Jesus' invitation to follow Him. Matthew 4:18-
20 records it this way: "One day as Jesus was
walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee,
He saw two brothers--Simon, also called
Peter, and Andrew--throwing a net into the
water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called
out to them, `Come, follow Me, and I will show
you how to fish for people!' And they left their
nets at once and followed Him."
ciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a
boat. Jesus had remained behind on land to
dismiss the crowds to whom He had been
speaking. A strong wind started blowing and
the waves tossed the disciples' boat about.
Then Jesus came to them--walking on the
water! The disciples, seeing Jesus, thought He
was a ghost. They cried out in fear, but Jesus
called out to them and told them not to be
afraid. According to Matthew 14:28, Peter
said, "Lord, if it's You, tell me to come to You
on the water." Jesus told him to come, and
Peter could walk on the water because he
trusted in Jesus. But as he walked on the sea,
the wind grew even stronger and Peter be-
Jesus he began to sink. Peter cried out,
"Jesus save me," and Jesus caught Him. It
was a vital moment in Peter's life, and it
taught him to always trust Jesus.
want to hear it, especially Peter. He main-
tained that he would defend Jesus in all cir-
cumstances, even die for Him if it were
necessary. When the disciples gathered to
share with Jesus the last supper before He
was crucified, Jesus told Peter that he would
deny Jesus three times before a rooster an-
nounced the dawn of a new day. Peter argued
vehemently that he would never deny Jesus.
hour later someone else insisted, `This must
be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.'
was still speaking, the rooster crowed.
flashed through Peter's mind: `Before the
rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will
deny three times that you even know Me.' And
Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly."
and Andrew--throwing a
for a living. Jesus called