Walking on the Sea
TRANSLATION
(23) And after he had dismissed the crowd, he climbed up the mountain to pray by himself. When night came, he remained there alone. (24) However, the boat by now was in the middle of the sea, buffeted by the waves, for the wind was contrary. (25) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. (26) And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified and cried out in fear, “It is a ghost!” (27) But immediately Jesus called to them, saying, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
(28) Then Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” (29) And he said, “Come!” So Peter climbed out of the boat and walked on the water to come to Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind, he grew fearful and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” (31) Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (32) And when they got back into the boat, the wind died down, (33) and those who were in the boat worshipped him saying, “Truly you are the Son of God!”
(34) And when they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. (35) And when the people in that place recognized him, they sent word into the surrounding region and brought him all who were sick (36) and begged him to let the afflicted only touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched it were healed.
OBSERVATIONS
Several repetitions in this segment point us to its message. The verb, “come/came,” is found five times indicating both temporal and physical movement (vss. 23, 25, 28, & 29). “Boat” is found four times and “walking/walked on the sea/water” occurred three times (vss. 25 & 26). “Terrified/fear/fearful/afraid” (four times in vss. 26, 27, & 30) indicated the emotional responses of the disciples as they witnessed this miracle as did the repetition of “cried out” (vss. 26 & 30).
In the final paragraph we find two uses of “touch/touched” (vs. 36). While both Jesus and Peter walking on the water are miracles that rivet our attention, we must not overlook the wondrous healings that took place when people simply touched the fringe of Jesus’ garments to be made whole.
OUTLINE
I. After a time of praying alone, Jesus met the disciples by miraculously walking on the sea. (23-27)
II. Peter asked Jesus to allow him to do the same but was almost swamped when he doubted. (28-33)
III. After they reached the other side, Jesus continued to perform miracles of healing. (34-36)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus continued to manifest his divine authority by the miracles and healings he performed.
APPLICATION
Of the twelve apostles, Peter is the one who always seems to bring a smile to our faces. He was usually the first to speak or act, often before thinking. While clearly the leader of the twelve, he was the one who had the most to learn about bringing his impetuous character under his master’s will. The disciples’ response to observing a ghostly Jesus approach their boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at night was stark terror. It was only when the Lord assured them of his identity that Peter made his bold, impulsive request: “If it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” All seemed to go well until Peter, distracted by wind and waves, began to sink. When he cried out, Jesus reached out and brought him safely into the boat. We might well focus on Jesus’ question, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” However, we should not forget that, of all the disciples, it was Peter alone who had enough faith to step out of the boat and start walking toward Jesus.
We who yearn to follow Jesus as his disciples must realize that much of our training involves the deepening of our faith amid challenging situations. While we may never attempt to walk on water the way Peter did, we need to learn to trust him in whatever circumstances we may find ourselves.