Matt. 14 -- a man on foot

Two guys are out duck hunting. Fred shoots a bird. His golden retriever runs out across the top of the water and brings it back. Ed watches in silence. Fred downs another bird. Again, the dog runs across the top of the water and retrieves it. Ed watches. This happens a third time, and Fred asks, "Do you see anything unusual about my dog?" "Yeah," Ed replies. "He can't swim."

The "synoptic" (seen together) gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, appear to borrow heavily from Peter's sermons. Mark, who was a relative, apparently took careful notes whenever Peter spoke of what the Master had said and done. Peter is a prominent character in many of the stories, even those that reflect badly upon him. We get the impression that he was impetuous, impulsive, sometimes a bit of a buffoon. And left-handed.

Yet, Peter wanted to be with Jesus. He wanted to be like Jesus. When he died, however, tradition holds that Peter asked to crucified upside down, since he was unworthy to die the same way Jesus had. In one of his last projects, Michelangelo painted this scene on a fresco (see HERE). The artist painted himself in the scene twice -- once as a young man eagerly participating in the execution, again as an elderly man looking on sorrowfully.

In today's gospel, after spending the night in solitary prayer, Jesus demonstrates again that he is master of the elements.

Mat 14:24 O sırada tekne kıyıdan bir hayli uzakta dalgalarla boğuşuyordu. Çünkü rüzgar karşı yönden esiyordu.
Mat 14:25 Sabaha karşı İsa, gölün üstünde yürüyerek onlara yaklaştı.
Mat 14:26 Öğrenciler, O'nun gölün üstünde yürüdüğünü görünce dehşete kapıldılar. "Bu bir hayalet!" diyerek korkuyla bağrıştılar.
Mat 14:27 Ama İsa hemen onlara seslenerek, "Cesur olun, benim, korkmayın!" dedi.
Mat 14:28 Petrus buna karşılık, "Ya Rab" dedi, "Eğer sen isen, buyruk ver suyun üstünden yürüyerek sana geleyim."
Mat 14:29 İsa, "Gel!" dedi. Petrus da tekneden indi, suyun üstünden yürüyerek İsa'ya yaklaştı.
Mat 14:30 Ama rüzgarın ne kadar güçlü estiğini görünce korktu, batmaya başladı. "Ya Rab, beni kurtar!" diye bağırdı.
Mat 14:31 İsa hemen elini uzatıp onu tuttu. Ona, "Ey kıt imanlı, neden kuşku duydun?" dedi.

The high points of life are frequently achievements that look impossible. You feel commissioned to do something without the visible resources to achieve it. But, if Jesus bids you "Gel," the water is a safer surface than a sidewalk.