have Jesus’ hand reach out and lift him out of the chaos. It’s often easier for us to focus on our failures and miss the encouragement from the times we’ve actually stepped out of the boat. In some twisted way, we believe it is more humbling to focus our lives around our failures than to humbly appreciate the victories God has arranged for us. (I’m preaching to me right now.)
If we fast-forward through Jesus and Peter’s relationship, we come to another well-known moment where Peter’s actions are easy to criticize. Luke 22 tells us that Jesus had been arrested and was being led to trial. Peter, still being the good disciple, followed his rabbi, though at a safe distance. Three times, Peter is recognized as a follower of Jesus and adamantly denies even knowing him. Then comes the moment in the story that has always grabbed my heart. When the rooster crowed, Jesus turned to Peter and looked at him. Peter saw the same loving and compassionate eyes he had seen when he felt the waves beneath his feet. It was love that convicted him, not condemnation. “And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)
After Jesus was crucified, Peter and some of his disciples chose to do what was familiar – they went fishing. They were filled with grief and confusion, but Peter also felt deep regret. Why do we often let our mistakes outweigh God’s love? Jesus is always ready to help us with that. He proved His love for Peter on the cross, but Peter hadn’t had time to process all of that yet. So, the newly resurrected Jesus camped on the beach waiting for Peter. He called all of His boys over and made them breakfast. Afterwards, through an intimate conversation, Jesus showed His love and respect for Peter once again. With the exact two words Peter had heard long ago, Jesus said, “Follow me.” (John 21:19) And Peter did!
Criticizing others’ failures often happens when we don’t understand what they are going through, or when we want to take the spotlight off our own mistakes. We all have moments (or years) we regret. Focusing only on the times we let our circumstances, temptations, or distractions sink us like a rock closes our eyes to the One who reaches out to us. When we open our eyes, even while underwater, we can grab hold of the Love that is ALWAYS ready to pull us out of the chaos.
If you need some encouragement (and don’t we all?), take a moment to sit quietly and reflect on the times you HAVE bravely climbed out of your boat to lend a hand, comfort a child, share coffee with a hurting friend, or, as Peter went on to write, “declared the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9b) Take time to remember, and talk to God about it. If Jesus needed time alone to take His feelings to the feet of God, maybe we do too. Know He loves you and always wants the best for you. Find your confidence to share the love you’ve been given with those who have fixed their eyes on their failures.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” (Romans 5:8-11 NLT)
