How to Do the Impossible

“‘Lord, if it is you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’” Matthew 14:28

 “‘Lord, if it is you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’  ‘Come,’
he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE RECOGNIZE THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS
Peter said, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”  Peter called Jesus “Lord,” but, more importantly, Peter really recognized Jesus as Lord.  This is shown more by what we do or don’t do until we have permission than by merely calling Jesus “Lord.”  Peter passes the test on all points, however.  From the boat he called Jesus “Lord” and then, by waiting until Jesus told him to come on the water, demonstrates by his behavior that Jesus really was his Lord—his authority.  We may call Jesus “Lord,” but if we are not doing what he says or avoiding doing what he says not to do, he is not our Lord.  Our obedient action speaks more loudly than just calling Him Lord.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE ARE WILLING TO TAKE INITIATIVE 
The two simple words—“Peter replied,”—are the focus of this thought.  Jesus identified himself to the whole boatful of disciples.  They all had equal information:  Jesus had come walking on the water to all of them in their boat.  There were other disciples than just Peter in that boat.

Peter, however, unlike the other disciples, had an idea and took the initiative to ask if he could walk out to Jesus.  That Jesus told him to come indicates Jesus approved of Peter’s proposal.  It was a good idea.

God made us to be creative.  This means we like to come up with our own ideas of what we might do for God.  It is good to actively participate in ministry partnership with God using the creativity He has given us, but it is presuming to act on our own initiative without approval from the Lord.  It is not presumptuous, however, to brainstorm, consider data, think, strategize, propose ministry ideas, and submit them to the Lord for his approval. It is also true that God often initiates our activities, but that does not mean we should never do so.  Responding obediently when God initiates things is an important part of partnership with God. That is different from the consideration before us here.  The important issue in this text is:  Have we submitted our ideas to Him for His approval or are we being presumptuous? 

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE ARE NOT PRESUMPTUOUS 
Peter waited for Jesus’ instruction.  Jesus responded to Peter by saying, “Come.”  Peter did not act on his proposal until Jesus indicated his approval.  Waiting for Jesus’ response further demonstrates Peter’s submission to the Lordship of Jesus, even in the midst of the excitement of initiating a new, creative, bold, and daring idea—that he, Peter, would walk to Jesus on the water.

Have you ever been so excited by something you were praying about that your “faith” carried you away into presumption?  Did you suffer loss?  Do you know anyone else who has suffered damage because they mistook presumption for faith?  I have friends who tried to buy a house that was beyond their income—because of “faith” they thought.  Another friend has passed early into heaven already possibly because he was determined to work his way through his fatal sickness by “faith,” declining the window of opportunity the Doctors gave him to receive medical treatment.  You and I both know of ministries and businesses that have overextended themselves in an effort to exercise faith.  Good and sincere Christians around us make these kinds of sincere mistakes.  Is there any way to protect ourselves?  Peter’s model provides a safety mechanism.

Jesus said if we were going to build we should count the cost ahead of time.  The same One who told us to have faith also taught us to measure our obstacle against our resources.  This is one way to avoid presumption with our finances when trying to exercise faith.  “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower.  Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?  For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28 – 30).  Surely Jesus intended this principle to apply to more than the relatively few people who build towers.  Let us exercise faith in building ministries and business, while also exercising the caution Jesus Himself taught.  Such caution is not due to a lack of faith but to the presence of wisdom.

In the physical healing arena, Proverbs has an obscure verse rich in reason and poignant in its warning against presumption.  It refers to the presumption of not doing all that is possible and then blaming God if things go awry.  “One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys” (Pr. 18:9).  One destroys by slacking—not accomplishing what could have been accomplished—and the other destroys by activity that destroys what has already been accomplished. The difference between one who slacks and one who destroys is only in degree.  If we apply this same principle to medical treatment, the similarity between one who does not use means to bring healing and the one who destroys life—commits suicide or murders—becomes immediately clear.  This may sound harsh, but one translator of the Old Testament made precisely that application when translating Proverbs 18:9: “[and he who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is brother to him who commits suicide]” (Amplified Old Testament).  This Proverb directly addresses the neglect of medical treatment.  To not do all within our power to bring health and healing is presumption.  Peter was right to ask and then act.  After asking he waited until he received an affirmative answer.  If we follow Peter’s example we can be saved from our own well-intended presumption.

