Ancient Spanish sailors have documented a condition known as calenture. Some sailors, it seems, would become feverish and delirious after spending long periods at sea. With day after day of nothing but ocean water as far as the eye could see, these folks would begin to see, not frothing waves, but rolling, grassy hills. Convinced that there was solid land beyond the ship, the sailors suffering from calenture would climb overboard and be swallowed up by the sea.

Now, I do not plan on revising this beloved biblical story to suggest that Peter was suffering from calenture. I don’t think he had been out to sea long enough to develop the condition. But I will suggest that calenture is one kind of peace our society offers. Not a true peace, but a deceptive peace. A peace we can obtain only when we succeed in blocking out certain significant segments of reality. It is the peace of living in a social media bubble, a gated community, a cultivated ignorance. And this type of peace, like calenture, can work really well for us—as long as we don’t ever step off the boat.

Jesus calls us to a different kind of peace. A peace that may not look like peace at all. Jesus himself knows that it is water he is stepping onto when he walks from the shore out toward the boat. And Jesus doesn’t try to convince Peter that he will be standing on anything but water when he calls Peter to him. The peace Jesus offers is a peace based deeply in the reality of our world—which is a hard peace to come by.

The peace Jesus offers is simply the peace of his presence. It is a presence that sometimes seems less than peaceful—at first the disciples thought he was a ghost. It is a presence that does not negate the difficulties of the world—the strong winds frighten Peter. And yet, it is a presence that is able to reach into the waves and grasp our arms; to catch us and help us find our way back to the boat.

This story brings to mind Jesus’ words to his disciples in John 14:27: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

May it be so. Amen.