What Peter learned

The idea of Peter wanting to walk on water bugs me. Was he faithful for asking to join Jesus or was he proud in thinking he deserved divine intervention? Or did he just lack common sense?

In Matthew's account of Jesus walking on the sea to the disciples' boat, we get the idea of Jesus being master over the elements. He could stop a storm and stroll on top of water.

But there's another component to this story as well. in the Bible, the sea also represents chaos, danger, and death. Jesus, in walking on top of that, was revealing that he could master those elements as well. He was not bound chaos and death.

A boat was a life-saving device, protecting those inside from the sea. Peter asked Jesus for permission to leave that protection to come to the Lord.

When Peter became afraid, Jesus saved him but also rebuked him: "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Matt 14:31)

I take Jesus' rebuke seriously. Would Peter have been better off staying in the boat?

Was Peter trying to get closer to the Lord or was he trying to align himself with a person of power? Was his attempt to one-up his fellow disciples or to leave safety for a walk over chaos and death?

Jesus' rebuke makes me think his intentions were mixed.

Peter had a lot to learn before he could go change the world for Jesus. Faith was at the core of that. The next time Peter leaped from a boat, he met a resurrected Jesus who invited him into ministry. (John 21) Broken and humiliated by his denial of Jesus, Peter found Jesus ready to care for him, asking him to care for others.

We never hear of Peter walking on water again, but we definitely hear of him giving everything he had to obey Jesus' command.

Peter had failures but through them he learned this:

Set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance.1 Peter 1:13-14

New life

Just like the ancient Hebrews did, we celebrate babies in our culture. They are the reminder that life is worth living and that new opportunities arise to train the next generation.

I had the chance in the last week to rejoice in more personal ways. My husband and I had two grandsons born in the last week. I've been a bit slow posting here because of those commitments - but what a joy it is to be so preoccupied!

Here are photos:

Isaac with his daddy (our son), Nathan.

Ian with his mother (our daughter), Melissa.

God has blessed us!

Whose plan?

Yesterday we discussed how a ruler wanted to add a guarantee to his life's work. He wanted the promise of eternal life.

Jesus responded with a challenge: "follow me."

Hundreds of years before, a psalmist threw his head back and groaned. "Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, 'You will not call us to account'?" (Psalm 10:13)

The wicked seek their own gain. But while they are pursuing what they want, God's ear is inclined to the helpful and orphan.

O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more. (Ps 10:17-18)

Unless our goals are melded with God's, we pursue our dreams selfishly. The God of the universe cares for the meek and the oppressed.

That was Jesus' message to the rich ruler as well: Shed your own goals and follow mine.

For the ruler, this was too great a price for eternal life. Obviously his wealth was his dream. Eternal life was more of an add-on, a nice medal to decorate the uniform. He walked away from Jesus.

He forgot what we must never forget:

The Lord is king forever and ever (Ps 10:16)

The to-do list

There may have been only one thing left to check off on the ruler's to-do list and he gave it his full attention.

So, when Jesus came through the area, the ruler asked a logical question of a religious teacher: "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

We learn quickly that this man had wealth and, as a ruler, had authority.

In small towns today, the local newspaper will often interview graduating seniors. When asked about their goals, these 18-year-olds by a large majority responded, "to be rich and famous."

The ruler had arrived there. He had fame and wealth. Now he was in search of one more thing: a ticket to heaven.

He'd already started the process, in his own eyes. He kept the commandments. Was there anything else he needed to do?

Jesus turned the conversation on its ear with his answer: "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Luke 18:22)

Jesus knew the ruler had spent his life pursuing personal gain. Now this ruler wanted heaven - for personal gain.

This account from Luke is a strong statement about where we put our trust. Are we resting on our laurels, so to speak, gripping our own goals and hoping to add the veneer of heaven?

But there's more here. Jesus asked the ruler to become like him. Jesus asked him to shed that which kept him from God. Jesus laid out a new goal: to deny his own gain so that he could follow Jesus.

For this ruler, the idea of tossing aside his dreams to follow God's path was repulsive. He walked away from Jesus.

