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The text doesn't say exactly how far, but he makes his way towards Jesus. Then he saw the wind and the waves, and he became afraid. He begins to sink, and Jesus reaches out his hand.

I think that the point is that Peter needed to sink. If he'd walked to Jesus, I'm sure he would have been very self-congratulatory. He needed to sink, just like you and I need to sink. Sinking is much more important than walking on the water.

You make this relationship between the transfiguration and going back down the hill and paying the temple tax. That's an extremely important insight into Peter beginning to see that things are changing.

The transfiguration is a significant time for Peter. It's the only time any of the disciples ever saw his glory. It's the only historical experience that Peter had with Jesus that Peter ever referred to in his letters.
They come down from the mountain after having this glorious experience and they go back to Capernaeum. Nobody is there except two temple tax collectors.

They go to Peter and say, "Does your Master pay the temple tax?" He's not supposed to pay the temple tax because he's a rabbi; he's a teacher. He's supposed to be exempt.

Peter, before he asks Jesus, says he does. Then he walks back into his house intent on asking Jesus. Before Peter has a chance to speak, Jesus asked, "Who do kings collect taxes from—foreigners or their own children?" Peter says, from foreigners.

And then Jesus says something—it's one of the most amazing things he says—he says, okay, we won't offend them. I think he wants to have some peace so he and Peter can spend this last time together before their final trip to Jerusalem.

Writing this book, you interacted not only with Peter but with the friendship between Jesus and Peter, how are things different for you now?

I look for echoes of that in my friendship with Jesus. I know that he's called me his friend, and I hope that I'm a friend back. I see him defining me the way he defined Peter. I see times when I walk on the water and times when I sink. Peter's life is a living parable. If we're going to understand what it means to be a disciple, we've got to look at his life.

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Recent Dick Staub Interviews include:

Mary Poplin Calls Claremont Her "Calcutta" | After seeking God through telepathic spoon bending exercises, this professor found God, and with the help of Mother Teresa, her calling. (Dec. 10, 2003)

Gordon Smith Hears the Voice of Jesus | The author of The Voice of Jesus talks about listening to God with discernment. (Nov. 18, 2003)

John Eldredge Is Wild at Heart | The author of Wild at Heart and The Sacred Romance discusses rediscovering the Gospel through a ransomed heart. (Nov. 11, 2003)

Pursuing God and Community | A self-described nerd says pursuing God and community is possible through commitment (Nov. 4, 2003)

Francis Bok Is Proof that Slavery Still Exists | After spending 10 years in slavery, the young Sudanese man is telling his story to the world. (Oct. 28, 2003)

Philip Yancey, the Rumor-Monger | The author's latest is written not for Christians, but for those on the "borderlands of belief" (Sept. 30, 2003)

Ken Gire's Lord of the Dance | Patch Adams and T. S. Eliot teach us to twirl with Jesus, says the author (Sept. 23, 2003)

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December (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47