Peter gets bad rap for lack of water-walking faith By Rev. Rusty Weller      A lie told over and over may become acceptable and understandable, but that doesn't make it the truth.  The same goes for Biblical inaccuracies.      How many times have you heard it preached Jesus reprimanded water-walking Peter for the serious sin of lacking in faith, thus sinking down into the waves of his circumstance?      "You of little faith," Jesus must have said sternly to His rambunctious disciple, "why did you doubt?" Coming from Christ, that's as stinging a rebuke as salt spray in an open wound. Who among us today wants to receive such a disciplinary lash from the Lord?      Yet there it is in Matthew 14:31, clear for all to see. Or is it?      Peter gets a bad rap here. More important, so does Jesus.      There are all sorts of dynamics occurring before this passage that we don't immediately see. News of Herod's murder of John the Baptist had just reached Jesus, who sought to be alone.      The miracle of the loaves and fishes then follows as 5,000 are fed to satisfaction, with many eating their fill perhaps for the very first time in their lives. It's Jesus' only miracle mentioned in all four Gospels.      Does it strike you strange that Jesus immediately forced the disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side? Let me offer this:      First, having killed John, Jesus knew King Herod would be coming after Him too. Second, Jesus knew, as John 6:15 points out, the well-fed people planned to forcefully make Him their king, and it was not yet time to be crossing Spiritual swords with Herod. It might even be true that Jesus' disciples liked the idea of making Him king. Certainly we can all agree that Jesus needed time alone with the Father following the sad news that cousin John had been beheaded.      And so Jesus went up on a mountainside alone to pray while the disciples rowed out into the Sea of Galilee where they were hit by a storm. Tired and fearful after hours of struggle against the wind and waves, the disciples are stunned to see Jesus walking to them on the water.      William Carey said, "Expect great things of God, and attempt great things for God." Certainly Peter did! Most of us are satisfied with little things from God, but not Peter.Out of the 12, only he asks to join Jesus in walking on the water.      "Come," Jesus says, and Peter climbs out of the boat -- no easy task in a storm -- and successful walks on water.      Ah, but the harsh wind distracts Peter, and he begins to sink, uttering the shortest prayer in the Bible: "Lord, save me!"      That Jesus immediately does. Then comes the rebuke: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"      Many preachers, even commentators, jump to the conclusion Jesus was talking about Peter doubting the Lord's ability to keep him atop the waves. Therefore, although 11 other disciples cowered back in the boat, Peter is scolded for a lack of wave-walking faith.      Look deeper. Only Peter showed great faith! Does God really want you to think Jesus was disappointed when Peter began to sink? If not, then who would want us to think that?      Sniff the air for hell's smoke, because this is the devil's hiss. To buy into this lie means you should stay safe in the ship until sure you would never take your eyes off Jesus, which could well mean you’d be in the boat forever.      What God wants and this world desperately needs is more people willing to get out of the boat and walk on spiritual water when Jesus says, "Come."      The Lord knows we're weak, imperfect and likely to take our eyes off Him and fearfully glance at the threatening waves. The important thing with God is that we obediently try, not that we don't sink some from time to time.      So, why did Jesus say those words to Peter? Simple. As Peter began to sink into the raging waves, he feared for his life, even though Jesus was close by. Our Lord immediately reached out and caught Peter, then made the remark in question.      I submit to you Jesus wasn't calling Peter's wave-walking faith into question but Peter's lack of faith in Christ's soul-saving ability. Jesus in effect was saying: "Peter, after bringing you out on the water, why did you doubt I wouldn't save you?"      Jesus says the same to each of us, who -- like the other 11 -- are cowering in the boat afraid to follow Peter's lead. The Lord wants us to join Him amid demonic storms, to obediently walk on spiritual water with Him, knowing full well we are going to sink occasionally when not focused on Him.      And when we do start to submerge, Jesus wants us to remember His rescuing hand is only a quick prayer away.