{"id":30020,"date":"2023-01-12T08:02:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T16:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=30020"},"modified":"2023-01-20T09:52:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T17:52:16","slug":"lord-if-it-is-you-tell-me-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/lord-if-it-is-you-tell-me-to-come\/","title":{"rendered":"Kingdom Coaching- Peter Jumps Ship"},"content":{"rendered":"

I want my relationship with Jesus to look like the one Peter had. Like Peter, Jesus is foremost my Savior and Creator, but I believe He also is my coach. Camocho provides a resource for those who are interested in coaching and what to look for in a coach in his book <\/span>Mining for Gold.\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>Camocho provides many examples in his book as to what coaching looks like, and he illustrates this with Peter and Jesus’ relationship in the Bible. In this blog I will look closely at several verses in Matthew where Peter asks to join Jesus walking on the water..<\/span><\/p>\n

What kind of relationship did Jesus have with Peter? Camacho states that there was gold \u201cwaiting to be discovered in Peter\u201d [1] Discovery takes time, patience, and a relationship where trust has been established. \u201cIn order to see the gold God has placed in a person, we need to see them with the eyes of the Spirit. To draw out someone\u2019s potential, we need to cooperate with the Spirit of God.\u201d [2]\u00a0 This is how Jesus was able to approach Peter. Peter demonstrated a great amount of faith in Jesus as he \u201cwas the only one to walk on water when the rest of the disciples trembled in the boat with fear.\u201d [3] Hopping out of boats during storms is not an everyday occurrence. Camocho describes those who are in relationship to Jesus; \u201cloved sons and daughters think differently. They know the foundation of their Father\u2019s faithful care. Fear has been driven out by love.\u201d [4] This is the kind of relationship Peter had with Jesus. Peter wanted to join Jesus in the most wild and chaotic circumstances because he knew he had nothing to lose. Defying some natural laws with Jesus would be better than staying in a boat with knee-knocking disciples. Looking at this relationship encourages me to consider my relationship with Jesus. Everyone around me can be terrified, but how am I joining Jesus?: \u201cHey, Lord, I would love to join you on this tempest sea!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before we are overly inspired by Peter\u2019s maverick example, looking at Matthew’s account of what took place on the Sea of Galilee is prudent. In Matthew 14:22-33, we find that it doesn\u2019t take long after Jesus says \u201cCome\u201d to Peter that Peter is out of the boat beginning to move toward Jesus\u2013 but then he sees the wind. He is afraid and begins to sink, yelling: \u201cLord, save me!\u201d\u00a0 How many sermons have we heard on how Peter needed to keep his eyes off the storm but on Jesus? I would like to focus on Jesus\u2019 response to Peter\u2019s drowning. I believe it is important to look at Christ\u2019s response, not just his words but everything that is communicated in this scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImmediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.\u00a0 You of little faith, He said, why did you doubt?\u201d v.32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus comes to Peter\u2019s rescue. Jesus swoops in like a superhero to help Peter, but how can Jesus say what he said to Peter? Initially it looks like Jesus puts Peter down by saying \u201cYou of little faith,\u201d this sounds like the opposite of what a good coach might say, it\u2019s far from: \u201cYou have what it takes.\u201d How can Jesus be so unkind and lacking empathy towards Peter? Some argue that Jesus was \u201cchiding\u201d Peter or was \u201cexasperated\u201d in asking, \u201cWhy did you doubt?\u201d [5]\u00a0 Any counselor or coach would think that asking a \u201cwhy\u201d question is not advised. But we find Jesus asking: \u201cwhy?,\u201d \u201cWhy did you doubt?\u201d Upon first glance we may find Jesus sounding punitive and lacking love for Peter, but I beg to differ for several reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are several noteworthy contextual clues that help to interpret what Jesus says to Peter from a different lens. First, we find Jesus communicating with His physical body by \u201cimmediately reaching out His hand to catch him.\u201d In Kate Purmal\u2019s book, <\/span>Composure- The Art of Executive Presence<\/span><\/i>, she notes:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople decide how competent you are in 100 milliseconds. When it comes to projecting competence, 7 percent is attributed to words, 35 percent to your presentation, and 55 percent to your body language.\u201d [6]<\/span><\/p>\n

Jesus’ body language communicates love, support, assistance, and saving measures and it might be argued that this is the most important thing to consider in the communication that Jesus gives Peter. If Jesus’ body language communicates that he was for Peter, how can Jesus\u2019 tone and use of a \u201cwhy\u201d question be interpreted as unloving?<\/span><\/p>\n

Another argument might be Jesus asking him “why did you doubt?” was actually very loving, because Peter truly did not have any logical reason to doubt. Asking why he did was an appropriate question, because if he’s thinking through this logically again in the future, he can rely on personal experience and say “yes, I truly have no reason to doubt God right now.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The last reason I will provide for Jesus\u2019 question to Peter being a loving one is based on the existing relationship that Peter and Jesus had prior to the scene on the Sea of Galilee. In Matthew 4:18, there is the account of Jesus calling the first disciples. Peter, along with his brother Simon, are among the first. Peter and Simon\u2019s response is in Matthew 4:22, \u201cimmediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.\u201d What was it about Jesus which prompted this kind of response? Kate Purmal, in her book <\/span>Composure<\/span><\/i>, describes a leader who gains trust quickly: \u201cPower comes with being perceived as authoritative, which encompasses confidence, credibility, and communication.\u201c [7] Jesus demonstrated these characteristics and won the hearts of these men. Trust had grown between Peter and Jesus, enough for Peter to say, \u201cLord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.\u201d\u00a0 When Jesus asked him \u201cWhy did you doubt?\u201d Jesus could be saying: \u201cYou know me, Peter, and you know that I will always have you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How am I joining Jesus? When am I jumping out of the boat because He has said, \u201cCome?\u201d Recently I am joining Jesus as I watch my adult children make choices for themselves. The sea often appears stormy and I am reminding myself of His faithfulness in the past. I am grateful that my children each have relationships with Jesus and I am praying Scripture over their lives often. Instead of focusing on their lives, I am looking to Jesus and depending on Him for outcomes I am not in control of. This relationship with Him is a ride, but I would not want to be anywhere else.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1] Camacho, Tom, Mining for Gold, 2019 p.96<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Ibid. p.17<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Ibid. p.97<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Ibid. p.115<\/span><\/p>\n

[5] Copenhaver, Martin B., Jesus is the Question, 2014, p.38; Tasker, R.V.G., The Gospel According to Matthew, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. 1978, p.145.<\/span><\/p>\n

[6] Purmal, Kate, Composure: The Art of Executive Presence, 2021, p.205<\/span><\/p>\n

[7] Ibid. p.206<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I want my relationship with Jesus to look like the one Peter had. Like Peter, Jesus is foremost my Savior and Creator, but I believe He also is my coach. Camocho provides a resource for those who are interested in coaching and what to look for in a coach in his book Mining for Gold.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":165,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1574,1573,2501],"class_list":["post-30020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-coaching","tag-comacho","tag-matthew-1422-33","cohort-dlgp01"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/165"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30020"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30331,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30020\/revisions\/30331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}