"Lord, if it is you, command me to go to you on the waters" - Matthew 14 28
Imposing his will was never the style of Jesus. Even with all the power at his disposal, he always preferred to let man make his choice. We know that Jesus did many miracles several times, but never forced anyone to follow him, because this attitude every man must take. It is only possible to become a Christian when the decision to follow is voluntarily made; leave everything behind and follow it.
Jesus knew it, and that's why He said that if someone wanted to reach the kingdom of God it would be necessary first of all to take up his cross and deny himself. This indicates that to walk a walk with Christ, it will be necessary to leave something behind and carry a cross on the shoulders. Making the decision to follow Jesus is the first step of a very difficult walk.
Although many ignore this truth, to follow Christ it will be necessary to renounce their own interests. For many times we speak that we want to follow it, and sometimes we know what we should do, but not all people are willing to go one step further. Of the twelve disciples, only Peter took the initiative to go further.
Following Jesus is a test of love, and the time will come when his love for Him will be tested. And if he had to leave what he loves most to follow Jesus? Would I still follow it? What if he had to leave his family behind, or who knows his job? Would I still choose Jesus? And if to enter heaven he had to renounce all the pleasures of this earth? Would he have the courage to do that? What if the people close to you walked away because of Jesus? Would I still want to be under God's will? What if I lost friends? And if I needed to go through great suffering? And if I had to walk over the sea? I would still want you to meet Him on the waters
? Who knows the answer is a yes, maybe I thought a little before answering, but here among us, we know that deep down the answer would be no. We usually judge Thomas for his little faith, and even Peter for having walked over the waters and sunk, but he wants to know, if I or you were in the place of these men, we would hardly make it different.
This passage once again teaches us that many times in our lives, we will be divided as to our choice to follow Jesus. Did I take the right attitude? What if he had not left the ship? Peter started well, but little time was spent until he began to draw his focus from Jesus and put it in the wind and in the sea. Pedro was shipwrecked. When we draw our focus from Jesus, we are going to sink. Before Peter disappeared into the waves, Jesus holds him by the hand and warns him about his lack of faith.
It was not an easy walk for Pedro. Walking above the water is not something that someone boasts in front of their friends. There were no records of people who had managed to execute such a feat. It is so much that the impression that the disciples have of Jesus at first sight is of being a ghost. All right, Jesus is different, we can understand. But Pedro? Who gave moral for him? Pedro needed to leave the ship, his friends, his safety to walk above the sea; It was not easy. And when the wave of guilt reaches us? The wind of sin is treacherous. And the sea of insecurity?
If it is not the hand of Jesus, we are going to sink completely. The gesture of Jesus holding Peter's hand was much more than a rescue. He showed us that even if we fail, he saw our desire to follow him, He knows how difficult it was to get out of the boat. God resists the proud and the proud, but gives grace to the humble, these are the ones who are supported by the strong hands of the master Jesus. A humble and dependent heart of God will never sink into the sea of this life. Jesus does not leave.
We know we need to follow Jesus, we know what we need to do; Now the key question is: How far are you going because of Jesus? How many steps would you take until you begin to sink? Would it take the attitude to stop hearing words and songs that only feed one's ego, and begin to exalt Christ? Would you be willing to stop believing that you are a good and flawless person and begin to repent of your sins and confess them? How do you plan to get to heaven? Convincing Jesus that you are good enough to get there alone? How far are you going because of Jesus?
We are living the last minutes of the church on earth, and that is why we witness an apostasy like never before, a total carelessness with the Word of God, spiritual coldness everywhere, inverted values, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So we hardly find the real gospel being preached and lived. What we see are selfish, superficial and interested people going to church just to get what they want. Sometimes it is a car, sometimes it is a house, or even its own exaltation. They want to follow Jesus, but in their own way. And if I told him Jesus did not die for that? Would I still want to follow it?
We also see a range of believers indifferent as to the truths of the gospel. They say they are following Jesus and they go to heaven, but they do what they understand. Preaching and hymns that put man above God himself. They know the truth, they already lived the truth, but today they are stagnant, the spiritual warmth reached them, the apostasy seized the heart. These began to walk over the waters, but they sank; and the hand of God is the only thing that prevents them from sinking completely. Why have not you sunk yet? Because there is still the hand of Jesus holding you. Woe to you if it were not the hand of Jesus. What if the rapture happened now? What could you do to be at the center of God's will? Will you do as part of the crowd that followed Jesus just to see if something would even happen?
Will you follow Jesus until you get something you want, or will you try to repent of your sins, humble yourself in the presence of God to receive your guarantee of salvation? Will he do things as he wants, or will he pray and try to do God's will? Will he do everything the world commands or will he seek to sanctify himself and present himself in a way that pleases God? Do you want to go to heaven or are you happy with hell? Are you going to stay on the boat or are you going to walk over the waters to meet Jesus? Jesus never said it would be easy. Jesus still holds the Pedros that they want, but they can not trust Him.