Matthew 14:22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way [10] from the land, [11] beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, [12] he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
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There are a lot of things that cause us to doubt. We doubt that God is as good as we hope. We doubt that he is as powerful as we hope. The story of Peter walking on the water would be a perfect parable for our own lives except for the strange fact that it is not a parable. As tempting as it might be to compare it to some Greek myth, the way the story is told transmits all of the real fear and nuance of a true story. So, we can draw the paralells and make it symbolic, but there is something much more mysterious about this story. It is a real parable, or as some have said, a true myth. Peter actually felt all of the fear of drowning and perhaps a deeper fear of God's rejection. Jesus' question: "Why did you doubt" address this second fear, the fear that God's love is not great enough. Faith turns out to be about knowing the character of God. As we press into Him and learn what He is like, we trust that he will always carry us.
