Jesus Walks on the Sea

Stormy as it was, the approach of dawn brought some light. Suddenly the disciple at the helm saw an object moving over the waves near the boat. It looked like a man walking upon the water! But that’s impossible! Thinking he must be having hallucinations, he called out to the others to look also. It was no hallucination. They all saw the same thing; a man walking upon the sea! They screamed in terror not recognizing who it was in the dim light of dawn. Now we read from the account:

“And in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, it is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” Matthew 14:25,26

Moffatt says, “They thought he was a ghost, and shrieked aloud.” Then we read:

“But straightway, Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good courage; it is I; be not afraid.”

Then the impetuous Peter did a characteristic thing:

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee, on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me! And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.”

We conclude the account from John 6:21, because there it tells of still another miracle of Jesus, which many overlook:

“Then they willingly received him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.”

Moffatt renders it, “And the boat instantly reached the land they were making for.” Considering that according to Matthew 14:24 they were then in the middle of the sea, this was faster transportation than by modern jet! It was a miracle of the first magnitude.

Some Lessons for Us

Let us go back and see what lessons there are for us in these incidents at the Sea of Galilee. First of all, when Jesus suggested to his disciples that they leave the service of the multitude and go to a quiet place and rest awhile, he was not seeking to evade responsibility toward the multitude. He knew very well what would happen, that the multitude would regather to him on the other side of the lake. But he also knew that sailing across the lake would give his disciples needed relaxation and that a few hours alone with him on the hillside would relieve their tensions. Then they would once again be ready to serve a multitude greatly stimulated and elated by the miracle of the loaves and fishes. We too, the Lord’s present-day disciples, are invited to occasionally go to a quiet place and rest awhile. We go to conventions, not only for physical rest but to “rest in the Lord.” (Psalms 37:7) The Lord says:

“Come unto me . . . and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28,29

As we who wear the yoke of consecration gather to hear the Lord’s words through his servants, we too are stimulated and refreshed and better able to serve the Lord with renewed zest.

That mixed multitude setting out by common consent to seek Jesus on the mountain above the sea reminds us of the time coming mentioned in Isaiah 2:3, “And many people shall go and say, Come ye and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” We are also reminded of Jeremiah’s words:

“They shall go and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:4,5

As that multitude sought their Messiah with all their heart, and found him, we read, in Jeremiah 29:13 of the time of the Messianic Kingdom: “And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

When Jesus saw the multitude approaching, was he resentful of the intrusion upon his privacy? Did he attempt to evade them? No! Quite the contrary. He welcomed them. He was moved with compassion toward them. His heart of love went out to them. He eagerly seized the opportunity to heal them and, most importantly, to preach the gospel of the Kingdom to them. In this he set an example for us as enunciated by Paul: “Preach the word; be instant, in season, out of season.” (2 Timothy 4:2) Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we will witness to the truth whenever opportunity presents whether convenient for us or not, whether “in season, or out of season” for us.

The shepherds of Israel had failed them and the people flocked to Jesus as their shepherd. Jesus had compassion on them “because they were as sheep not having a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34) But only a few became the true sheep of Jesus at that time. It was to such that Jesus addressed himself just before his betrayal at Gethsemane:

“Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.” Matthew 26:31

When Jesus said, “It is written,” he quoted in part from Zechariah 13:7, “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”

Although Jesus was the Great Good Shepherd, called in 1 Peter 5:4 the Chief Shepherd who gave his life for the sheep, there have been other shepherds–under shepherds over the flock of God. The apostles were special shepherds and the elders of the church are shepherds also. Paul was speaking to the elders when he said:

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers [or shepherds], to feed the Church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” Acts 20:28