It is curious that of the many miracles recorded in the gospels, this is the only one Jesus performed that lacked a useful purpose.  Later, on the other side of the sea, while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6), Jesus declined to provide a miraculous sign for the crowd of Jews who asked for one.  Jesus does not do needless miracles or signs just to do signs.  He performs useful miracles—usually.  Yet on this occasion, Jesus comes surprisingly close to performing a miracle which had little or no apparent usefulness.

Peter did not really need to go walking on the water to Jesus.  Jesus was on his way to the boat and would arrive at the boat soon enough.  So why did Jesus tell Peter to come?  Could the reason for this miracle have been the lesson to be learned in the miracle—expressed in the conversation between Jesus and Peter as we shall soon see—even though the miracle itself was not one of healing, provision, deliverance, or forgiveness?  Could it be that God so desires for us to learn how to experience miracles, that this time He performed one for Peter more for the sake of the lesson about miracles than for it to meet a need?  Promotion of faith and the belief in miracles may be one reason God performs miracles.  If that is true, it is doubly important to receive approval before we pray for miracles.  We do not want to use God as though He were merely a Source of magical power—that would be to misuse Him.  He has personality, opinions, thoughts, plans, and feelings.  Let us have faith but not be presumptuous.  We are dealing with the almighty God.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE ARE WILLING TO LEAVE THE SAFETY OF THE BOAT 
Boats are safe; water-walking is not.  The boat illustrates the safety of normalcy.  Boats are the usual way to travel on the water.  Peter was willing to leave the safety of the normal, usual routine.  He was willing to go alone on a new venture. This adds an interesting dynamic to Peter’s action:  “Peter got down out of the boat.”

You can enjoy not only physical safety by staying with the normal flow of life in boats, but also psychological safety by remaining with the people there.  The two thoughts of physical safety in the boat and psychological safety in the crowd in the boat are both easily grasped whatever your cultural context. You don’t stand out in the crowd when you are doing what the crowd is doing.  Peter had the courage to leave both the physical safety of the boat itself and the psychological safety of the group in the boat.  God may call on you to do that some day.  Or, God may honor your initiative if you volunteer to try something new and daring for him.  Are you willing to ask him?  Are you willing to leave physical and psychological safety?  Think of the heroes of the Bible who braved both physical dangers and misunderstandings. Peter is a good illustration of this point, but many other Bible characters showed the same courage.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THEIR INTENTIONS
There is nobility in initiating a bold plan, but there is greater nobility in executing it.  Bless you, Peter, for showing how to do it.   “Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water. . .”

The word “intention” is an interesting word.  It suggests that an action has been decided, but not yet executed.  For some, an intention is as good as action because they have well established the habit of doing what they think—executing intentions.

In Matthew 21:28-31 Jesus tells the story of two sons.  One lesson in it is the difference between intention and execution of intention.

“’What do you think?  There was a man who had two sons.  He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’  ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.  Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing.  He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.  Which of the two did what his father wanted?  ‘The first,’ they answered.”

That lesson shows the interrelatedness between obedience and following through on intentions.  Our lesson here about Peter following through is more about initiation, prayer, and the faith needed to execute the proposal.  You and I want to learn how to rise up from the normalcy of human life and seek Him so that the supernatural is active in our lives.  We want to change things through prayer.  We learn here from Peter that if our prayers are to produce miracles they should to be matched by faith and action.

In order to follow through with intentions, you have to put your “decider” in neutral and your “actor” on automatic pilot.  I have learned to do that in running marathons.  During a 3 ½ hour, 26.2 mile endurance race, with pain moving from one part of your body to another, it is not the time to decide whether to run a marathon.  During the race you must persevere based on a previous decision.  Peter had initiated a proposal, received permission, and next he followed through.
 
THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE MOVE TOWARDS JESUS
There are other places in the Bible where grammar rules have been broken or have given way to Theological truth.  For example:  “God said, ‘Let us.”’ God (singular) says let us (which is plural).  Even though Matthew saw it physically from the boat and technically made a grammatical mistake by saying “came,” yet he wrote it with the correct centrality of Jesus—that the action was Peter coming toward Jesus.   

