Matthew 14:26-32
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."
And Peter answered him and said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water".
And he said, "Come." And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, "Lord, save me."
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
I always liked this story.
The typical application is "always keep your eyes on Jesus," but I think that application is a bumper-sticker slogan. What does it mean to keep your eyes on Jesus, when we can't keep our eyes on Him since -- in our present existence -- He cannot be seen.
'Well,' the answer comes back, ' you have to walk in faith.'
Yeah, okay. But we are just substituting one slogan for another.
Let's start with the realization that Jesus as God is always in command of the wind and the waves.
What do you think motivated Peter to go out of the boat, especially since they were terrified because they all thought they were seeing a ghost in a storm?
Of course, we don't know -- but my guess is (since Peter did not yet have the Holy Spirit) he was reacting like a child in a perfectly human yet complex mixture of the emotional relief from fear (after being assured directly from Jesus that "It is I, be not afraid."
Notice the use of language by Jesus. "Be not afraid" is a command imperative, like "Let there be Light."
Peter in his exercise of free will, obeyed the command imperative and overcame his initial fear, yet conditionally when he added, 'If it's REALLY YOU, bid me come out.' The "bid-me-come-out" is asking permission.
In my mind, Jesus was thrilled to have Peter come out. So the one word, "Come," does not transmit the emotional enthusiasm of the Lord (in my opinion.) In my imagination it was more like a "Come-on-down!!" with a big smile.
We can only guess how Peter took those first few steps. Did he just jump out without a caution or care? Of did he dip his big toe in and discover solid mass? And after taking the first few exhilarating steps was he thrilled like a little kid on a roller coaster ride? (Like we would be?) I think, yes, probably.
But then -- this was not a pleasure ride, was it?
Jesus was in the control of the degree and amplitude of the wind and the waves. He knew at what point Peter would be induced into fear by the amount and degree of turbulence and when the thrill of the roller coaster turn into the fear of free fall, drowning, and death.
Another thing I like about this story was the lack of a second chance. After Jesus saved Peter, and both are presumably standing on water but not yet back in the boat, Jesus kindly and lovingly says "Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Now if it were you or me, we would be saying: "No doubting anymore, Lord, let's go back out!!" to have some more fun on the waves. But of course, this was not the purpose of these highly choreographed events. This is a story about doubt and faith, courage and fear, and having the Holy Spirit indwelling you or not.
Consider how different this would have played out had this scenario been post-Pentacost.
Do you think Peter would have feared the wind and waves had he been filled with the Holy Spirit? I think not. I don't think Peter would have been afraid even if the water was boiling with fire. But then, there would have been no lesson.
Love is bound to courage. Just as perfect love casts out fear 1 John 4:18, so is that courage is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_gifts_of_the_Holy_Spirit
The opposite is also true: no Spirit, no courage.
So this story is as much about a self-examining barometer for the modern believer as it is anything else.
The courage needed to stand against evil in this world can only come from the Holy Spirit who resides in you.
So as true as the slogan "Keep you eyes on Jesus" is, the true spiritual and moral focus on your life should be on the cultivation of that relationship between you and the resident Spirit of Christ within you.
Cultivate that relationship, and you can morally walk on water.
