(Isaiah 43:2).The Lord may not come at the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him the most. Before the disciples got on the boat, Jesus provided bread and fish for 5,000 plus people in the middle of a desert. As a result, Peter climbed over the side of the boat and began walking across the sea toward Jesus. The third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Jesus then sends them across the sea and reveals Himself as the sovereign. [24], Adela Yarbro Collins concludes that the text characterizes Jesus as Messiah and king of Israel endowed with divine properties. In addition to the clear parallels to the exodus in John 6, the Johannine account of Jesus walking on water also mentions the sea four timesmore than any account in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). He was Messiah. Happily, we dont have to guess what it is. Needless to say, she could not walk on the water. O'Connor's dazzling first novel tells the hilarious and disturbing tale of Hazel Motes, a young Georgia man whose obsession with God leads him to run from God as fast as he can, only to crash head-on into the wall of Jesus and religion. These texts give insight on the significance of Johns vision that the sea was no more in Gods new creation, which he saw in the book of Revelation (Rev. THATS MY JESUS, RIGHT THERE!Even when we believe we are about to drown because we are obeying Christ as He beckons us out onto the sea, He continues to urge, Come with me into the storm, deeper. Im right here.Im not going to let it get to you. Jesus didnt come as King in order that we could have everything we want on earth. Lord, save me! he cried out in desperation. The hymn It Is Well with My Soul by Horatio Spafford begins, Whatever Satan buffet / though tribulations approach, / Let this blest certainty control: / That Christ has respect for my helpless position / And has bled his own blood for my soul. Edward Motes poem My Hope is Built on Nothing Less says, When darkness obscures his lovely face / I rest on his unchanging grace. Jesus walking on the water, or on the sea, is depicted as one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. 15:19). ft er me.11 I, I am the Lord, and there is no rescuer (plural of savior) apart from me (participle from savior).m ).Why does Jesus waltz throughout the world? This preview shows page 17 - 19 out of 39 pages. The connections are so strong that the crowds recognize Jesus as the promised prophet like Moses (John 6:14; see Deut. Your article here appears to argue a both/and position. In Matthew and Mark, the crossing is then followed by a miraculous healing in Gennesaret (Matt. [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). In the book of Exodus, I AM was the name God revealed to His people just before He rescued them from slavery. In the forty days after the resurrection, Christ stayed on the earth to prepare His disciples for the work before them. When repeating the story of the Exodus, the Old Testament presents God as walking on the Sea, says the author. The moment they notice Him approaching, they freak out, proclaiming that He is a ghost! Because they were afraid, they screamed when they realized he was walking on the water and assumed he must be a ghost.He had intended to pass by them, but they mistook him for a ghost and screamed when they realized he was on the sea.However, he instantly addressed them and stated, Take heart; it is I. He was begotten not created. 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. Miracles, signs, and wonders are simply not believable. But I want to ask you a tough question. if you wish. Jesus, according to Matthew, not only fulfills particular prophesies from the Old Testament, but also serves as a living embodiment of the Old Testament in all he says and does, which is more essential than that. There are accounts of this event in three GospelsMatthew, Mark, and Johnbut it is not included in the Gospel of Luke. The idea is that before His death, all Old Testament believers were in Abraham's bosomthe paradise part of Hades. In order for us to see Jesus as the greater Moses, John has previously said both expressly (John 1:1617) and implicitly (Moses could only pull water from the rock, but Jesus could draw wine from the rock, as evidenced by Exodus 17:17 and John 2:112). 14:22 And straightway he constrained the disciples to enter into the boat, and to go before him unto the other side, till he should send the multitudes away. In summary: Jesus established the New Covenant and important signs thereof and linked it directly to the Old Covenant celebration (Passover). In Luke . as events with deep symbolic resonance. I have arrived! After that, he went inside the boat, and the wind died down completely. They grumbled against the Lord (John 6:41, 61), just as Israel had (Num. He came with a mission to reconcile all things to God himself. Mark 6:52 establishes a stronger connection between the two stories. 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. She lives with her husband in Michigan, close to her adult children and grandkids.For additional information or to get in touch with Danielle, please visit her website. 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). 