In Other Words — Reckless Discipleship

Being reckless is usually a bad thing; but not all behavior that seems reckless really is.

Careless, hasty, irresponsible—all are synonyms for the impulsive behavior we describe as reckless. When that behavior puts other people in danger, we criminalize it as reckless endangerment. When it affects only the person involved, we think of it as just foolhardy.

I was reading about Jesus walking on the sea during a storm and noticed something that I think we often misinterpret. When Matthew describes Peter trying to do it also, we tend to think that Peter is being reckless. After all, Jesus is God, and Peter is just an impetuous human being, usually saying or doing the wrong thing and needing a lot of remedial work in understanding what Jesus is teaching. A deeper search, however, shows that Peter is just being a really good disciple here. Our culture and language filter our understanding.

First is the cultural idea of discipleship. We in the west tend to think of discipleship as mere studenthood (a word I just made up but seems apt nonetheless). A disciple’s goal in our perspective is to learn as much as possible from the teacher. In biblical times and culture, a disciple’s goal was to become his rabbi, or as close a facsimile as possible.

Learning was only part of the talmudim’s (disciples’) process. Their behavior was expected to change to reflect that of their rabbi.

With that in mind, Peter steps out of the boat, following the example of his rabbi. There is no “Hey, guys. Watch this!” implied in the text. His focus is on coming to Jesus, after Jesus uses a term implying his divine authority.

That’s the language part that we miss. The Greek words used are ego eimi. Ego means “I,” and eimi is the verb “to be” in first person singular (I am). Eimi by itself is an accurate way to write “I am.” Ego eimi is an emphatic statement, like “I, I am!” In the walking on water passages, our English Bibles tend to have Jesus saying “It is I,” or “I am he,” such as we see here:

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Have courage, I am he! Do not be afraid!” — Matthew 14:27 (LEB)

And:

… But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” — Mark 6:50 (ESV)

They’re not wrong. Jesus is indeed telling his disciples that they’re not seeing a ghost, and that it’s really him walking on the water. But it seems Matthew and Mark were adding a nuance to the statement that we miss in English. By using ego eimi, they give the reader (or hearer) a direct link to Yahweh himself. 

When Yahweh is directing Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves in Exodus (3:14), Moses asks for a name to tell them when the Israelites ask who sent him. The famous response we read in English is “I am who I am,” which in the Greek translation of the Old Testament (Septuagint) is “Ego eimi…”

When Mark describes Jesus’ trial before the High Priest Caiaphas, Jesus’ response so enrages Caiaphas that he tears his clothes and screams, “Blasphemy!”

But he was silent and did not reply anything. Again the high priest asked him and said to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ And the high priest tore his clothes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have heard the blasphemy! What do you think?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. — Mark 14:61–64 (LEB)

Jesus, when asked if he is the Messiah, tells the religious leaders assembled at his trial: “Ego Eimi.” Not “yes,” or “sure looks that way,” but I AM! And to ensure no one misunderstands the link he’s making, he adds a reference to the prophecy in Daniel 7 about the Son of Man arriving with the clouds of Heaven to rule over the entire world.:

¹³ “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed. — Daniel 7:13–14 (ESV)

It seems Caiaphas understood the implication there but rejected it.

In John’s Gospel, when Jesus chastises the Pharisees for yet again misunderstanding God’s will, he declares his divinity and timelessness, which results in them trying to stone him.

Abraham your father rejoiced that he would see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷ So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was, I am!” ⁵⁹ Then they picked up stones in order to throw them at him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple courts. — John 8:56–59 (LEB)

So, when a terrified Peter and the other disciples see Jesus walking along the top of the sea, we need to remember that four of these guys are seasoned sailors who have been fishing in rough weather plenty of times. It takes a lot to terrify real sailors at sea. But Peter and the others are, in fact, terrified. They call out to Jesus, and he tells them they’re not seeing a ghost, it’s really him, and to ensure his readers understand the significance of this event, Matthew uses that Greek term, ego eimi, showing that Jesus has total authority over everything, even storms at sea, through the Ancient of Days (Yahweh) as the Son of Man (as they’ve heard him describe himself many times).

Peter becomes the ultimate disciple at that moment, trusting his rabbi and God, and stepping out in faith to emulate the behavior of Jesus. That’s what disciples do. It may seem reckless to others, but it is really a full reliance on the great I am to guide and guard us through the difficult storms in our own lives. Jesus doesn’t promise there will be no storms—he promises there will be many, and brutal—but he will lead us through them, not just to them.

Reckless discipleship is really another name for true faith. True faith let Peter walk on water; he didn’t fall until after his faith did. Jesus calls each of us to come to him—to walk on the water during our own storms. As Jon Ortberg wrote in the title of one of his books, “If you want to walk on water, you’ve got to get out of the boat.”

Advent is about stepping out of the boat, trusting that Jesus through his righteous and sinless life, sacrificial death, and resurrection has the power and authority of the great I am to rescue us from death and give us eternal life. That’s the miracle of Christmas.

Now go be reckless.

Your Brother in Christ,

Fr. Austin