Whatever we volunteer to do, we should move toward Jesus.  A genuinely Theo-centric worldview has wonderful possibilities.  As revealed in Jesus Christ, God is the great Center around which all activities revolve, the Goal toward which we strive, the Fountain from which all blessings flow, the One toward whom all glory is reflected, and the One whom we rise to seek.  As soon as He is no longer the central character in our story, as soon as our ministry, project, service, or enterprise is focused on human accomplishment, pleasure, or gain, our story has lost the center around which all plots, drama, and colorful story-lines should revolve.  Matthew’s grammar helps us appreciate this.  Incidentally, I did check the Greek text.  Matthew wrote “came toward Jesus.”

In chapter eleven you will notice a letter I wrote to my wife from Brisbane, Australia when I thought I was dying.  I said something about “come home to Jesus.”  If you talk about heaven, do you say you are “going” there or that you are “coming” there?  May I, following Matthew’s grammar, submit to you the idea that to use the word “coming” would be more Theo-centric, eternally true, and consistent with reality.  Even though grammatically it may be awkward, heaven is more the center of our universe than where we temporarily live now.  If God is the center of my universe, I can say, “I am coming home.”

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE WILL HAVE THEIR FAITH TESTED  
This section contains some of the most complex and technical imagery, symbolism, or metaphors I have ever used in teaching the Bible.  Let’s try not to get lost in these technicalities.  We must consider them in order to find the nuggets of spiritual truth available to us.  I hope they will help, not hinder, us.

Notice this curious sentence:  “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid.”  We do not “see” the wind; we see the effects of the wind.  We see the leaves moving in the trees and we say we see the wind blowing in the trees, but actually we are only seeing the leaves in the tree move.  The Bible even acknowledges this in John 3:8: “The wind blows wherever it pleases.  You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”  Wouldn’t you expect Matthew to say it right in the Bible?  Peter saw the waves caused by the wind, or the rain blowing in the wind, or the spray from the waves blowing in the wind, or the robe of Jesus blowing in the wind; he didn’t see the wind.  Yet Matthew says that when Peter “saw the wind, he was afraid” (emphasis mine).  What is the lesson here?  Did Matthew deliberately say Peter saw the wind?

If we look at this story spiritually, there are three possible lessons from Peter supposedly seeing the wind:  Firstly, the problem of the storm was the invisible wind which caused the visible waves.  The waves were only the obvious or visible problem; the wind was the real cause behind the visible cause.  Our storms have visible, apparent aspects and invisible, real causes.  If Matthew intentionally said Peter saw the wind, could it be a hint that in our storm we need to think beyond the material phenomenon we see around us to the deeper, invisible, spiritual causes behind them?  The invisible spirit world affects the material world.  When we learn this, then we are ready to learn how to solve material problems with spiritual tools.  If there is a spiritual reality working invisibly behind visible problems and if the spiritual solutions being implemented are making physical problems seem to “disappear,” then it follows that there are no problems that are not spiritual.  There are no problems in the physical realm that cannot be solved with spiritual solutions.  Either solutions come to us as God gives us wisdom or He providentially intervenes working on His own in response to our prayer.  Every problem, therefore, has its spiritual component.  Every problem, small or great, can—and should—be a matter of prayer, and, when satisfactorily resolved, can produce a testimony of God’s grace and victory manifested among us.

