What was the meaning of Jesus walking on water?

Answer

The miracle of Jesus walking on the water, documented in three of the Gospels (Matthew 14:22-36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:16-21), occurred following His extraordinary feeding of the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish “And they said unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.”, (Matthew 14:17). However, it was Jesus walking on the water that, more than any other event, persuaded Jesus’ disciples that He was truly the Son of God (Matthew 14:32-33).

The narrative takes place at the Sea of Galilee, situated in the lower part of the Jordan Valley within a mountain range that ascends to 4,000 feet above sea level. The lake itself is 700 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. One notable characteristic of this body of water is its susceptibility to sudden and extremely violent storms. These storms are triggered by the cold air descending from the surrounding mountains and clashing with the warm, moist air rising from the water’s surface.

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they boarded a boat and began to cross the lake towards Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing, and the waters became rough. After rowing about three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water towards the boat, and they were frightened. But he reassured them, saying, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ They then willingly let him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” (John 6:16-21).

There are several siSignificant points to recognize about this miracle. First, Matthew tells us that “the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake” (Matthew 14:24-25). Though they were only to travel a short distance, the storm was so violent that, despite all their efforts to control their boat, the storm had driven them nearly four miles out into the very midst of the sea. Being the fourth watch of the night, from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM, they had been rowing and straining at their oars for approaching nine hours! They were totally exhausted.

Mark tells us that when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw Him and were terrified (Mark 6:48-50). This brings us to the second significant point of this miracle. Jesus always comes to us in the storms of life. This is reminiscent of the words of God to Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” «When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. », (Isaiah 43:2). The Lord may not come at the time we think He should come because He knows when we need Him the most. Jesus had waited until the boat was as far from land as possible, when all their hope was gone. In essence, Jesus was testing the disciples’ faith, and this meant removing every human prop. Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples that the very thing they feared, the raging, seething sea, was merely a set of steps.

For Him to come to them. Often we fear the challenging experiences of life such as illness, loss of loved ones, and financial hardships only to discover that these situations can bring Jesus closer to us.

But we have to ask, why did they not recognize Jesus? The answer is they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. The point is this: fear and faith cannot coexist in the same heart, as fear often blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.

The third significant point is that Jesus proved Himself to be in command of the elements, something only God can do. He revealed this truth to the disciples who acknowledged His divinity and responded with a confession of faith in Jesus as God: “The wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:32-33). This was the first time Jesus was referred to as the Son of God by the disciples, a statement that, indeed, built on what they had previously said about Him in Matthew 8:27: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him.” Here they answer their own question: “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Although they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord. Additionally, this was the first time the disciples are reported to have worshiped Jesus. In Matthew 2:11, the magi from the East worshiped Jesus. Later, a leper is said to have worshiped Jesus «And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. », (Matthew 8:2). A synagogue ruler does the same thing in Matthew 9:18. However, this is the first time the disciples worshiped Him. It is also important to note that their worship is united.

ed to their confession «Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. », (Matthew 14:33).

And this is what worship is, acknowledging who God is and praising Him both for who He is and for what He has done. It was in this story that the disciples took the first step and worshiped Jesus as the Son of God.