22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[a] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
Peter has experienced three years with Jesus of viewing miracles and signs which he cannot count. Nevertheless of his experience of miracles and signs, Peter denied the relationship with Jesus before a servant girl. Not once but three times. The Real believer that is born again through faithfulness and belief is not made by miracles or signs, but by enduring the belief life for a long time with the pleasure and joy of God. Therefore, real believers need the hope of heaven to continue enduring in their life. Hypocrites, pastors – teachers of the law and Pharisees –, false Christians and false prophets are misleading the essence of the word of the Bible. Their focus is only to the blessings of the flesh. Those kinds of preaching are false blessings understood by the poison food of the world, not by the spiritual food of heaven. Those kinds of believers raised by false pastors have a mind to work like Peter. I can walk on the water to Jesus Christ. This is a contradiction of miracle faith. They are eager for the blessings of miracles. Therefore, they believe that prosperity of the flesh is evidence of God’s blessing. My dream is fulfilled in the sign of the blessing of God. They are captured by anti-biblical concepts. Believing that only the believer who has experiences in miracles is a real Christian is an absolutely wrong concept of the Bible.
A few days before this incidence, the 12 disciples experienced the miracle of the five breads and two fish. Even though they experienced those miracles, they trembled and was afraid of the fierce water and rough waves. In the middle of the hardships, the miracles of five breads and two fishes cannot give comfort to them, lessen their life and save their soul. The blessing of miracles and experience cannot change the faith of the believer. In other words, Peter knows the real faith not by walking on the water, but by sinking under the water.
The experiences of miracles are forgotten in the near futures. Disciples who experienced the miracle of the five breads and two fishes forgot the power of Jesus in a few hours and do not even know the face of Jesus Christ. They do not know Christ; they are even confused by Jesus as a ghost. They are terrified by fear and unfaithfulness. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Peter relied on the miracle faith and walked on the water. Peter believed that he was like Jesus. So he believed he could walk on water like Jesus. The power of Jesus is transferred to me. I believe the power of Jesus. I am his disciple. I have no impossible things in my future. As I pray, everything will be fine. Just pray to God. Before he walked one foot in front of the other, fierce waves and rough waters striked fear into Peter. As Peter saw the high waves of fierce storm, he forgot the face of Jesus. Peter believes that he was in good faith. However certain different situations are controversial to Peter’s faith. He sinks under the water. His faith also sinks under the water even though with his experience with miracles. This is the limit of the faith of miracles. Faith is not self-hypnotism. Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" This is the answer of hypocrites.
So many of today’s Christians are misled by non-biblical logic and theory. They are eager for miracles and act with hypocrisy in false faith. Please understand the essence of Biblical concepts. Our human life is a bending, curving road. We have to experience the bending life as it is controlled by God. The writer of Ecclesiastes speaks like this: (7:14) “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.”
If you were taught by false prophets and teachers, their belief meet their limit when they meet hardships or difficult situations. The false eagerness of experience and faith of miracle has shown his fragile faith under sufferings. Selfish and secular ambition cannot be overcome by high waves and fierce waters in front of the believer. Misunderstanding the gospel leads to the misbehavior of Peter. I want to share the characteristic of the gospel. The characteristic of the gospel is our goal of a good church and good pastorship.
The gospel of the cross itself is weak and foolish. One of the characteristics of the gospel is weakness. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a paradox. When weakness is strong, and when the foolish are wise; this is the essence of the gospel. The problem of the modern Korean church is that it is too strong and too wise. One of the leading Korean pastors, Pastor Lim says this to us: One group of Korean churches idolized Pastor Kim Jae Jun of C.C.C. Another group of Korean churches idolized Pastor Han Sang Dong of Koshin Denomination. Another group of Korean churches idolized Pastor Park Hyong Ryong of Hap Dong denomination. Another group of Korean churches idolized Pastor Cho Yong Ki of Holiness denomination. And yet another group of Korea churches idolized Pastor Park Yoon Sun of Hap Shin denomination. This is the the problem. They have no room to criticize for these people above. Everything that they do is right and the standard of the truth.