Secondly, seeing the wind and waves, is portrayed as being the reason for Peter’s doubt.  I question this.  There had to be something other than the wind that caused Peter to doubt.  If the wind was the real reason for Peter’s doubt, that implies that without the wind, Peter could have walked on calm water anytime.  The wind made this water walk difficult!  The wind was blowing so Peter doubted and began to sink!  Clearly, that is not the case.  Peter could not walk on any water—calm or with waves. His problem was not that there was wind; his problem was that he took his eyes and faith off of Jesus.  The text says, “when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink,” (Matthew 14:30) so, yes, he saw something when he looked away from Jesus, or there was something that caused him to look away from Jesus.  But the problem was not that he saw the waves, but that he focused more on them than he did on Jesus.   We should be aware of our situation.  It is not wrong to look at, face, and try to responsibly handle issues that we face in our work for the Lord, but our focus should not be on them.  When you and I walk on water we had better remember to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Thirdly, the swift movement of uncontrollable events around us makes doing the impossible seem more difficult.  We become more fearful.  The analysis we have been making of Matthew’s record is possibly more technical than usual, and we want to be appreciative of what Matthew wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  But, even so, in the normal human expressions observed throughout the writings of the Bible, it is proper to try to see all the spiritual truth God has hidden for us in any text.  Matthew wrote that it was because Peter saw the wind—meaning in the normal use of language probably that when Peter saw the waves—that he was afraid.  So we must take the movement of the waves into consideration and assume the waves made it more difficult to exercise faith.  Apparently water in motion under the influence of wind requires greater faith to walk on than calmer water.  It does not require unusual amounts of human imagination to agree that water out of control might be a greater test of faith than water under control.  When there is motion or commotion in the waters of our miracles, that motion, action, commotion, or rapid movement or uncontrollable development of events around us can make us afraid.  It made Peter afraid.  Here is a truth both profound and easy to miss. We wouldn’t even be on that water to begin with if it weren’t for a miracle.  Somehow the swirling of the waves—in addition to the fact that we are already on water doing the impossible—makes us afraid.  But if you are walking on the water—if what you are doing is already extraordinary—remember the miraculous nature of the circumstance and assume that the same power enabling you to walk on the water will also help you with the waves.  In these cases, the rapid developments around us—the waves—provide us with all the more reason to keep our eyes focused firmly on Jesus who made the impossible possible in the first place.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE CALL ON THE LORD 
Peter succeeded more than he failed in this story.  He called Jesus Lord, initiated an idea, submitted it to Jesus’ timing, followed through with his intention, and walked on the water!  Yet, he experienced failure when he became afraid and took his eyes off Jesus.  Even then, however—even in his one failure among all his successes—he had the right to acknowledge his failure and call quickly on Jesus and Peter did that. Matthew wrote: “. . . beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me.’”

Peter was a fisherman and a swimmer.  In another place and at another time John tells of another event involving Peter and water.  When John told him the Lord was near, Peter jumped out of the boat into the water and preceded the boat arriving first by Jesus’ side.  Here is John’s record:  “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’  As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards” (John 21:7 & 8).  John does not tell us whether Peter swam or waded, but it does say they were 100 yards out from shore and the boat was dragging the net full of fish.  If it were too shallow to swim Peter could have waded, or if it was too deep to wade, Peter could have swum.  Neither wading nor swimming would have been considered failure under the circumstances.  Rather Peter obtained his objective since he got to shore before the boat.  Wading or swimming, in that instance, was a success. In our present story, Peter could have swum to Jesus from the boat, too, but that would not have been considered a success.  Peter was on a spiritual mission, had asked to walk on the water, and was not thinking about how to swim up to someone who was walking on the water in which he himself was swimming.  Furthermore, by the time he had to call out to Jesus for help, he had already been walking on the water and was thinking in terms of walking; not swimming.  Swimming—using normal human means of traveling in the water when you are out of the boat—was not in his paradigm for success at the time.  Given that water-walking was his goal, purpose, and focus, he did the right thing:  He called on the Lord.

When he began to sink why didn’t Peter simply start to swim?  Perhaps that would have been the prideful or face-saving thing to do, but Peter was not concerned about saving face.  It is important to make the distinction that Peter was more interested in getting it right than covering a failure.  He called on the Lord.  We may therefore add another success to Peter’s account.  Calling on the Lord is the right thing to do when we have failed.  Calling on the Lord can change a failure into a successful learning opportunity—a successful failure.  Even in a failure a successful recovery is possible.  Instead of lamenting the failure, why not celebrate the great recovery?  What a difference between the following two passages!  “See how the evildoers lie fallen—thrown down, not able to rise” (Ps.16:12)!  “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand” (Ps. 37:23,24).  When we stumble—and we all do—we can call on the Lord so as to not fall.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE EXPERIENCE JESUS’ FAITHFULNESS 
As we have just mentioned, among all his successes, Peter had one failure.  Jesus, at the appropriate time—quite soon—would teach him something about that failure, but that lesson had to wait for a more urgent matter:  first save the sinking man.  “Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.”  Jesus quickly helped Peter.  There is a seminar worth of truth in this for us.

