Peter was prone to jumping out of boats in his passionate zeal. He often acted and spoke before thinking. John, on the other hand, preferred the place of resting his head against Jesus’ chest, quietly pondering Jesus’ words. Two very different people, indeed! But both were brought into the inner circle of three – Peter, James, and John.
Consider if scripture read like this:
Peter eagerly climbed over the edge of the boat, and walked out on the water toward Jesus. Upon taking his eyes from Jesus and staring at the waves in fear, he started to sink. He cried out to the Lord, “Help me!” But Jesus replied, “Oh, Peter, you of little faith; you are so impulsive. You thought you could do it on your own, and then you stopped trusting me! Now I must let you sink to the depths of what you deserve.” Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said, “Let this be an example to you. Only if you have faith and do not doubt will you be able to be leaders in my kingdom.”
Or, what if instead, Jesus rescued Peter and then said to him, “Peter, I’m giving one more chance to prove your love and faith in me.” And then after the resurrection, imagine Jesus saying to Peter, “I gave you a chance and you blew it. You denied me, Peter. Therefore, you have no part of me. Be gone from my presence.”
Although it is hard for us to imagine Jesus saying these things, sometimes we relate to God this way, don't we? We disqualify ourselves based on our actions, when Jesus wants us to grow and learn from those very things we think are unforgivable.
On the other hand, try to imagine this scene with John:
As John rested his head against Jesus’ chest, he asked, “Lord, why did you call Peter out to walk on the water and not me?” And Jesus replied to John, “I know you love me, but you are so timid and weak. Unless you get some courage, I don’t know if I can use you. I have big plans for you, but you must stop being such a namby-pamby guy and man-up a bit.”
Again, we cannot imagine Jesus speaking to John this way, but we tend to imagine the Lord speaking to us that way. Why?
The fact is that Jesus chose Peter AND John and had patience with them both. They were two very different men, created for two very different purposes. Jesus knew that Peter would climb over the edge of the boat and walk to him – that’s the way Peter was created. Jesus also knew that John and the other disciples were not likely to do so. He never chided them for this, though.. Note that Jesus also accepted John’s quiet ways without saying, “The rest of you disciples need to relax a little and spend some quiet time here near me.”
Peter’s boldness and impulsiveness may have brought him trials, but it also brought him great victories. Jesus called him “rock” and later Peter became an incredible leader in the church. He experienced things like being set free from prison by an angel!
John’s quiet nature may have kept him from the thrill of walking on water, but it also kept him from the agony of denying Christ. John went on to experience, and write, the book of Revelation! And he didn’t miss out on seeing healing miracles either – he and Peter worked hand in hand, when they went to pray – and saw a lame man take up his mat and walk and leap, praising God.
In America today we tend to honor those who are bold and courageous in an outward fashion more than those who lead quiet lives of prayer and intimacy. But Jesus shows us that he values both personalities to the utmost. He does not shame the Peters of this world, scolding them for being bold and brash. Nor does he shame the Johns of this world, scolding them for not “jumping out of the boat.”
Remember, the one whom Jesus praised was Mary of Bethany, who sat at Jesus’ feet to listen, while her sister scurried about, worrying about everything being “just right” for her guests. Jesus said, “Mary has chosen what is best and it will not be taken from her.”
There is great hope for you, whether you are more like Peter, more like John, or any other personality. God created each of us for a unique destiny and unique relationship with him. So, I can just stop the silliness of wishing I were more like someone else, and simply enjoy knowing and serving Christ in the unique way he made me!
My prayer: “Jesus, I choose to rest in who I am today – who you uniquely created me to be! Help me to bring you honor and glory by not trying to be like anyone else, but instead let me rejoice and glory in what you bring my way today. I rejoice in both my strengths and my weaknesses and I accept YOUR strength with which I can do all things you call me to do. Amen.”
