Jump Out The Boat!

Most people know Peter as the disciple who walked on water.

Fewer people remember that he jumped out of the boat twice.

The first time happened during a storm.

The disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. Terrified, they thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus spoke, “Take courage. It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Peter responded the way Peter often did. Before anyone else could process what was happening, he spoke up.

“Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.”

Jesus answered with one word.

“Come.”

Peter climbed over the side of the boat and stepped onto the water.

Think about that for a moment. The miracle wasn’t that Peter walked on water. The miracle started earlier. Peter was the only one willing to leave the boat.

Eleven disciples watched.

One moved.

Peter took a few steps, saw the wind, became afraid, and began to sink. Yet even in his failure, Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him.

Matthew 14 doesn’t tell the story of a man who failed.

It tells the story of a man who was willing to leave safety behind when Jesus called.

Years later, Peter found himself near another body of water.

This time the storm wasn’t outside him.

It was inside him.

Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. The same disciple who once stepped onto the waves had stood near a fire and claimed he wasn’t one of Christ’s followers. The weight of that failure must have been crushing.

Then came the resurrection.

In John 21, several disciples were fishing when they spotted a man standing on the shore. At first they didn’t recognize Him. Then John realized who it was. “It is the Lord.”

Peter’s response is one of my favorite moments in all of Scripture—because I am like Peter.

He didn’t wait for the boat.

He didn’t ask questions.

He didn’t make excuses.

He put on his outer garment and jumped into the water.

Again.

The first jump was toward a calling.

The second jump was toward grace.

The first jump happened before Peter failed.

The second jump happened after.

The first jump was fueled by faith.

The second jump was fueled by love.

Most people focus on Peter’s sinking. I think Scripture wants us to notice something else.

Peter kept getting out of the boat.

Again and again, Peter was the disciple who moved first. He wasn’t always polished. He wasn’t always right. He often spoke before thinking. He made mistakes. He stumbled publicly. He failed spectacularly. He cut an ear. He was brash. But he was brave!

Yet when Jesus appeared, Peter ran toward Him.

Or in this case, swam.

The same reckless faith that carried him onto the waves carried him into the water after the resurrection.

That matters because many of us have convinced ourselves that failure disqualifies us.

Peter’s story says otherwise.

The disciple who denied Jesus became the disciple who preached at Pentecost.

The man who sank became the man Christ used to help build the early Church.

The lesson isn’t that Peter was fearless.

The lesson is that Peter refused to let fear have the final word.

That’s what this design represents.

JUMP OUT THE BOAT isn’t about taking reckless risks for the sake of adventure. It’s about responding when God calls. It’s about trusting Him when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. It’s about moving toward Jesus even after you’ve stumbled.

Especially after you’ve stumbled.

The boat is comfortable.

The water is uncertain.

The call remains the same.

Come.

Be like Peter and Jump Out The Boat!

-Corwyn

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