The world leader of Christians is like what John Stout said in July 2007. The essential truth of the Gospel is weak and foolish. Saint Paul does not cover the essence of the gospel by the wisdom of Hellenism nor is changed by Roman eloquence. His preaching is not made by the wisdom or beauty of words. Preaching is not by eloquence and by looking good. The essence of the real preacher deeply understands and recognizes his weakness and foolishness. Paul really criticized of the split church in I Corinthians 1: 12 – 13. “12What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas[a]"; still another, "I follow Christ." 13Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into[b] the name of Paul?” Against the leader of Corinthian church, Paul did not accept the idolized. He asked to them in 1 Corinthians 3:5. 5What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each of his task.” Paul has designated himself as a neuter gender, not as a male gender. In 1 Corinthian 3:7, Paul described himself as nothing. “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
Peter said at 2 Corinthians 11:30, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. Now, we cannot found the leader of weakness. Today’s leaders of church are too strong and too wealthy.” Rethink about 1 Corinthians 1:26-27. “26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”
The early Korean church was full of weakness, poverty and was powerless. They knelt on the ground and just relied on the power of Jesus. They cried to God like this. Why are we so poor and have no hope in the world? God then gave them blessings and revivals through Korean people and leaders by prayer. Through the prayer of the ground, the Korean church is so strong and well developed in the world church history. Korean churches now however forgot about the old poor and poverty. Therefore, they lost the power of the gospel. Korean churches do not automatically deserve fidelity from the Korean society. Of course, Korean churches developed social development and world missions in history. However, Korean churches are criticized and need to check up on themselves. We are going to the way of St. Paul. We are to look weak and foolish like Paul. Jesus is our Lord also to the weak, poor and humble. Jesus is with us when we are weak, and he is with us with his power. When we are foolish, he is with us, and his wisdom leads us. When we confess our weakness to God, he gives us the strong power of God. We are going to experience the strength and power of Jesus Christ through our weaknesses. We are going to experience the wisdom of Jesus Christ through of our foolishness.
Today’s text is so famous, and does not need any extra explanations. What is the characteristic of salt and light? We have to remember that salt and light also have to die for their only object. Salt must melt in the water to protect against decay. Melted salt in the water does delay or protect against the corruption of the world. However, if there is too much in the water, it makes the taste too nasty and one cannot eat it with food. Moderate salt in food both protects against corruption and has good taste. The first characteristic of the gospel is weakness. We are going to kneel down for the purpose of the salt, but it is a moderate amount of salt. Having too much salt is to criticize and judge others. Therefore the gospel is weak like the salt. Too much salt makes the taste of the food too salty. Salt is needed in a very small amount to protect against decay; this is the work of the gospel. Candles have to melt to create light. Melting candles make lights in the darkness. The weakness of the gospel is to light the darkness to lead the path. If there is a lot of light and it is too strong, it will then spread to its neighbors. Too much strong light results fire and destruction of all. That is strong light. Strong light is not for the gospel, but for demolishing everything.
The first characteristic of salt and light that symbols the gospel and church is weakness. We are weak like salt which melts in the water and like light melting itself for the sake of light. Therefore, those of weakness can be made strong by being the protection of the corruption of the world and by being good taste and by being the light in the darkness. The gospel looks like a weakness. The definition of the gospel is not to cry to God for his desires and anticipate for his walks on the water for miracles and signs. The power of the gospel is a power to live daily in thanks and joy to God throughout your whole life. Even though some days have tough, high tides and waves in our life, we need to give our daily thanks and joy. That is the power of the gospel that Jesus gave us. The power of the gospel is weak, however this weakness makes his people live with daily thanks and joy. The gospel give us hope and make us live with the hope of the gospel. Everything is made to be grateful of the power of the gospel. However, remember that the first characteristic of the gospel is weakness.
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in his hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)
