Walking on Water
by Clarence Ratliff

The miracle of Jesus walking on the water in Mark 6:45-52 (also in Matt. 14:13-23; John 6:16-21) is the great “nature miracle” of the gospels. Even non-Christians are familiar with the story of Jesus walking on the water. This episode from the Lords life is crucial in showing His divinity. It also story also is an illustration to a role Jesus takes in the lives of believers today

The power Jesus shows over the natural world clearly shows that Jesus is Lord of all creation. Only God has such mastery over the waters of the world. In Genesis 1:1-10 it establishes that God created the natural world. In Exodus 14:21, 22 God parted the Red Sea for the escaping Israelites. Only the great “I AM”, as God referred to Himself in Exodus 3:14 can wield such control over the natural world. In John 8:58 Jesus specifically uses God’s referral for Himself when He says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (Emphasis added). Taken with the time that Jesus “rebuked the wind” (Matt 8; Mk 4; Lk 8) and the feeding of the 5,000 (Matt 14; Mk 6; Lk 9; John 6) Jesus showed a power over the natural world that only God Himself can possess.

In Mark 6:52 it says that the disciples did not understand what was going on because their hearts were hardened. They had seen so many miraculous things that they took them for granted. They missed the point time and time again and also missed the obvious fact that their teacher, whom they did revere, was so much more than they thought. This is mirrored today with the way the unsaved world views Jesus. Many believe Him to be a “good moral teacher” or a “wise philosopher” but scoff at the idea that He is God in human form. Despite the overwhelming evidence attesting to who Jesus Christ is, people have hardened their hearts and are blinded to the truth. The disciples had the benefit of having Jesus as their very companion and still missed the point. We today do not have His direct physical presence, but as Jesus said after His resurrection, “…blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

In addition to giving witness to His divinity, the story of Jesus walking on the water has several applications for the lives of believers today. Things, like His devotion to prayer, we should emulate. And, in how He dealt with the rough weather encountered by the disciples, we should take comfort.

After dismissing the 5,000 and sending the disciples to Bethsaida, Jesus went off alone to pray. Jesus spent a great deal of time in prayer, often going off in isolation to do so. If the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, believed it so important to spend that much time in prayer, how much more do we mere humans need to do so. As in this story, Jesus often went off into a secluded spot to pray. It is very easy to become distracted in prayer. Just as Jesus set the example, we should discipline ourselves to make arrangements for undisturbed prayer time.

In the rest of the narrative, a parallel can be seen between Jesus’ actions in resolving a situation for the disciples, and His helping us in times of distress.

In verse 47 it tells that Jesus was not physically with His disciples. Neither is He physically with us today.

In verse 48, it tells that the disciples were “straining against the oars” and that the “wind was against them.” This tells us that they were giving all their effort to rowing the boat, and getting nowhere. It is also quite possible that they were even loosing ground and being carried off course. There is no indication that this situation is their fault. Several of the disciples were fishermen by trade, and boat handling would be second nature to them.

We can relate to this situation in that we are frequently beset with troubles, and as hard as we try, we sometimes make no headway in resolving them. It is also worth noting that in the beginning of verse 48, it mentions Jesus seeing the disciples, just as He sees us today, even if He is not physically with us at the moment.

In verse 48, it also states that He went down towards them around the fourth watch of the night, which would have been sometime between 3 and 6 am. Notice that He didn’t go down right away. He waited, possibly to give time to the disciples to realize that they could not solve the problem under their own power. Today, the Lord doesn’t always step in immediately. He waits until we understand that we need Him. He also does not interfere where He is not wanted. In verse 49 it records that He would have passed them by, if they had not cried out. When they cried out, it is recorded that it was because the believed the figure they saw walking upon the water was a ghost. But the fact is that they cried out, probably to God, for protection. Only then did Jesus approach to assist them. It is also true today that we need to ask the Lord’s help with our difficulties.

Mark’s chronicle of these events leave out something that is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. In Matthew 14:28-31 it is recorded that when the disciples realized who it was out on the water, Peter wanted to go out to join Jesus. Jesus granted Peter’s request and he walked out to meet Jesus. However Peter took his eyes off Jesus and promptly sank. We need to realize that it is the Lord that works in our life. When we loose that focus, we fall. It is interesting to note that many Biblical scholars believe that Mark wrote his Gospel based upon what Peter taught him. Peter may have left this episode out from embarrassment!

In Mark 6:51, Jesus again calms the wind as He did in Mark chapter 4. Again, the disciples were amazed. As mentioned before, despite everything that they had seen, the missed the point entirely. If they understood who Jesus really was, they would have not been so shocked at the events that transpired. Jesus miracles over nature were His “certificate of authenticity” that He is God.