How Jesus treats those who fail
| "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew14:28-33) |
However, we are told in the story that when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and began to sink. Peter did three things here: 1) He took his eyes off Jesus when he saw the wind. It happens to most of us. We fix our eyes on Jesus in trust and hope but then when the wind of suffering, death, bereavement, broken relationships, sickness and turmoil catches our eyes, we lose focus. We seem to settle on the wind rather than on Jesus. 2) Peter started to sink. That's precisely what happens to us when fear takes control. Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear always blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord. 3) Peter knew that he was sinking but he also knew that he could cry out to Jesus: "Lord, save me!" Peter came back to his senses and realised that he needed to turn back to Jesus.
Note what Jesus does to help Peter. This is an indication of how Jesus treats those who fail. Firstly, Jesus immediately reached out and caught him. This is what Jesus does for us. He gives us the assurance of His presence and instils faith and hope in our hearts. We may not be immediately taken out of our situation but we are certainly given a new perspective about what is happening. Jesus comes to us in our storms of life and helps us to see things differently. Secondly, Jesus offered Peter a gentle rebuke: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Sometimes we also need this when we are confronted with failure. The question to Peter could be put like this: "Why did you take your eyes off me?" We probably do this a lot as well. But Jesus gently, and sometimes strongly, reminds us that we should not lose faith in Him. Thirdly, Jesus took Peter through the storm and placed him on the boat again. Isn't that remarkable? This is how Jesus journeys with you through failure giving you hope and restoration.
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Jerry Pillay is married to Sandra and they are blessed with three children, currently teaches Church History at the University of Pretoria and serves as President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.