Tomorrow, we'll look at Psalm 10. There's more to be learned about personal gain there.

Walking

When the image slams me yet again, it's always like a nightmare in roaring intensity and heart-pounding emotions.

The path lies before me, the way scrubbed neatly down to smooth dirt and gently winding through the meadow. But this meadow has been overgrown by weeds. Black jagged leaves hang along the path and determined vines creep along the edges.

As I walk, I hear toothy growls from the thick chaos along the edges, throaty snarls that threaten. I get a flash of a yellow eye, a white fang.

This path seems frightening. I'm like David, who wrote, "Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are shaking; my whole being is shaken with terror." (Psalms 6:2-3)

But I remember, as he remembered, that there are no weeds on the path. No monsters have pierced its walls. When I stay on the path, I feel the warmth of the sun and the sweet scent of blossoms.

David sorted this out, too. He wrote: "The Lord has heard my plea for help; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and shake with terror; they will turn back and suddenly be disgraced." (Psalms 6:9-10)

Our enemies can't enter God's path. We are safe in his presence.

The obvious conclusion: stay on the path.

Julie & Julia

We went to see the movie, Julie & Julia, last night, based on a favorable review from World magazine.

The movie, based on a young woman's goal to cook all of Julia Child's recipes in one year - and blog about the adventures, does a masterful job of paralleling young Julie with Julia Child's life.

I enjoy watching Meryl Streep's craft and she did yet another great job in portraying Child.

I wouldn't take my teens to this because of the seemingly-obligatory bad language. Plus the zest for cooking extended to a zest for one's spouse, although we didn't see more than long kisses and lights turned out. And, surprisingly in Hollywood terms, the couples were married and happy.

I gained a new fascination for Child's life. She had spunk and determination, something that seemed to be passed on to young Julie during the year of cooking. Child had the fortitude to see a project through, something Julie had not done before.

Some Hollywood politics were wedged into the plot as well, as Child's husband was a critic of McCarthyism and debated briefly with her father, who was an outspoken Republican. On another occasion, Paul Child was summoned to Washington (he worked for the government) to answer questions from three stern men who, in Hollywood symbolism, were probably stiff-necked McCarthy conservatives.

In yet another scene, Julie's boss said he wouldn't fire her for blogging on the job. He inexplicably explained that he wasn't a Republican and he wasn't a schmuck.

What politics had to do with Julia and Julie wasn't made clear and I saw it as another way that Hollywood attempts to subtly train its viewers in an acceptable point of view.

I liked the scenes from the movie where Julie recognizes her own vapid nature and is inspired by Julia to complete a task and overcome difficulty. I appreciated the positive view of marriage. The husbands were not bland fools but actively encouraged their wives.

I didn't care much for Hollywood's additions of gratuitous language and political undertones.

PluggedInOnline offers helpful reviews before spending your money on a film. Click here to read their review of Julie & Julia.

Cooking

The first time I put my youngest daughter in charge of fixing supper, we had an odd blend of clam chowder and black olives. I think she figured two cans of food covered all the food groups.

Today, however, she cooks fancy tomato basil soup and an elegant chicken dish that draws crowds.

I thought about her skills as I considered feet. Feet, by the way, are a curious thing in the Bible. Feet, in biblical terms, indicated authority. A king had rights over land touched by his feet. Those defeated were considered to be under the feet of their conquerors.

A psalmist many centuries ago wrote:

You made him [man] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet. (Psalms 8:6)

So when God put everything under our feet, he meant we had authority to rule. I'm amazed, first, that he'd turn over the works of his hand to us. Look at what mankind has done to God's creation over the centuries.

This isn't about our worthiness. Do we deserve to be handed authority over God's creation?

How would my daughter have grown in her culinary skills if I had insisted she do it right the first time? I had to believe that she would learn and grow given opportunity. (And it took a little imagination after that first meal!)

God is more gracious than I am. He looks at his children and sees not bumbling failures but princes and princesses who can grow into their rule. He crowns his children and raises them to a lofty place that they have not earned.

Our response isn't to call ourselves master chefs, but shout this:

O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
Psalms 8:9