(Illustration by Jorm Sangsorn / iStock / Getty)
I am convinced that Peter should have stayed in the boat. For all the praise he receives for water walking, it was a bad choice.
It’s simple: no one, no matter how much faith they have, should exit a boat in the midst of a raging storm. Peter endangers everyone—himself and the rest of the disciples—by leaving the boat. Instead of focusing on surviving a storm, everyone on the boat now needs to pay attention to Peter.
Take a look at the story in Matthew again (14:22–33). The boat is besieged by a storm. Jesus has opted to stay on the shore to pray. In the middle of a terrifying storm, Jesus walks on the water to meet the disciples. Thinking Jesus is a ghost, Peter creates a ghost test. “If it is you, command me to come to you.”
