There are some people who love surprises. They are the ones who would not dream of trying to find where the Christmas gifts are hidden, and they certainly would not shake a gift before opening it to try to guess the contents. They are the ones who believe that a birthday is not properly celebrated unless a surprise party has been carefully planned and executed.
On the other hand, there are some people who absolutely hate surprises. They need to know the when, the where, the how, the what and, if possible, the why of everything that happens.
They write out gift-suggestion lists for their families and friends, and tend to exchange things they received but did not ask for. And people who don’t like surprises usually try to read the book before they see the movie.
We have no way of knowing whether or not Peter was fond of surprises, but in the Bible, he certainly got his fill of unexpected experiences.
Up until this point, things had been going pretty well for Peter. Since he left his fishing nets to join Jesus, he had plenty of time to listen to his teachings, and observe how he successfully confronted the religious establishment. Peter had watched Jesus heal paralytics, lepers, blind people, even his own mother-in-law.
After feeding the 5,000, we are told that Jesus sent his disciples out into a boat without him so that he might have some time alone for prayer.
During the night, the weather came up and although most of the disciples were seasoned boat handlers, fear started to close in around them. But their weather-related uneasiness was soon replaced by an even greater fear when they saw someone walking towards them on the water.
Assessing the situation, the disciples concluded, “It is a ghost!” But then they heard Jesus say, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
Most likely, if we were with them on a dark and stormy sea and seeing a ghostlike figure approaching walking on the water, we, too, would be afraid. Even the most staunch-hearted mystery lover would cringe.
And having witnessed the power of Jesus to perform miracles, we can assume that the disciples might have been wishing for or even praying that Jesus would have been with them in that particular moment.
But when Jesus appeared to them, they were surprised and were even frightened.
Perhaps, it is because the disciples did not really know their Lord very well. Perhaps, it is because the disciples were more like you and me: simple human beings struggling to trust and believe in a God whom we can never fully understand.
But somehow, based on our experiences and the experiences of the disciples, Jesus comes to each of us in unexpected and surprising ways.
He may come to us in the gentle touch of an old woman or the exuberant hug of a small child. He may come to visit us in the face of a sorrowful neighbor or the plea of a hungry stranger. We may hear his voice in the angry cry of a young person struggling to overcome oppression.
And if we are confronted with this unexpected and surprisingly different Jesus, are we ready for him? Are we going to shrink out of fear or like Peter, run out to meet him?
Peter, ever true to form, responded to the ghostlike Jesus with a courageous challenge: “If it is you, Lord, let me come to you on the water.”
Jesus simply answered, “Come” and Peter did. He stepped out of the boat and onto the stormy sea. First one step, then another, and yet another.
At first, it seemed that Peter might make it, just like what Jesus did. But suddenly, probably looking at the waves, feeling the winds blowing around him and feeling the water swirling around his ankles, he became frightened and slowly was sinking. And he shouted, “Lord, save me!”
This story may seem funny. But sometimes, we behave like Peter. Sometimes, or many times, we have more courage than faith.
Sometimes very much like Peter, we have a good idea of how we should behave and what we should do. So we muster up all our courage and step out into the midst of Christian living. First one step, then another, and yet another.
But when it seems that the demands are just too great, we lose courage. Of course, like Peter, we forget the fact that our Lord does not ask us to go anywhere nor do anything without him.
Remember that we are invited to follow Christ, not to lead him. Our Lord is there, beckoning us to step out of the relative security and safety of our own comfortable life, and enter into the life of compassionate witness.
I like the story of the little boy, a first grader, who strutted up in front of his classmates and proclaimed, “When I grow up, I’m going to be a lion tamer. I’ll have lots of fierce lions and I’ll walk in the cage and they will roar.” He paused a moment, looking at his classmates’ faces, and then added, “Of course, I’ll have my mother with me.”
As we continue our ministry, there are times when we are asked to venture out into the swirling waters and blowing winds.
In times when we feel overwhelmed, remember our God who is our Father and mother who beckons us to step out into the waters, is also ready to stretch out a hand to lift us up.
May God continue to bless and to empower us in our ministry.
