Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 14:28-29

"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto the upon the waters. And he said, Come. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus." — Matthew 14:28-29 (ASV)

And Peter answered him — The incident that follows is narrated by St. Matthew only. It may have been one that the Apostle did not willingly recall, and which was therefore omitted by his disciple St. Mark and his friend St. John, while St. Luke, writing as a compiler, came into the circle of those among whom it was seldom, if ever, mentioned.

This event, however, is eminently characteristic of Peter. Eager but not steadfast, daring and yet fearful, the Apostle is on that stormy night as he was later among the scoffs and questions in the porch of the high priest’s palace.

“If it is You...” The voice and the form were not enough for him. He thought it might still be a phantom or a dream, and so he demanded a sign: he, too, must walk on the waters. At first, his faith sustained him. He became a sharer with his Master in that intensity of spiritual life which suspends the action of natural laws by one that is supernatural.