Sanctifying Sunday: Peter's Redemption

Hope y'all had a restful Lord's Day, as usual we spent ours in the pool. 

Matt has taken over again...Enjoy!

It sounds preposterous, but I want to be Jesus' favorite.

This weeks Gospel has been an ALL time favorite of mine. In this Gospel when Jesus appears to the disciples Peter puts his clothes on and jumps out of the boat to greet him!  I just can't get over the fact that Peter puts his clothes ON to jump in the water.  Most of the time, I'm pretty sure, people take their clothes OFF to jump in water.  

A quick side note, I'm pretty sure that if I was someone in the Gospel I would certainly be Peter.  I wish I could with utter certainty say that I would have been John the beloved. I mean hey, I even took my confirmation name after him because I thought --who would I rather be than the most beloved of Jesus?  I guess I'm finally realizing in life that who I wish I would be is very different than who I am (eg: I wish I was an Abercrombie model, but they don't sell 2X).  

Simply put, I have had this obsession with Peter and even more simply put my wife is confused by my compulsion.  This annoying back and forth relationship with Peter, not my wife, has been around as long as I can remember.  

I know why Peter put his clothes back on and stepped out of the boat. I think that the reason is REALLY important on a couple of different levels.  I've been in, around, and through Peter's mind and definitely know why he did it.  Maybe I am being blazingly bold, but please humor me.  

When John the BELOVED identifies the mysterious figure on the beach as Jesus, Peter puts on his clothes and jumps in the water.  Here's where I always get stuck.  Why put your clothes on unless you don't think you're going to get wet!

Peter puts his clothes on to jump out of the boat.  That's really counterintuitive (stupid).  I'm positive that something very human was taking place as well.  Something very Peterish.

I surmise that Peter has been "through the ringer" and had to go fishing to collect his thoughts.  It certainly was a confusing time.  The guy that he had followed around for 3 years just died, and to boot, he denied knowing him 3 times.  To make things even more confusing, Jesus has appeared to him twice, BUT Jesus' is supposed to be dead....  I would need to take a fishing break too!

Here it is, Peter once walked on the water for a few steps and then began to sink.  But maybe, just maybe, Peter knows that this is his chance for redemption.  There's Jesus and THIS time Peter knows that he can walk on the water, maybe just maybe, he would RUN on the water- TO JESUS.

Now, I know that this is a lot of speculation.  But, stories like this, ones we have heard a GABILLION times, deserve a thorough reading.  I don't want to miss moments of redemption.  If I can miss it in a story that is written down, I can definitely miss the moments of redemption in my life that go whipping by.  

This is consoling to me. Peter, who didn't get it time after time, just like me, was given another opportunity for redemption and an opportunity to TRUST- and walk on the water for a second time. Even though Jesus doesn't play favorites, I'm going to be his one way or another- John the Beloved (my confirmation name) or Peter the Slow Learner (my current experience).