What God Simplified for Me This Week
“And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.”
Matthew 14:29
Come.
That’s it. That’s the blog.
Just kidding…we’ll dig a little deeper here. I’ve said before in this blog series that I believe presence is much more important than appearance (see: The Soul Priority or Christmas Presence). I might have worn a baseball cap to lunch, but at least I came!
That’s the thing people misunderstand about Jesus. When Jesus says “Come!”, I hear “no jacket required”. I start hearing Phil Collins music in my head…”Jenny! Jenny, don’t you lose my number!” Here’s a little help if you can’t quite remember that beat.
No Jacket Required
Jesus never said, “Come, but wait until after your hair appointment.” He never said, “Come, but first be perfect.” He didn’t say, “Fix your flaws, stop cussing, eat only whole foods, lose weight, quit smoking, stop drinking Red Bull, and then and only then may you come.”
He didn’t say all that. He didn’t require that we fix ourselves first because He knew – and wants us to know – that He is the only one who can really fix us. All He said was “come”. No strings attached. No jacket required.
Come!
We know the story of the storm. Jesus is walking on the water, and Peter is in the boat, terrified. All Jesus said was, “Come!”
Peter did that. He got out of the boat, stepped onto the water, and made his way toward Jesus. Peter accepted the invitation without preparation.
Jesus didn’t instruct Peter to wait until the storm was over. He didn’t tell him to wait until he was ready. He didn’t tell him to gather his things, put his papers in order, and find a sitter for the dog.
Jesus, Charles Swindoll, and Arthur Ashe all said it. “Start where you are.” You don’t have to pack. We can pick up some new stuff on the way.
“Yeah, but Peter was chosen. He was special. He was in Jesus’ inner circle! I’m not like Peter!”
Yes, you are.
Peter Was Not “Saint Peter” Yet
Peter was impulsive. He cut a servant’s ear completely off when they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18:10). Without even thinking about it, Peter chose violence. He was pissed.
Peter was afraid. He accepted Jesus’ invitation to “come” and got out of the boat, but when he saw the “Perfect Storm”-like waves, fear outweighed his faith and he started to sink (Matthew 14:28-31).
Peter made promises he couldn’t keep. He told Jesus to his face that he would never deny Him (Matthew 26:35), and we all know how that story ended in triplicate.
Peter was, at times, a hypocrite (Galatians 2:11-14). He changed his behavior around Gentiles when Jewish Christians were around. Friends with his nerd neighbor on the weekends, but ain’t eatin’ lunch with that weirdo at school in front of the cool kids.
Peter was overconfident in his understanding of things. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say I am?”, and Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)
Okay. All good so far. A+.
Then Jesus explains what is about to happen in the next few days. He says He must go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and rise again (“then a blinding light!“). But to Peter, that was preposterous. He believed the real Messiah would be a ruling king, as they understood “king”. A dead Messiah was not part of the plan. So he insists, “This shall never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:21-23)
Oh, but it did.
Peter just thought he knew how it was supposed to play out. He knew how he wanted it to go. He had no concept of God’s full plan.
And now, tell me again how you’re “not” like Peter? You and I are just like him.
Peter was not “Saint Peter” when Jesus said, “Come.” We are all like Peter. We get scared. We run that mouth. We react without thinking. We think we know more than we do. We buckle under pressure. We do everything Peter did.
You Don’t Have to Pack
It’s a good thing the plan didn’t go as Peter wanted. It’s a good thing that it was God’s plan that prevailed. Jesus suffered for our lies, arrogance, and hypocrisy. The debt has already been paid. The case has been settled. The verdict is in:
No evidence was found.
And this is why we absolutely do not have to have it all together when we come. Because we won’t have it all together until our lives are over. We can’t cleanse ourselves anyway. Only Jesus can. We will only be made perfect at the end, not at the beginning and not somewhere along the journey.
You don’t have to come ready. You just have to come.
Come.
That’s it. That’s the blog.
Prayer That I’m Not Anywhere He Can’t Find Me
Lord, I am grateful that I do not have to be perfect for You to receive me. Help me come when You call. Make me get out of the boat. Remind me that I am never anywhere You can’t find me.
Last month’s Still Waters was What’s the Point? in case you missed it.