Certain lessons in life require a calm sea while others require a boisterous, turbulent sea; still other lessons require only a moderately stormy sea.
Compare three situations the apostles of Jesus experienced during their ministry.
A Calm Sea:
As Jesus sailed with Simon Peter on a calm Sea of Galilee, “he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a [catch].
“And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
“And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.”
A Violent, Dangerous Sea:
On another occasion on this same Sea of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples were sailing, and “there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves” and “filled with water” and “in jeopardy” of sinking. But Jesus was “asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
“And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?”
And so, the disciples “marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!”
A Moderately Boisterous, Windy Sea
On yet another occasion, one evening, Jesus asked his disciples to sail across the Sea of Galilee and meet him on the other side. But as they sailed, “the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.”
The ship’s progress was almost entirely halted by the wind; so much so that throughout the entire night they had only traveled three-fourths a mile. Truly, the ship was stuck “in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.” But while “the ship was in the midst of the sea, [Jesus stood] alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing.”
“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
“And… straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
“And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
“And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
“Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
Account 1: A calm sea:
- Low level of danger that posed no significant threat
- No external elements hindered the progress of the boat; travel was easy
- Passengers felt calm, perfectly safe, and in complete control of the boat (rightly so)
- The main challenge was a draught of fishes that threatened livelihood
- Obedience was the predominant attribute needed to overcome this challenge
- Jesus was fully present and awake
- Jesus taught his lessons and called for faith after the draught of fishing
- The disciples did not ask for help; eventually Jesus had to offer his help
- The disciples exercised action-based faith by obeying Jesus’ command to drop down the nets
- Jesus exercised power-based faith by providing the miraculous catch
- Application: At times we can know that Jesus is there, but we may not believe He is able to help or care
Account 2: A violent, dangerous sea
- Extremely high level of danger that posed immediate, significant threat
- All external elements greatly hindered the progress of the boat; travel was impossible
- Passengers felt desperate, fearful, and completely out of control of the boat (rightly so)
- The main challenge was an extremely violent storm that threatened life
- Asking in faith for the Lord’s help was the predominant attribute needed to overcome this challenge
- Jesus was present, but seemed to not notice their turmoil because of sleep
- Jesus taught his lessons and called for faith after calming the sea
- The disciples did not ask for help until late in their extremities
- The disciples exercised action-based faith by navigating the boat and asking Jesus for help
- Jesus exercised power-based faith by calming the sea
- Application: At times we may know that Jesus is there, but we may not believe that He will help or care
Account 3: A moderately boisterous, windy sea
- A moderate level of danger that, if well managed, posed no significant threat
- Some external elements partially hindered the progress of the boat; travel was difficult but not impossible
- Passengers felt exhaustion; they felt moderately safe and in control of the boat, but knew that at any time the storm could get worse
- The main challenge was a moderate storm that drained energy
- Strength, courage, patience, and endurance were the predominant attributes needed to overcome this challenge
- Jesus was not present, but watched them from the shore. Later, he arrived.
- Jesus taught his lessons and called for faith during the storm
- The disciples quickly asked for help because by now they had seen how Jesus could help
- The disciples exercised great amounts of action-based faith by rowing all night. Later on, Peter exercised power-based faith by beginning to walk on the water. Note how profoundly the nature and speed of his progress changed as he switched from action-based faith to power-based faith; from harnessing the power of the known (sailing) to harnessing the power of the unknown (walking on water)! There are many great lessons on faith to be gained from this.
- Jesus exercised power-based faith by walking on water and calming the sea
- Application: At times we may not be able to immediately sense Jesus’ presence, but we still have complete confidence He is able to and will help and care
Similarities among the three accounts:
- A degree of a lack of faith was present in the disciples, but this diminished with each succeeding journey
- Jesus asked for the ship to depart
- There was little to no sign of a storm approaching at the onset
- After each miracle, the passengers' sense of wonder was high, helping to confirm in their minds that this was the Messiah
Commentary:
Below are a few disjointed thoughts regarding these accounts.
Faith to Be Delivered versus Strength to Endure
The second storm does not appear to be as significant and dangerous as the first storm. This second storm made travel extremely difficult, but perhaps not perilous. There is no indication that any of the passengers on this second journey felt any mortal danger; they were simply exhausted from rowing against the wind all night.
In life, sometimes we are asked to go through experiences so difficult and perilous that they will test our faith, and we will require miraculous deliverance from these experiences. Other times we are asked to go through experiences so trying and prolonged that they will test our strength and courage and conviction, and we will be required to pass through these experiences entirely, without being delivered from them.
The Lord Provides
There are two accounts of the Savior blessing his disciples with a multitude of fishes. Both accounts happened just before the disciples were about to depart on a ministry for an extended period of time; once at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and again at the beginning of Peter’s ministry.
Fishing was these men’s livelihood, and now they would be unable to fish for a number of months. And so the Lord blessed them with a large catch of fish to provide for their families during their long absence.
Growth through Experience
Each sea—the calm sea, the violent sea, and the moderately stormy sea—provided the perfect situations for particular lessons to be learned. And as each account passes, we can see how the apostles' faith and wisdom in seeking the Lord and exercising power-based faith improved.
Faith and Trust
Jesus not only said: 'be not afraid', but he also said, 'be of good cheer.' And so he says to us in our trials, be not afraid and be of good cheer. I am here; I am right next to you, walking alongside the boat.’
When called upon by Jesus to walk on water, Peter had to leave the relative safety of the boat. Inside the boat, he was at least somewhat protected from the storm. But outside the boat, there was no guards between him and the boisterous sea.
Though he was walking on water, when Peter saw the winds and the waves gain intensity and ferocity, his doubts and fears melded together to cause his faith to erode. And then he faltered. He let his awareness of the dangers of the sea overcome his awareness of the Lord's presence and protection.
If Peter could have believed that continuing to walk on water would be as easy as breathing, then he would have had nothing to fear. It was only when he gave heed to his fears and doubts that he began to sink and fail.
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