…why did you doubt?
Summary: Sometimes we are confronted by an extra dose of life’s troubles. When that happens Jesus invites us to step out of the boat and join him.
There is a wonderful story in Matthew’s Gospel account about Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14: 22-33). In the story, Jesus sends his disciples out in the boat to cross the Sea of Galilee without him. It is late in the day when they leave and according to the text, the boat is struggling against the wind and the waves.
All night long the disciples struggle in the boat. The “lake” known as the Sea of Galilee is five or six miles across from the east shore where they started to Gennesaret on the west side. The men had been up all day and now all night and must have been exhausted. Into this chaotic mix of wind and waves, the disciples see Jesus in the pre-dawn light. He is walking on the water towards them.
Matthew doesn’t say that the disciples were delighted to see Jesus. Just the opposite. They were terrified. To calm their fears, Jesus calls to them over the wind and the waves, “Take courage!” Then he adds, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
At this point in the story, Peter cries out, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” (The question I always wonder about is what did Peter expect to happen if it wasn’t Jesus?)
Jesus replies, “Come,” and Peter does. It was dark, the wind is blowing, waves are crashing all around and they were “a considerable distance from land.” Peter is tired, he is physically worn out and emotionally stressed. It is hard to believe he was thinking straight.
Fear, exhaustion, and adrenaline are Peter’s companions as he swings one leg over the gunnel of the boat. He is already wet and cold, his clothing clinging to his wet body. The water outside the boat feels the same as the water inside.
At some point, Peter transfers his weight to the foot outside the boat. Did he have any idea what he was doing? I doubt it. Yet there was Jesus, a few yards away, standing on the water as if walking along a trail. Peter is beyond reason. He is beyond thinking. For a moment, all he knows is Jesus standing on the water. He shifts and in a moment his weight is outside the boat. He is standing on water.
He pulls his other leg out of the boat and let’s go with his hands. Looking at Jesus, he takes a step away from the boat towards his teacher. The others stare in amazement. Except for the sound of the wind and the waves, there is silence. Peter takes another step. His focus is completely on the Lord. Like a professional batter facing a ball coming at him at 90 MPH, his focus is complete. Nothing else exists except Peter and his Lord.
Perhaps there was a bolt of lightning somewhere, or maybe the rigging on the boat snapped in the wind. It might have been that one of the other disciples gasped out loud. Something caught Peter’s attention. The spell was broken and he began to sink.
“Lord, help me!”
Jesus grabs his hand like a parent steadying a child’s first bike ride. “Why did you doubt?” he asks.
According to the Gospel, Peter had nothing to say.
Application: When things are difficult, remember to look for Jesus.
Food for Thought: Why did Jesus ask Peter, “Why did you doubt?”
Why did Jesus ask Peter, “Why did you doubt?”
Because Peter doubted. Jesus knew.
Peter could have been tired, and stressed. Physical and mental exhaustion can play a big role in how a person thinks and can cause issues.
Philippians 4:13
New King James Version
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Take our eyes off Jesus, doubt His power in all things, is breaking contact with Him, lacking faith, leaves us relying on our own flesh which is restricted to our powers apart from Christ. We all do this daily as we grow in faith.
T is right. Jesus addresses what is in the heart.
Scripture says that he saw the wind, then became frightened, then sank.
The question is, in what way did he doubt? Was he just too impulsive to think about what he was doing before he jumped out of the boat and thus doubted from the start? Did he doubt the reality that he was on the water? Did he doubt that Jesus could be making this happen? Did he forget Jesus was there when he noticed the wind?
There are so many understandable trains of thought there. Jesus makes the point that Peter could have gone further if he didn’t doubt. So what doubt or lack of faith holds us back? God calls us to where we are, what do we doubt He can do? What do we doubt He’ll do with us?
Good comments above. I agree. Jesus, didn’t ask “Did you doubt “ but “Why did you doubted.” Peter obviously doubted. I think Jesus wanted him to think about why he doubted.
I liked the descriptions in your devotion today. Thank you.
Side note. I was wanting to comment how you got more descriptive with today’s devotion. It made me picture things a little more in my mind.
11-17-2022, Matthew 14:31, Why did Jesus ask Peter, “Why did you doubt?”
Jesus knew why Peter had taken his eyes off Jesus, lost the spiritual faith in Jesus, as he acknowledged the power of the winds. Taken his eyes off Christ who was His power to do the impossible.
In verse 31, Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Our faith in Jesus is the power which overcomes the powers of this world. Keeping our eyes on Him allows believers to live lives in faith. His power will take us through all this physical world will throw at us.
Poor Peter, always getting the dirty end of the stick it seems like, at least he got out of the boat, all the others were there in amazement, probably stopped all their efforts maneuvering the boat. I wonder what they were thinking about, doubting that Peter wouldn’t sink or get out of the boat? Maybe a little of both?
I love the lesson here about keeping our eyes on Jesus,.. how many times do we ask, Lord if it is You do this or do that for me so that I know it’s You, then when something happens we doubt that it is Him doing it because well the devil is clever at making things look good.
Peter is human just as the rest of us, how many times do we doubt about things? How many times have we doubted the things we pray about, be honest now. Peter was just doing what we would probably have done, get out of the boat to get closer to our Lord, he was brave to get out and even attempt to walk on the water he knew could sink him to his death. I feel as if Peter is a demonstration to the power Christ has imputed into us.
Thanks again Jeff, I love the action in your story telling, you have a way of bringing scripture to life, probably has something to do with the power Christ has imputed into you, I don’t doubt that,..
Thank you all for the comments today!
Great thoughts! 🙂