Matthew 14:22–33

Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. ²³And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, ²⁴but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. ²⁵And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. ²⁶But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. ²⁷But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” ²⁸And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” ²⁹He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. ³⁰But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” ³¹Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” ³²And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. ³³And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Which of the miracles from Matthew’s Gospel today do you think was the greatest: Jesus’ walking four or five miles on the water, or Peter taking four or five steps?  When Jesus walks on water, it reveals that He is true God, and can walk anywhere He wants.  Jesus giving Peter the power to walk on the water is the real miracle.  The miracle of walking on water was never about Peter; like all miracles, it is all about Jesus and what He can do with someone “of little faith” (31).  

Saint Peter might have only had a little faith, but he walked on the water and later he did great things.  Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in his first Epistle, Saint Peter assured his readers of what God can do with a little faith.   In the greeting Peter calls all believes those “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith” (1:5).  In the seventh verse of the first chapter, he writes that God strengthens our faith through trials and problems so that “the tested genuineness of your faith . . . may be found.”  And in verse nine he writes that God gives us eternal life, which is received by faith alone, and believers are “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (9).   

The greatest thing God can do with our little faith is save us.  Faith is described as the hand that receives God’s salvation.  When Peter began to sink, because he took his eyes off Jesus, with his little faith he cried out, “’Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him” (30-31).  That is what Jesus can do with our faith, whether our faith is the size of a mustard seed or as large as an ocean, so long as our faith is in Jesus.  Our God given faith always believes Jesus is truly the Son of God who reconciled us to the Father.  Our faith believes Jesus restored our hopeless separation from God, by His death on the cross.  If the sin separating us from God had not been atoned on the cross, God’s hand would never reach out and take hold of us.  Our faith in Christ Jesus trusts in Him alone for deliverance from sin, death, and the devil.  Our faith trusts He will be with us in illness.  Our faith trusts that if we should breathe our last—our soul will be in the presence of the Lord until Jesus comes “again to judge the living and the dead.”  That is what Jesus does with our “little faith”; He saves us and gives us eternal life.

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