14:13).2 The implication is clear: we have nothing to fear so long as God is with us, and He is with us in Christ Jesus our Lord. As if by magic, Jesus multiplies bread to supply as much as they desired (John 6:11) to the crowds, just as God had provided bread from heaven to feed His people with as much as any man could eat (Exodus 16:4). All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish. This is where the waves whipped up around the disciples' boat and frightened them into waking Jesus during the storm. Jesus walking on the water, or on the sea, is depicted as one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. What were the miracles of Jesus? I am the One who forms the wind and waves, who rules and reigns over every living thing. Jesus is seeking to assure His disciples in their fear, but He is primarily proclaiming and confirming the nature of who He is. What do you think? New Living Translation During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. He contends that these methods of exegesis rely on factual interpretations and fail to capture the full meaning of the text based on its structure. If we really believe this, the acts of Jesus described in the gospels are not arbitrary acts they are part of his mission and the prophetic witness. Its important to note that John did not have to include this miracle.1 The decision to include this miracle at all, including where John places it and how he describes it, therefore carries a specific significance. They were frightened, thinking that they were seeing a spirit, but when Jesus told them not to be afraid, they were reassured. Jesus both saved Peter from his sins and moved him to share His faith with others. [18], In recent scholarship, Bart Ehrman has championed the view that in general, it is impossible to either prove or disprove supernatural events such as miracles using the historical method, for proving them would require belief in a supernatural world not amenable to historical analysis, and disproving them would require historical evidence that is usually hard to come by. In this way, virtually every major event in the exodus story is paralleled in John 6. appears to treat the events described both as real historical events and Jesus says, It is I; do not be afraid. In other words, Jesus is still with us in the storm, reminding us of what Hes done, strengthening us for the trials we face, and encouraging us not to forget that our biggest problems have already been solved. Therefore, our little problems by comparison are light and momentary troubles that are preparing us for an eternal glory that far outweighs them all (Rom. Its like being able to walk on water!Peter walked on water and came near Jesus, according to the Bible (Matthew 14:29).Wow Im curious as to how that felt!Then Jesus Himself comes out onto the water, in the middle of a terrible storm, in his small dinghy, and invites him to come with him.It is risk-free. Jesus walks on Water. All rights reserved. In Matthew 14:25-32, Jesus is seen walking on water near the Sea of Galilee. And we know that He can do this, because Christ tells us who He is. [15], Scholars such as Ulrich Luz and separately Dale Allison view the pericope as instrumental in asserting the divinity of Jesus among early Christians. The gospels, on the other hand, may be safely dated far earlier.This is something Ive talked about elsewhere on the site.Essentially, the Acts of the Apostles is completed while St Paul is still alive, which is a significant accomplishment.Prior to his execution in 65 AD, he wrote this letter.If Luke wrote Acts of the Apostles as a sequel to his gospel, Lukes gospel must have been written in the early 1960s or late 1950s, based on the dates of the gospels.If Luke used Marks gospel and a proto-Matthew as sources (a proto-Matthew is a hypothetical earlier Hebrew-Aramaic collection of Jesus stories and sayings), then Mark must have been composed in the mid-50s and proto-Matthew must have been composed in the early fifties, or even as early as 45 AD, according to some scholars. [23] Furthermore, the motif of walking on water was associated with kings like Xerxes or Alexander, but also rejected and satirized as humanly impossible and as proverbial for the arrogance of the rulers by Menander, Dio Chrysostom or in 2 Maccabees 5:21. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Can you tell me why you were so skeptical of me? (NLT). We pulled in shortly before check-in, so my husband took our three-year-old out to the water. The details presented differ slightly, but the cornerstone of each is the declaration of who Jesus is. All rights reserved. It didnt actually take place. In order for these mythological components to have been late additions, the gospels would have had to be written a considerable time after the actual events of Jesus life, which is contrary to all arguments concerning a late chronology for Jesus life that have been advanced.All four gospels were completed by 80 AD, even if the most optimistic modernists choose the most recent plausible dates for their creation.That is just fifty years after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to the calendar.People who had been eyewitnesses to the events were still living at the time.I recall what occurred fifty years ago, do you?If not, your parents will tell you what happened. Likewise, Micah tells us that the sea is the place where God sends sin to be judged, forgiven, and forgotten forever (Mic. Careful readers will note that the words translated It is I (. Lord, save me! he cried out in desperation. The New Testament Bible story of Jesus walking on water is one of the most widely told narratives and key miracles ofJesus. Every time the Bergquam noted he did not find any evidence of chemicals in the water, but anecdotally, what he did discover is jarring. John's Gospel specifies that they were five or six kilometers away from their departure point. It is first connected with darkness and chaos (Gen.1:2). Happily, we dont have to guess what it is. Finally, the crowds response to Jesus mirrors Israels response to God. We were not present to witness any miracles of timing. He was in the beginning with God. However, when the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were startled and said, Its a ghost! as they screamed in terror.Take comfort, it is I, Jesus said directly to them when they had heard him say it.Be brave and do not be scared. And Peter said, Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the sea, indicating that he believed it was. 6:45 And straightway he constrained his disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he himself sendeth the multitude away. Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? debate, where people kept asking a Protestant minister who was also a TE 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. Required fields are marked *. 33:45).And, while He rejects their promise of kingship without the crucifixion (cf.Matt.4:89; Luke 4:57), Jesus does not deny the relationship to Moses that they have made with Him.As a matter of fact, He builds on the comparison by mounting a mountain by himself (John 6:15), just as Moses had done before Him (Ex.19:13). k.A was an eighth of a mile, or a little more than 600 feet (192 meters) in length.John 6:19 translates the word as three or four mile in the original Greek.The fourth watch of the night was when they first saw Jesus, or shortly before dawdling time.wn.If the disciples departed at twilight, about 8PM, and it was approximately 5:30AM when they returned, they would have been struggling against the wind for over nine hours. Lord, please save me! he shouted aloud. 