Jesus Walks on Water

Introduction

A few years ago I wrote a short study on the account of Jesus walking on the water, it is still available on the blog. Recently I felt prompted to take another look at this very famous story.

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John we read the account of Jesus walking on the water. It’s an interesting story, and there is much we can learn from it today. Within the story there are two groups of people plus Jesus, and we can learn from them all. Before we dive into the story let’s consider the context.

• Matthew 14: 22 - 36

• Mark 6: 45 - 56

• John 6: 16 - 24

Take a moment to read each account and familiarise yourself with the details.

This all takes place on the Sea of Galilee, a large lake surrounded by mountains. Jesus has been teaching the people who had followed Him and the disciples as they sought solitude and rest (Mark 6: 30 - 31). Jesus, on seeing the crowd, is filled with compassion and begins to teach them, and then He miraculously feeds them (Matthew 14: 13 - 21, Mark 6: 30 - 44, and John 6: 1 - 15). It is after this teaching and miracle that Jesus sends His disciples ahead of Him in the boat, while He dismisses the crowd and spends time alone in prayer. 

Jesus is The King, He is not a rebel leader

In John’s account we have this extra detail after the feeding of the five thousand and before Jesus walks on water.

“After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.”

John 6: 14 - 15

The people are seeing something correctly, but then applying it incorrectly. Jesus is the Prophet that was spoken of. The people then leap from that understanding to Moses. Moses led Israel to freedom from Egypt. It seems the people want Jesus to lead them to freedom from Rome. This is to limit Jesus and His mission, a mission to bring freedom from sin, shame, and guilt to the whole world. 

Ford points out that there are some interesting parallels here with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The offer of political power coming here after a miracle with bread. The miracle fed more than just one man, and the power Jesus receives from God frees more than just one people group from a far greater oppressor than a nation state. (See The Gospel of John, A Theological Commentary, David J Ford, Baker Academic 2021, p146)

Jesus retreats, He escapes the crowd and Matthew (14: 23) and Mark (6: 46) tell us He spent time alone in prayer.

In this moment Jesus chooses to stick to the mission, He doesn’t take the adulation of the crowd and follow that. No, He follows His Father, follows God and the plan that had been in place since the beginning. Jesus pursues His mission as global, eternal saviour, He doesn’t swap it for that of local rebel leader. Retreating to pray is a key part of that response.

I wonder how I respond when there is praise on one hand and a bigger purpose on the other. Do I pursue my own desires and plans, or do I lay them down for the better plans of God?

We can only do the latter if we take regular time to pray and be with God. When we spend time with God we see Jesus for who He really is; the sovereign King who brings us real freedom. 

Meanwhile out on the lake

“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd.”

Matthew 14: 22

Jesus dismisses the crowd and gets some time alone to pray. He sends the disciples ahead of Him in a boat. I wonder if Jesus always intended to walk on the water to them; I think perhaps He did.

Within this part of the story we encounter Peter’s response, something only Matthew records. We will look at that shortly, before we get to that let’s consider the situation and Jesus’ action.

All three accounts tell us it was dark, Matthew and Mark indicate it was about the fourth watch. This means it was somewhere between 3am and 6am, given the practice of dividing the hours of 6pm to 6am into four watches. As John says it was dark we can guess at it being closer to 3am than 6am. We also see in all accounts that a strong wind was against them. This is not a storm causing them to fear for their lives like in Mark 4: 35 - 41, rather it is hard work and they have made it to the middle of the lake. In the midst of this struggle comes Jesus, and I love how Mark records this.

“He saw the disciples straining at the oars. Because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them”

Mark 6: 48 - 49

There are two things I love about this account. Matthew and John agree that Jesus was walking on the water, only Mark includes the detail “He was about to pass by them”, and we shall look at this in a moment. First let’s consider “walking on the lake”.

“He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.

He is the maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south.

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.”

Job 9: 8 - 10

Jesus, by walking on the water, is doing what only God can do. Job, in replying to one of his friends, declares that God alone treads on the waves. His is likely a metaphor, an image to show or explain God’s creative power. Yet here, in these gospels, using the same Greek word as in the Septuagint, we see Jesus actually treading on the waves. He is doing what God alone can do. It is no wonder the disciples are alarmed.

The next thing I love in Mark’s account is the phrase “He was about to pass by them”. I love this because it is what we read about God in the Old Testament.

“Then the LORD said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.”

Exodus 33: 21 - 22

See also Exodus 33: 19 and 34: 6 where the same phrase is used in the story of Moses and God. Or if we continue on in Job 9 we see the same phrase.

“When he passes me, I cannot see him;

When he goes by, I cannot perceive him.”

Job 9: 11

There is a sense in this verse of not being able to understand, and we see that in the gospels. Mark tells us the disciples thought it was a ghost, they did not see or perceive it was Jesus (Mark 6: 4 - 9). As Schnabel puts it, this is an echo of “theophany language of the Old Testament where God reveals himself to his people by ‘passing by them’” (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Mark, E.J. Schnabel, IVP Academic, 2017, p157)

I think Mark includes this phrase as a gentle nod to the relationship between God and Moses, and as a way of showing us that Jesus is God, helping us to see how different the relationship we have is because of Jesus. You see, Jesus didn’t “pass by them”, He entered the boat. God no longer passes by, but He enters our lives in the person of Jesus. This is the difference Jesus makes – He creates a way for a deeper, more personal relationship with God.

