Recently, I’ve been learning how to read the Bible with imagination. To do this, you literally place yourself in the middle of whatever story you happen to be reading and ponder how you would react and feel. I’ve found this works best with the gospels, since they are mainly narrative. Overall, I have felt myself engaging with the ministry of Jesus while he was here on earth in a fresh new way.
This week, I was struck by the account in Matthew 14 verses 22-32, about Jesus walking on the water. It’s a familiar passage, and I’ve often heard it taught. Although it is mentioned in the other gospels, only Matthew gives the details of how the apostle Peter actually had the audacity to say: “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” (Matthew 14: 28.) Jesus told Peter to come to him, and verse 29 tells us that Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
So far so good. Peter was doing the impossible. He was defying all the laws of nature and copying his Saviour. But then the problem came, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, and instead, began thinking about all the reasons why he shouldn’t be walking on water. Verse 30 says that he saw the strong wind and the waves.
The lesson I’ve often heard taught on this passage is that we are meant to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. If we do, like Peter, we will be given the power and strength to do things beyond our normal human capability. I can testify in my own life to this being true. I can also think of times when I, like Peter, have taken my eyes off Jesus, and looked instead at my circumstances. In those times, I too have felt myself drowning, and I’ve had to cry out for help as Peter did.
The wonderful thing is that as soon as we call, Jesus answers. He will never ignore a cry for help from one of his children, even if that cry originates from a fear-induced lack of faith. In verse 31, Jesus says to Peter: “You have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?” The gentle rebuke came after the rescue. First and foremost, Jesus saved Peter from drowning before he tried to teach him this valuable lesson.
So far we have been walking familiar ground. But something new happened when I allowed my mind to wander, and questioned what I would have done if I had been one of the disciples in the boat? We don’t know what the others did. The only one we read about was peter. All we do know is that when they saw a figure coming toward them walking on the water, they were terrified, and they cried out thinking it was a ghost. (Verse 26. If I were on that boat, I would no doubt have been even more scared than those twelve men. I believe the experience would have been made worse by the fact that this storm was happening at night. Why is it that storms always seem more scary at night? I’ve always been afraid of thunder, but I cope with it better during the daytime.
In picturing myself aboard that boat, I imagined myself clinging desperately to anything I could get my hands on, probably scared stiff I was going to be seasick. I might not have even noticed Jesus walking toward me, as all my senses would have been preoccupied with the storm. At Jesus’ words, I might have felt a measure of comfort, but I certainly wouldn’t have had Peter’s courage. I would have been more concerned with getting Jesus into the boat where he could help me, rather than trying to emulate his water-walking skills.
I could imagine myself calling and pleading for Jesus to come to me, desperately needing his closeness, perhaps sensing that if he would only get into the boat, everything would be okay. What I admire most about Peter is the fact that he was willing to go rather than waiting for Jesus to come to him, and I feel I could learn a lesson from that. Sometimes, when we’re in the midst of a storm, the Lord is calling us to be proactive, rather than just sitting around waiting for Jesus to rescue us. Before his sinking moment, Peter obviously felt he’d be safer out there on the water with Jesus than in the boat with the rest of the struggling disciples. For a moment in time, he was more focused on the Saviour than on the storm, and when he was, he flourished and was given supernatural abilities.
Having imagined myself in the middle of this story, I spoke to a few close friends, and asked them how they believe they would have felt. The responses I got were amazingly different, and just goes to prove the complexities of human nature. One friend said they would have thrown themselves overboard as soon as they saw Jesus and gone running to him on the water, not even thinking of the risks. Another said they found it difficult to imagine themselves on the boat in the midst of the wind and waves, because they already knew the outcome of the story. They knew Jesus was going to speak the words of calm, so for them, the storm didn’t exist. I found that one fascinating. Finally, my third friend said she would have happily gone out walking on the water with Jesus, but only if he had reached in first to take her hand. So she didn’t quite have the boldness of Peter, but she might, if she was given a little encouragement.
I believe we can learn a lot about ourselves and our responses to Jesus as we read a Bible story in this way. I learned that even after forty years of walking with my Saviour, I still don’t always trust him enough to go boldly toward him when a problem hits, but rather, I wait for him to come to me. I am still the little girl wanting to be rescued by her daddy, rather than the older child who has the courage to go to her father and seek out help.
My friend who couldn’t even picture the storm possibly learned that she has a wonderful inherent belief that with Jesus, everything will be all right in the end. Storm? What storm? The calm is coming, so why focus on the immediate danger?
My other two friends displayed an even greater boldness in their faith, even though one admitted to the need for a bit of encouragement before she would be willing to take the plunge over the edge and start walking on the water.
The main thing is that we are all on a journey of faith, and as I have often said, we are all at different stages on that journey. Our different reactions often line up with our varied personalities. I am fearful by nature, so of course I’d stay in the boat, even though in reality, it would be safer out there on the waves with Jesus. But now I have identified my struggles, I have a greater understanding of what I need to pray for.
Perhaps the next time I read this story, I will feel a greater sense of courage. And perhaps when I face storms in my life, as I surely will, I will be able to draw on the lessons I’ve learned through imagining myself living out this Biblical narrative. Either way, my prayer is for the courage to step out of the boat and walk on that water with Jesus.