Walking on Water

So, for those of you who read my blog on a consistent basis, you know my dislike and disdain for those clever, witty church signs. Anyway, there is a new one that I saw recently, which says "Looking for a life guard? Ours walks on Water". I don't know what it is, but this one really bothers me. I don't know why...it's not like it is offensive, or sacriligeous or anything...but there's something about it that just makes me frustrated. Maybe its because it is comparing Jesus to a life-guard. I'm not sure...maybe I just have such a bias against church signs that I can't enjoy them...perhaps I'm just a negative, pessimistic person. But it did get me thinking a little bit...which I guess is the point of it, about the significance of Jesus walking on water.

First of all I have to say that, too often Christians give too much credit to the miracles Jesus does. What I mean is...they focus so much on the miracle itself, that they miss out on the person performing the miracles. The Miracles Jesus did were never meant to becomes these major specatcles, in fact many times he tells people not to tell anyone about the miracle. The one that seems to get the most publicity from Christians (other than the resurrection) is when Jesus walks on water. They seem to equate walking on water, with perfection. Have you ever heard the saying, "Next time you think you are perfect, try walking on water". We seem to make a huge deal out of this one...I don't really know why. But we make a big deal out of it for the wrong reasons I think. We look so much at the miracle itself, that we miss out what Jesus is actually telling his disciples by walking on water. To fully understand that, we have to understand the significance of water in biblical times.

In biblical times, water (or the oceans) were met with fear. It was a place of horror, a place of terror. A place where people left and didn't return. A place of death, and chaos. In fact, in Genesis 1:2, when it says "...And the spirit of God hovered over the waters", it is referring to the fact that God has control over the chaos. No matter how chaotic and crazy things get..God is in control. That is in a sense what Jesus is showing the disciples here. The disciples are out in a boat, trying to cross to the other side...when all of a sudden, Jesus walks out to them. This story is found in Matthew 14:22-36, right after he feeds the 5,000.

It's night time, the wind is picking up...the boat is probably rocking back and forth, waves splashing over the side of the boat, and the disciples are probably already fairly scared. And then they see Jesus, walking towards them. This scares them even more...they even think that Jesus is a ghost. But Jesus is showing them more than just a magic trick here. It's more than an illusion, or a funny prank. He is showing that he has control over fear. Control over chaos. Over terror. Over death. Over hell. The water, in the disciples mind...and in the mind of most bibilical characters, was scary. It represented evil...everything that was wrong with the world. But Jesus is showing that he is in control of it all. So this makes it that much more key, to when Peter asks to climb out of the boat and walk to Jesus. It's not a matter of just jumping into water, and swimming. Chances are, he didn't even know how to swim. Peter is entering the unknown. He enters the very thing that scares him the most...the dark, terrifying, chaotic waters. He does this, because he begins to understand that Jesus has control over it. Jesus is bigger than the fea. Than the evil, than the chaos. Peter puts his full trust in Jesus. I think we can learn a lot from this story. We often are stuck in a boat...surrounding us is our fears, or worries. Things that scare us, terrify us, hold us captive. And then Jesus shows up, and reminds us that he has control over everything. That he holds our worries, our fears and our concerns in the palm of his hand. He walks all over our troubles. And we have a decision to make. Do we let the fear, and chaos hold us captive in the boat...in the safety of the boat...or do we take a chance. Step out of the boat, step out of the safety net, and right into the chaos. Right into the fear?

Take the step. Step out of the boat. Jesus is in control. Jesus is bigger than our problems. Bigger than our worries, and fears, and the unknown. Trust Him. Jump into the water!