The Disciples Response

In all three accounts we are told that the disciples were terrified, with Matthew and Mark using the same Greek word ‘tarassō’ to convey how troubled the disciples were. John, using the word ‘fobeō’, captures the fear they felt. It is clear in all three accounts that they were not worried or afraid because of the weather. The sailing, or rowing, conditions are tough but not fear inducing. They are afraid because they see someone, or something, walking towards them on the water. In Matthew and Mark we are told that the disciples think it is a ghost or an apparition. This is not something they are expecting or perhaps even ready to believe in, and they certainly have no reason to think it is Jesus.

Jesus speaks to them addressing their fear.

“But Jesus immediately said to them:

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid””

Matthew 14: 27

“Immediately he spoke to them and said,

“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.””

Mark 6: 50b

“But he said to them,

“It it I; don’t be afraid.””

John 6: 20

I love the response of Jesus here. Notice how He identifies Himself before giving the instruction “don’t be afraid”. It is in the presence of Jesus that our fears melt away. When we are aware that Jesus is with us is when we can truly not be afraid.

At this point Matthew gives us a little more detail than Mark and John. It is at this point that Peter speaks up.

““Lord, if it’s you”, Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.””

Matthew 14: 28

What are we to make of this response? What lesson can we learn and apply today? If we consider the whole episode we see Peter start with fear, leap to faith and desire to follow Jesus, then sink into doubt, and finally arrive at the truth which leads to worship. Through all of this Jesus is there with him.

On realising it is Jesus, Peter wants to join Him. He doesn't just jump out of the boat he asks for the invite and then obeys when it comes. We all need to follow Jesus, but that may be different for each of us. None of the other disciples step out of the boat. They are not wrong to remain in the boat. Peter is called, and he obeys.

We too can ask Jesus to call us to some action and if, or when, He does we must be ready to obey.

Having obeyed Peter walks on water (Matthew 14: 29), but soon lets his circumstances become bigger in His mind than Jesus. This is where doubt comes in.

“Doubt is literally ‘be divided in two’; true faith is single-mindedly focussed on Jesus”

(Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Matthew, R.T. France, IVP Academic, 2008, p242)

Peter’s mind is divided, his focus is split , he goes from being focussed solely on Jesus as the one in whom there is all power and authority to also seeing the wind and the waves. In this moment of doubt he loses faith and begins to sink. According to France (ibid) the phrase “little faith”, used by Jesus in verse 31, really means unbelief rather than inadequate belief. By shifting his focus from Jesus to the wind and the waves Peter reaches a point of unbelief. We are told by Jesus that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains (Matthew 17: 20), so it is not that Peter has too little faith, it is that in that moment he has none.

I’m sure we can all relate to this; moments where the situation or circumstance crowds out our belief in Jesus. In those moments we too can start to sink. The good news is that Jesus reaches out a hand to rescue Peter, Peter cries out and Jesus saves him.

“But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?””

Matthew 14: 30 - 31

The rescue is immediate and with such tenderness. Yet in it there is a gentle call to believe for more, to trust more, and see Jesus more. When we feel like we are sinking we too can cry out to Jesus and know His rescue. We too can all hear this loving challenge to believe and to trust more.

All these accounts then have Jesus climbing into the boat and completing the journey, with Matthew and Mark commenting that the wind died down.

This tells us again that Jesus is the Lord over all creation, that no earthly force is stronger than Him, that even the wind and the waves obey Him. It also leaves us with a question; will we welcome Jesus into our boat? Will we welcome Him into our lives and make Him the focus of our worship?

The People Pursue Jesus

Now let’s consider the response of the people next. Matthew and Mark convey more of a sense of drama and they both record healings for all who touched Jesus, followed by an interaction with the Pharisees. John, on the other hand, records a slower response and chooses to focus on the teaching Jesus gives to the people. In all three accounts we see the people are eager to find Jesus and keen to be with Him. It seems that John captures the people’s motives.

“Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

John 6: 26

This statement in John launches us into the first of the I AM statements of Jesus, “I AM the bread of life”. While the people want more miracles Jesus is telling them that He is enough. They still want bread, while Jesus is offering Himself. The people are focussing on their physical, day to day needs. Jesus has shown He can meet those and more, and now He is encouraging them to look beyond that, to realise they have spiritual needs that only He can meet.

In Matthew and Mark we see the eagerness of the people from a different angle.

“When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognised Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.”

Mark 6: 54 - 55

This is followed by a mass public healing. We see here a different urgency, but perhaps the same motive – what can Jesus do for me, what will He do to make my life better. Maybe there are mixed, or even wrong, motives, but Jesus still meets them with love and compassion. The sick are healed, and with grace Jesus’ teaching challenges their motives.

In Matthew and Mark we read of physical healing. In John we read of teaching that challenges people’s desires and expectations. In all three we see an eagerness we can learn from. Are we keen enough to spend time with Jesus? Do we have expectations that He can heal, that He can bring freedom, and that His teaching is worth following?

I think these are the questions we need to ask as we ponder the people's response to Jesus in these passages.

Concluding Thoughts

This account is included in three of the Gospels because it causes us to pause and ask “who is Jesus?” At a surface level we see someone who walks on water, who calms the wind, who brings peace where there is fear, who heals many, and who teaches like no other. This alone makes us realise that Jesus is no ordinary first century Jewish man.

When we scratch the surface of this story we realise that Jesus is God, He is sovereign over all things, He is the King, and His Kingship and Kingdom are unlike any other. We see that He can be trusted, that He should be the sole object of our faith, and He won’t let us down.

All of this leaves us with the question what will our response be? What will my response be? What will your response be?

We see the disciples welcome Him into their boat, we see Peter who wants to trust and follow Jesus, and we see the people who pursue Jesus. These are good responses, seeking Jesus, welcoming Jesus, and obeying Jesus. I encourage us all, myself included, to respond to Jesus in this way.