When we work with God’s people, whether they are seasoned believers or little lambs, there are lessons they need to learn and we must eventually get to those.  But we often need to precede the instructions with some mercy—and help.  Jesus’ treatment of Peter illustrates the times when helping is more appropriate than tutoring.  Until we have helped the person as Jesus did so they are ready to receive the instruction, let us learn to first save the sinking man.  After that, then let’s teach them what they should have done, correct their errors, and show our disciples how they can do it better next time.  In my field—missiology—we call this “Starting Point and Process.”  In Kingdom work we deal with spiritual transformation, change, growth, advancement, and progress.  We must begin, however, where people are and let them grow gradually in a long process.  This is the way Jesus worked with Peter on Galilee and it is the way God works with us.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE LEARN SOMETHING FROM JESUS 
Do you ever feel like God is more firm in His dealings with you than He is in His dealings with others around you?  He seems to allow them to get away with things the Holy Spirit would never let you do.  Join the company of Peter, the leading disciple.  Peter had more faith, courage, boldness, and creativity than the other disciples.  He excelled.  He tried something new.  He dared to attempt the impossible.  Yet Jesus rebuked Peter—the most bold disciple with apparently the most faith: “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”  Why did Jesus criticize Peter and not the others? There is a good reason for the more “difficult” treatment some of us receive and knowing it gives us added confidence.

Jesus was essentially happy with Peter’s progress.  He did not discourage Peter from starting.  He saved Peter when Peter needed to be saved.  Throughout the dialogue, Jesus has a positive attitude toward Peter and wanted to develop him even further.  Peter came so close to reaching Jesus that Jesus pointed out what he should have done to be completely successful.  And if Jesus is developing you, he is happy with you, as is often indicated by his dealing with you to further develop you.

Jesus accepts the little steps of faith we can make.  He encourages us to try, and then when we fail, he tells us the truth—whatever we should have done to succeed even more.  In rebuking Peter, Jesus may have been implying, “You almost made it. You could have done it.  You walked on the water, Peter.”  Jesus prunes fruitful disciples so they will be more fruitful.  Fruitful Peter got pruned.  Pruning is ultimately a compliment.  Ouch!  Yes, the critique hurts, but we have to keep God’s goal in mind.  When you know how God further develops successful persons, you realize the rebuke was a compliment.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE GAIN AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE GOD IN NEW WAYS
When Jesus and Peter arrived safely at the boat, the disciples responded to the miracle with the proper reaction. “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” They worshipped Jesus, recognizing the significance of the multiple miracles of Jesus walking on the water, enabling Peter also to walk on the water, and calming the sea. The parallel record of this story in Mark 6 tells us the sea grew calm as Jesus climbed in the boat. The miracles of God show us that He is awesome. This can, perhaps, be better understood by considering that those who do not see the miraculous do not have the appreciation for God’s power and glory experienced by those who have. If we want to see God’s glory we may have to walk on water—take some risks. Miracles contribute to Jesus’ authority, honor, majesty, and glory.

Miracles do help us in practical ways, but in the larger scheme of things—in the eternal realm—they help us see who God is. In this case, the disciples acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God. Later, after seeing Jesus’ scars as evidence of the miracle of the resurrection, Thomas would further acknowledge that Jesus was God and declare “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). But for now the disciples were making progress in acknowledging Jesus as God’s son. There are many Scriptures that indicate that God is willing to let us make progress in increments. Nevertheless, the emphasis here is on exercising faith, taking risks, and seeing the glory of God in new ways. Earlier we learned to avoid presumption, but most of our emphasis here has been on taking initiative. Somewhere between inactivity and presumption is the ideal of courage coupled with submissive and obedient faith in God to do the impossible. Those who do the impossible gain opportunities to know God in new and special ways.

THOSE WHO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE KNOW GOD DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE.
Nowhere in this story does Matthew tell whether it was Jesus’ faith or power, not Peter’s own faith, which produced this miracle.  We cannot know for certain whose faith was operating—Jesus’ or Peter’s, or both.  In any case, for Jesus to either encourage or enable Peter, the human, to walk on water is a greater miracle than for Jesus, who is deity, Himself to walk on water.

When Peter walks on the water, the miracle is closer to me.  I can identify more readily with Peter than with Jesus in this case.  I, too, am encouraged to walk on the water.  If Peter can, perhaps I could too.  I like finding places in the Scripture with which I can identify; I look for doable targets, achievable goals.  It is more likely for me to arrive where Peter did, than to become as perfect Jesus was.  It is God, not us, that does the impossible.  Nevertheless, when He does it through a man like Peter and then even me it is obviously all the more personal—and glorious.  Let’s continue to make progress in increments.

 

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© 2003 Ron Meyers