“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!” (Matthew 14:29-30”
We’ve all had this experience as golfers. Our fervent last words to the outbound golf ball are usually something like, “Not in the water!!” This is delivered in an imploring tone, following which the ball splashes and isn’t seen again.
The heron, poking around the edge of the lake, looks up briefly and then returns to patrolling the shallows, unconcerned. A hand dips into the back pocket, seeking a new ball. There is muttering.
Consider for a moment how athletic fields – golf courses, baseball fields, hockey rinks – are a great escape from the real world. Years ago, I played soccer. The sidelines (“touch lines,” they’re called) marked the boundary between the real world’s complexity and the field of play, where life became refreshingly simple.
Two colors of shirts. (Three if you count the referees.) Two teams, each with the mission of getting the ball into the other’s goal while observing a handful of rules. Not complicated. Lush green grass and a geometric elegance: spherical ball, rectangular field. An escape from real life – and a healthy one.
Same thing with golf courses. Like soccer fields, they are segments carved out of the real world. Golf courses incorporate aspects of the real world (woods, meadows, bushes, grass, streams/lakes, etc.), but they are beautiful, highly manicured, and constructed around a simple concept. Nature buffed up a bit. Works of landscaping art with a game attached – a challenging and interesting game. Augusta National comes to mind.
Like soccer or any other game, life becomes very simple: get the ball from tee box to hole efficiently 18 times using these assorted sticks. Sports are a refreshing escape from the pressures of real life, but in the Big Picture, it doesn’t matter if the golf ball is in the cup or the soccer ball is in the back of the net. They’re accomplishments, yes – but not on the order of building an airplane, writing a song, or delivering a baby.
To wrestle this back to the text cited above – Jesus and Peter walking on the water – how cool would golf be if neither people nor golf balls would sink? Your second shot might be from the middle of the pond. But who knows if there’s golf in the Kingdom of Heaven, right?
We’re told that many things commonplace in this life – marriage, for instance – won’t be seen in Heaven. Often, after a rough 18, I’m convinced that golf will be in the Other Place. But the “walking on water” thing is interesting, and considering the lack of references to golf in the New Testament, it almost certainly has nothing to do with golf.
More likely, it’s related to Jesus indicating he has authority over everything, including conquering sin and death. Given Jesus’ demonstration of how humans can interact with water in the Kingdom to come, it doesn’t appear that there will be much death by drowning (or anything else) going on. Peter eventually caught on to this.
Prayer: Lord, give us the faith – not at all easy to come by in our rationalistic age – to believe that if you tell us we can walk on water/live forever, we can and will.