Walking on Water

When He finished His Sermon on the Mount, "immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away" (Matt. 14:22). "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there" (v. 23).

It wasn't unusual for Jesus to find time to get away from the crowds, and even from His disciples, to spend time alone with God the Father in prayer. In fact, it is so common in Scripture, it appears He did so nearly every day. Thus, Jesus set the example for us to follow. We ought to set aside at least a little time every day to spend in prayer.

Remember, Jesus was now alone on the shore, because His disciples took the boat as instructed and left for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We are told, "But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary" (v. 24).

"Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea" (v. 25). In the time of Jesus, the Jews had adopted the Roman system of dividing the night. "The fourth watch off the night" (v. 25a) refers to the pre-dawn hours from 3:00 to 6:00am.

Just imagine how the disciples might have reacted to the sight of Jesus walking on the water just as the light was beginning to dawn, perhaps causing His body to appear to have an aura about Him. It must have been a shocking and almost frightening sight! "And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out for fear" (v. 26).

Jesus wasted no time in calming their fears: "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid'" (v. 27). "Be of good cheer" (v. 27b) is a way of saying, "Take courage!" or "Be encouraged!" Then in encouraging them not to be afraid, He said, 'It is I' (v. 27b), or literally, "I Am!" He identified Himself as the Lord, the Son of God, by specifically referring to Himself as, "I Am," the technical name of God, the personal name of God, as given to Moses in Exodus 3:14.

Then something very interesting happened. Jesus was not the only one who walked on water early that morning. Peter joined Him in walking on water! "And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus" (Matt. 14:28-29). It is amazing what you can do when the Lord is in it and Jesus has commanded it, and you never take your eyes off of Jesus.

"But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of God'" (vv. 30-33).

Peter walked on water, but only while he kept his eyes on Jesus! As soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, looking at the waves of the sea that surrounded him, he began to sink! That is how it is with us as well. Keep your eyes on Jesus and follow Him faithfully, and you can do anything. But if you quit looking at Jesus and you look at the problems of life around you, you will begin to sink. When that happens, follow the example of Peter. Look again to Jesus and seek His help. He is the one who will take your hand and lift you up. Amen.