4:89; Luke 4:57), Jesus doesnt reject the connection to Moses. An further allusion to the chapter from Job. 4-5). 33:45). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Christ ascended 40 days after His resurrection. He does not let us drown for a little while until we get our act together. the sea into dry land to part the waters of the Red Sea. Then he said to the group: Hey guys, sorry I was late, but why did you all go without me? Like the account of the feeding of 5,000 people, this is both amazing and terrifying. And promising a coming of, and baptizing with, the Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:5, 8 ), Jesus ascended to heaven . This blog is no longer being updated. Every sermon I heard about Jesus walking on water as a child centered on Gods capacity to calm the storms in our life, which I found to be true.Following seminary, I grew to despise such readings, believing that they were missing the real meaning of the text altogether.Yet in reality, Jesus is the One who is able to calm the storms of our life exactly because He is the One who has freed us from the bonds of sin and death and the torments of hell.To put it another way, if we can put our faith in Jesus to resolve our most difficult difficulties, as He has done through the cross and the resurrection, then how much more can we put our faith in Him to face the more minor tribulations of life?In other words, Christ has the ability to and occasionally does intervene in our troubles in the same manner as He did when He rescued His disciples from the sea (John 6:21).When that occurs, there is nothing left to do but express gratitude to God for yet another act of kindness and grace on our behalf. This parallels what Moses told the people on the eve of the Red Sea crossing: Do not be afraid. Luke C23 V46, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.". He walked on top of the water in the middle of a raging storm. In essence, Jesus was testing the disciples faith, and this meant removing every human prop. "Jesus Walks on Water Bible Story Study Guide." Sandwiched around Jesus claim as the great I AM, is His feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:13-21) and specific salvation of His disciple, Peter (Matthew 14:28-33). Some academics see connections between this event and the story of Moses bringing the children of Israel across the Red Sea during the Passover celebrations in the Old Testament.We wont go into as much into on the symbolism in this section.The relevance of the narrative for us today will be found by comparing and contrasting the three different versions of it that were all recorded shortly after Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand people. You of little faith, why did you doubt? he said as he reached down into the water and raised him to his feet. Please enjoy the archives. [9] Alan Robinson sees the pericope as important in establishing the belief in the early Church that the disciples viewed Jesus as the Son of God. In antiquity, people were fascinated by the prospect of walking on waternot just and not exclusively the J It was a dream, a fascinating I dreamed about it.If humans do not have a particular relationship with God or attain divine abilities through magic (Luz, Matthew, 3), it is impossible for them to do so and it is only possible for God to do so. The account of Jesus walking on the water, according to Matthew, was written with the goal of evoking memories of the Exodus.This would then build on the imagery of the Exodus in the feeding of the 5000 as being akin to Gods supply of manna in the wilderness, as well as the Exodus imagery in the feeding of the 5000. [13], Richard Cassidy states that this episode sheds special light on the position of Peter who had faith in Jesus and acknowledged Jesus' extraordinary powers, and by considering to walk on water himself, wanted to share in the act of Jesus before the other disciples for he considered himself closest to Jesus. They display the power of God. 15:19). It is because John wants us to see Jesus as the greater Moses, as he has already told us both explicitly ( John 1:16-17) and implicitly (Moses could only draw water from the rock, while Jesus could draw wine from the rock, the stone jars; see Ex. Wow, what a privilege it is that you have chosen me to be alive today!Right now, I am lifting up everyone who is reading this, and I am addressing you specifically.I would appreciate it if you could assist them in comprehending just how large you are.Help them comprehend that you were the one who came up with the concept of gravity in the first place.It was your thinking that established the fundamental law of the land! Peter exposes mans inability to command the natural elements of the world, while Jesus shows Himself victorious over fear, death, and the created world. This sovereign King goes from whipping the wind into shape, to being crucified on a cross in order to bring about the redemption of His people. What can we learn from Jesus feeding of the 5,000? Don't be afraid." Jesus is not a ghost hovering over the water to wow people. if you wish. This event convinced the 12 disciples that Jesus is indeed the living Son of God. Fairchild, Mary. By contrast, none of the other authors mentions the sea before or after Jesus walks on its water. Is this not what the old hymns taught us to sing? Jesus then sends them across the sea and reveals Himself as the sovereign. However, when he saw the tremendous wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink into the water. You have revealed to me by your Spirit that this is why and how Jesus walked on water. 21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat: and straightway the boat was at the land whither they were going. Philippians 2: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 14:2022).However, as Gods adversaries sought to pursue them, God sent the same sea that had separated them from the Israelites back over Pharaohs army, destroying them (Ex.15:19).For example, the sea is frequently used to represent immense uncertainty and overwhelming difficulties in the book of Psalms, as in Ps.46:2 and 65:7, respectively. He wasnt being pulled on skis by a boat. Instead of being terrible and punitive, however, the signs Jesus performs are gracious and restorative (John 6:2, 11). [10], One aspect of the pericope (passage) is how it highlights the relationship between Jesus and his apostles. In the book of Exodus, I AM was the name God revealed to His people just before He rescued them from slavery. events with deep symbolic resonance. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake (Matthew 14:2425).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 (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. It wasn't identified exactly in The Bible the year on which JESUS walk on the water but we can say it was perhaps year 33 as JESUS walkes on the water after His resurrection from. 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