Did Jesus walk on water? 7:1819). It is common in parts of our society to dismiss the power of God, to reduce theism (belief in a personal interactive God) to deism (belief in a God who got everything started). In Matthew 14:25-32, Jesus is seen walking on water near the Sea of Galilee. [9], This event is also seen as a divine fulfillment of words of Job, Who alone spreadeth out the heavens and walketh upon the waves of the sea, Job (9:8). I have arrived! After that, he went inside the boat, and the wind died down completely. Matthew's and Mark's accounts end at this point, but John mentions that the next day some people from the other side of the sea that looked for Jesus, noted that the disciples left without him, but they didn't know where he went. Matt. Every one of his deeds and teachings may be seen through this prism of understanding. The boat was only about 100 meters from shore. and played it back today, what would we SEE? Furthermore, John tells us that not only is the dark, chaotic sea the origin of Gods enemies, but it is also symbolic of their end (Rev. 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. But as a matter of fact, Jesus is the One who can calm the storms of our lives precisely because He is the One who liberates us from sin, death, and hell. Fairchild, Mary. Comparison in other versions at BibleGateway. The moment they notice Him approaching, they freak out, proclaiming that He is a ghost! As a result, our little difficulties are minor and transient difficulties that are preparing us for an everlasting grandeur that much transcends all of our difficulties (Rom.8:18; 2 Cor.4:17).3. Walking on the sea is linked with the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament. Miracles, signs, and wonders are simply not believable. Jesus, on the other hand, walked on the water. In the book of Psalms, the sea is frequently used to symbolize tremendous uncertainty and insurmountable difficulty (e.g., Pss. Mark C15 V37, "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.". In Matthew, Jesus isnt just calling out to them to bring their attention to the fact that He is present. Furthermore, John mentions the sea four more times in the same chapter, both before and after the crossing of the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1, 22, 25). The connections are so strong that the crowds recognize Jesus as the promised prophet like Moses (John 6:14; see Deut. Jesus walked on water in order to call us as His own. By walking on water in the middle of a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates His power and compassion for His people. If you wish, you may contact me directly at rjs4mail[at]att.net. And Peter went down from the boat, and walked upon the waters to come to Jesus. 11:1), and they questioned Gods capacity to accomplish what He had promised (John 6:52; see also Ps.78:1920).It is in this way that practically every significant occurrence in the Exodus account is replicated in John 6. Yes, he walked on water, stilled the wind, healed and restored. The text doesnt say it died down a bit. Following their successful feeding of a large number of people, Jesus and His 12 disciples walked up a mountain for some one-on-one devotional time with the Father. "We Do Not Own The Rights To Any of The. Im not sure, but Ill question Him about it one of these days.Because of the massive storm that is occurring all around them, as well as Jesus presence on the lakeshore, Peter responds, If its you, order me to come out on the sea (Matthew 14:28).As a result, Jesus accomplishes just that!Just think about it! That is a departure from the Jewish . Using similar language, Philip asks Jesus the same (John 6:5). I cant tell you His exact intent or purpose for this strange encounter, but the three New Testament accounts point to the confirmation of His deity and the deepening of our faith. This preview shows page 17 - 19 out of 39 pages. (Consider a mother instructing her child to take out the trash: the tone of voice may be sufficient to compel the youngster to do the chore). They may intellectually begin to understand that He is the prophesied messiah, but they do not yet know that Jesus will lay aside His divine power in order to die on their behalf (Matthew 27:32-56). 11:13).With identical words, Philip approaches Jesus with the same question (John 6:5).A similar worry is expressed by Moses (Num. [14] Cook and Evans note that the "Lord Save me" cry of Peter is similar to Matthew 8:25 and Mark 4:38 in the calming the storm episode and again emphasizes the reliance of the disciples on Jesus. 9 Although I can see him as he passes me, I am unable to recognize him when he passes me. In Luke . 2 Cor. Jesus could have just fed the 5,000, but instead, He supplied more than they needed by providing one basket of leftover food for each disciple. Although I have often interacted here with posts on other blogs, I have not generally paid a great deal of attention to the comments on those other blogs. Article Images Copyright . (Matthew 14:33). And here in John 6:1621, Jesus stands above the sea as One with authority over it all. There is a parallel in Johns gospel as well. The signs and wonders, the miracles of Jesus are both real historical events and What made you lose your nerve like that?" Were you under the impression that he was merely cutting corners? Other times, however, storms rage with no end in sight. (Matthew 14:31; Mark 12:31).After that, they went onto the boat, where the storm had subsided.All of the disciples eyes were wide open and riveted on Jesus, as if they couldnt believe what they were seeing for the first time!And theres Jesus, all alone in the middle of the room.I believe He was beaming from ear to ear the entire time. And He encourages us not to be scared!In the midst of the storm, when everything seems to be crashing and shattering around us, when we are in the midst of the storm and nothing makes sense, Jesus assures us that Im with you. That is incredible!That gives me a sense of security! Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon heard it was the Lord, he put on the clothes he had taken off while he was working. During his miracle of walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus provides an answer to the question posed in the Nazareth synagogue, Where did Jesus acquire his authority to teach and perform miracles? Following up on his revelation that he was a provider of food in the desert in the account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14), Jesus shows himself in this story to be the one who walks on water as if it were dry land.Each of Jesus miracles makes use of biblical imagery to proclaim that he is Gods Son, and the only appropriate response is to worship him in that capacity.Following the miraculous feeding miracle, Jesus departs the crowds on the opposite side of the lake after pressing his followers to do so on their own (Matt 14:22-23).I should say that he compelled them to cross the lake in a boat rather than forcing them to do it on their own.The word (v) has a forceful connotation (Judaizers compel Gentiles to be circumcised), but most commentators interpret it as aggressively encouraging the disciples to begin crossing the segregated segregation line.1. Instead, the story of Jesus walking on the sea (John 6:1621) seems almost like an interruption of an otherwise unbroken narrative about Jesus feeding the five thousand and revealing His identity as the Bread of Life (John 6:115, 2371). Though Satan should buffet / though trials should come, / Let this blest assurance control: / That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate / And hath shed his own blood for my soul (It Is Well with My Soul by Horatio Spafford). The Bible recorded only one instance when Jesus walked on water. 15:19). My daughter stepped off into a still lake and immediately began to sink, but Jesus took off from the shore into high waves and gusting winds. Not for convenience but as part of his mission. In each of the Gospels that record it, Jesus miraculous crossing of the Sea of Galilee follows the feeding of the five thousand. 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. He came with a mission to reconcile all things to God himself. 2023 Proven Way His voice rang out to the Lord even though he was terrified, knowing that Jesus was the only one who could assist him. All rights reserved. In other words, Christ can and sometimes does stop our trials as instantly as He carried His disciples off the sea (John 6:21). sea-symbolism in the Old Testament. The seas were raging, and the rowing of the disciples was doing little to assist!So, what does Jesus do in this situation?The Water-Walker simply strolls out toward them, straight into the midst of a thunderstorm!Its not a huge deal. You have revealed to me by your Spirit that this is why and how Jesus walked on water. Why Does Jesus Walk on Water in the Bible? As Peter later writes to the persecuted church in 1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for . (see Mark 6:44).After everything is said and done with my hypothetical idea, Jesus had just fed the tummies of almost 10,000 individuals by the time you add up the spouses, widows, and children. Branscomb, 1937), based perhaps on some lost incident; perhaps Jesus waded through the surf (Vincent Taylor, 1957), or perhaps he walked on a sand bar (Sherman Johnson, 1972, J.D.M. Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that dont do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. When he had said his goodbyes to them, he climbed up on top of the mountain and prayed.And by the time dusk arrived, the boat was out at sea, leaving him alone on the shore.And he noticed that they were making terrible progress since the wind was working against them.And he arrived to them at the fourth watch of the night, strolling on the sea. In fact, He builds on the parallel, ascending a mountain alone (John 6:15) as Moses had before Him (Ex. Finally, the crowds response to Jesus mirrors Israels response to God. The point is this: fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord. The Lord is still there for believers when they call out to him. Derrett, 1981). As soon as Jesus saw him, he reached out and grasped him. In summary: Jesus established the New Covenant and important signs thereof and linked it directly to the Old Covenant celebration (Passover). This incident serves as a reminder to believers that a temporary loss of faith is only that: a temporary loss of faith. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. When we consider the signs and wonders in recorded in scripture sometimes a natural explanation is found and the wonder is in the timing not physical cause, but on other occasions no natural cause is present. By contrast, none of the other authors mentions the sea before or after Jesus walks on its water. Despite his hectic schedule, Jesus made spending time with God a primary priority in his daily life. 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.Return to: Questions about Matthew What was the meaning of Jesus walking on water? 4:15; 1 John 3:5). But he assured them, saying, It is I; do not be alarmed. Then they were willing to put him in the boat, and the boat arrived at the shore where they were headed almost immediately (John 6:1621).There are numerous essential elements to note regarding this miracle.First, Matthew informs us that the boat was already a great way from land, buffeted by the waves since the wind was against it. Theism not deism. means to remain steady or resolute in the face of danger or difficult circumstances in English.In addition, he says, Do not be frightened, which is frequently connected with a heavenly aspect (Dan 10:12, 19, for example).Jesus declares himself by saying, It is I (It is I).This is typically connected with the name of God in the Old Testament.For example, the name of God in Exodus 3:14 is written as in the Septuagint.It is in the context of the Lord walking on the seas in the uagint that Isaiah 43:10-11 is found. Some scholars would question how early the empty tomb story is. 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). 33:45). Note, too, that Moses doubts regarding Gods ability to provide meat came after the miraculous provision of manna (Numb. Jesus is saying I AM. 329 views, 25 likes, 5 loves, 29 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from The Living God Tabernacle -God's Spoken Word Evangelism: 2023-01-22 SUNDAY SERVICE _"IF YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, WHERE IS. Is the narrative based on true events?When we read the gospels, the raw truth of the stories is what hits us the most.These are not imaginative fictions, but rather eyewitness testimonies from the time of the events.A further point to consider is that the more ridiculous the narrative, the more probable it is that it is a true account of genuine events, rather than an invention.While its understandable if someone is writing fantasy fiction, we shouldnt be surprised if bizarre events occur. 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