A Conference President's most embarrasing Moment

koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

conjoint lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

In modern time we do not find in a church magazine a description of the time when a church leader experienced his lowest point in his ministry. It is taboo. Colleagues know about it but they will not retell it in public.

Peter, the disciple of the Lord, was a conference secretary or president. The Jerusalem conference of his days had three main leaders, James, Peter and John. That is what Paul said in Galatians 1-2 and also that is what dr. Luke said in the book of Acts.

At that time, there were friction between Paul and Peter and it was decided that Peter should minister in the Jerusalem conference and Paul would be in the Greek and Roman conferences at the north. Paul was the mission director of the conference in Jerusalem and he had to report to them on and off.

One of the most popular events in the earlier life of Peter, when he was still with Jesus, was his walking on the sea. 

Modern scholars or scholars in so-called modernity have argued that they do not believe it to be true and that Peter was just walking on rocks under the waves that made it look as if he was walking on the water and then Jesus grabbed him because he slipped. Those were the views of scholars like Bahrdt in the past. My own thinking is that if the Creator of the World walks on the water and the Bible which is His book tells me about that, I better believe it and I do. No questions asked.

As beautiful as this event is and as popular it is in sermons and children stories over the world, it was Peter's embarrassing moment in his life. It may be the reason why gospel writers did not tell us about it.

There are four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Only Matthew tells us about Peter trying to walk on the water. Mark and John tells us about Jesus walking on the water but nothing about Peter and Luke does not mention Jesus nor Peter walking on the sea. Why did they not include it?

At the time Luke was writing the history of the early church in Acts, and his gospel, Peter and Paul had their friction and Peter was the conference of Jerusalem's President. Luke did not include the "dirty washing" of Peter in his gospel. He probably only included those events of Peter that Peter told him about and agreed that it should be recounted.

John did not mention Peter walking although he knew about it. He mentioned that Jesus walked on the water though. He was a colleague with Peter in the Conference and it is not the custom for team-mates working together to tell in public your colleagues bad past. Only when Peter tells it himself in public they would use his anecdotes too.

Mark was also a co-worker with Peter and Paul and thus may have left out this embarrassing event of Peter also for that reason.

Matthew could have been a personal friend of Peter and Peter may have told him about that event in more detail thereby allowing Matthew to go ahead with putting him in the picture as well.

At any rate, it is quite funny to find Peter saying as leader of the Conference in 2 Peter 1:10 "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you, for as long as you practice these things, you will never fall/stumble". Talking of which!

So that day the disciples got in the boat and were sailing into the sea when a storm came up. Jesus was alone somewhere else but among the high waves He came walking to them. They thought it was a ghost. The Greek word used for ghost sounds like "fantastic". And fantastic it was. Jesus walking on the water. As God and son of God and as Creator one may want to rephrase that it is not fantastic but normal.

Peter mostly the one coming up with sparkling suggestions. The Lord said to them not to fear for "I am". This is the Great I Am of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. The Greek are using the words ego eimi "I am".

Peter bargain with Jesus by saying that he should command him to come to him. Jesus did and we do not know where Peter got the courage from to believe the ghost and get of out of the boat, but he did. Was he hanging on the boat first to make sure that he really is standing on water?

At any rate, he looked at Jesus and left the boat and was standing on the water. Then he started to walk step by step.

The Bible tells us not why Peter took his eyes off Jesus but the Bible does say that he did. Ellen White says that "in self-satisfaction he glances back toward his companions in the boat" (DA 381) and this turning away from Jesus means he saw the big waves and the storm. He started to sink immediately. He screamed "Lord help me" and Jesus grabbed him.

What a mistake, that he took his eyes of Jesus in order to find out what his companions thought of him. He wanted to hear from them that he is great. He wanted to hear "good for you Peter!".  He thought he deserved praise and was looking back for it.

We all have heard this event being told in sermons hundreds of times. My purpose is to show you something that you may not have heard before. Verse 30 tells us that he began to sink. Verse 32 tells us that when Jesus grabbed his hand, they started to walk to the boat. Only when they entered the boat did the storm subside.

They were walking in the storm hand in hand before they reached safety. What a lesson. Safety is to walk with Jesus hand in hand through a storm.

No matter how great the storms of life, if we walk with Jesus hand in hand, we will be safe until we reach the boat. I want to walk with the Word of God in my hand in the storms of life. It is His book He left for us.

In Daniel 4:30 we read of a man who said "Is this not a great city that I have built?" and hereby Nebuchadnezzar was seeking praise and verse 31 said that a voice told him that he will loose everything.

In Isaiah 14:12 we read of Lucifer who was a morning star who said in his heart that he wants to ascend to God and be next to him. Verses 13-14 tells us about his bad intentions. So what we have here is Lucifer who became Satan and Satan is the origin of all life's storms. We suffer because of his self-exaltation.

Satan's methods has not changed. He loves to create storms and enjoys suffering.  At 911 he loved it when the planes hit the building and 3000 people were crashed in a few seconds. When it all finished he clapped his hands and said: "What great contemporary art is this!"

But, walking hand in hand with Jesus in the storm of Satan we will reach the boat safely since safety is in our hands.

Dear Jesus

Take my hand Lord, I lift it up Lord, come and quench this thirsting of my soul. I cling to you, the Rock of my Salvation. Through the storm all the way with You is my only safety. Amen