You Of Little Faith

As I read this passage this morning, the Holy Spirit highlighted something I'd like to share with you, check it out. Matthew 14:25-33: "Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them (the disciples who were in a boat), walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. The Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "you of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

What the Holy Spirit showed me today was that when Jesus and Peter got back into the boat that the disciples worshiped Jesus and said, "Truly you are the Son of God." But Jesus didn't walk on the water as the Son of God, He did that as the son of man. I mean, did the disciples forget that Peter too walked on the water? They didn't worship him, yet until doubt entered the picture Peter was also walking on the water.

I find so many things interesting in the story, and a person could preach dozens of messages of encouragement from it, yet today what I was shown was the humanity of Jesus once again in action. How have I missed this all these years as a Christian? I used to see this as one more time that Jesus was proving who He was. But He wasn't doing that. I mean this time He didn't refer to Himself as the son of man, but usually when He did some act and people would revel in it, He would always reaffirm that He was the son of man, and not the son of God.

I think it would do us all well to go through the stories of Jesus in the Bible, and read them paying close attention to Jesus as man, not Jesus as God. John Eldredge wrote an excellent book called, "Beautiful Outlaw" which covers this very thing, and I would highly recommend that you get a copy of it.

There is no doubt that Jesus is God, that is not in dispute, but the very thing that He came to Earth to teach us was how to have a relationship with God, and He did that as a man. I heard it said one time that Adam (the man) lost all of it for us, and in order to get it all back, Jesus had to come (as a man) to make things right, and if all the miracles and things that Jesus did, He did as God instead of as man, then he cheated.

Worship Jesus as God, but admire what He did as a man. The reason He did those things, was to show you and I that we could do them too! What an honor for Him to think enough of us to come and show us how we could walk with God in such a powerful and intimate way. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!