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. To put it differently, if we can trust Jesus to resolve our deepest problems, as He does through the cross and the resurrection, then how much more can we trust Him to handle the smaller trials of life? In contrast to Mark, John does not mention Jesus instructions to the disciples to cross the lake, but rather credits initiative to the disciples to do what they are familiar with.Then, when they found themselves in difficulties, they were delighted to invite Jesus into the boat, and they arrived at their destination almost swiftly.The story of John can inspire us to pay attention to how Jesus is at work in our lives.Also, if we dont receive instant instructions, we should stick with what weve already been informed until we do receive them.Finally, when we find ourselves in danger, we should put our trust in Jesus, knowing that he will see us through to the other side. 11:22), who believes that God would not be able to give enough food, just as Philip informs Jesus that two hundred denarii of bread would not be enough (John 6:7).Its also worth noting that Moses reservations about Gods capacity to give meat followed the miraculous gift of manna (Numbers 11:79).Despite this, Philips reservations regarding Jesus capacity to feed five thousand people arise following Christs miraculous provision of wine for a wedding feast (John 2:111) in the Gospel of John. 19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid. & The Ministry and Life of Christ. Salvation in Jesus does not come from working hard or being righteous. Please enjoy the archives. And this is his clue to the meaning of all that follows. phrase walked on the water was used, the minister corrected people When Jesus glanced out across the lake, he noticed that it was extremely windy, as if a storm had swept in. 4:17).3. Following their witnessing of this miracle, the disciples prostrated themselves before Jesus and said, Truly you are the Son of God.. Colossians 1: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 2 Cor. The New Testament translation of it is I in Matthew 14:27, is the same form of the Old Testament name for God, I AM. Instead of being terrible and punitive, however, the signs Jesus performs are gracious and restorative (John 6:2, 11). Peter showed the boldness of his faith as he followed Jesus out of the boat. In order to demonstrate to his disciples that he is more than a miraculous worker or charismatic leader, k on water? Copyright 2002-2023 Got Questions Ministries. The walking on the sea episode has specific interpretations within Christian teachings and has been viewed by scholars as important due to its perceived impact on the formation of Christian ecumenical creeds, as discussed below. He chides them for not believing what the prophets foretold regarding the Messiah then explains to them all the Biblical verses that pertained to him. Derrett, 1981). After all, they knew the Roman authorities had put Jesus to death, and that His body had been taken down from the cross and sealed in a tomb. [19], Catholic scholar John P. Meier believes that the miraculous walk on water is a purely theological narrative, without historical foundation. This is where the waves whipped up around the disciples' boat and frightened them into waking Jesus during the storm. A: In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus met the two women as they walked, but only met the disciples at a mountain in Galilee and from there sent them forth to teach all nations. https://www.learnreligions.com/jesus-walks-on-water-700220 (accessed March 1, 2023). Using similar language, Philip asks Jesus the same (John 6:5). Help them to understand that you built everything for usso that we might have a place to call home for the rest of our lives.But, even more importantly, you designed our existence so that we may join you in a loving relationship for the rest of our lives, beginning right now.In the name of Jesus, I pray, amen.This devotional is taken from the book 60 Days for Jesus, Volume 1, and it is titled Get your hands on a copy right now! The Lord is still there for believers when they call out to him. You have such a small amount of faith, Jesus responded. In the Gospels, Jesus walks on water in Matthew 14:22-33 and also in Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:16-21. Recognizing the Lords presence: Despite the fact that they had been with Jesus for a long time, the disciples did not recognize him as he approached them in the midst of the storm. All of this has no bearing on my view of the mechanism of creation. 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. Studies show two groups do really well: conservative Protestants and Mormons; two groups that dont do well are mainline Protestants and Roman Catholics. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish. Jesus is compassionate towards those under His care as He reaches out His powerful hand of salvation. Belief in Jesus develops us into disciples who proclaim and glorify His name. There must be a rational (read: natural) explanation. It is because John wants us to see Jesus as the greater Moses, as he has already told us both explicitly (John 1:1617) and implicitly (Moses could only draw water from the rock, while Jesus could draw wine from the rock, the stone jars; see Ex. Later, when Israel sought escape from Egypt, they were trapped by the sealet the reader understanduntil God made a way for them to pass safely through it on dry ground (Ex. "Jesus Walks on Water Bible Story Study Guide." You can read more of what she writes on the Ever Sing blog atstephaniemenglehart.com or follow her on Instagram: @stephaniemenglehart. [4] During the journey on the sea, the disciples were distressed by wind and waves, but saw Jesus walking towards them on the sea. [7], In all three accounts, after Jesus got into the ship, the wind ceased and they reached the shore. 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. The Apostles creed is a good summary: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell. This was the first time Jesus was called the Son of God by the disciples, a statement that, in fact, built on what they had said earlier about Him in Matthew 8:27: What kind of man is this?Even the winds and the waves obey him. Here they answer their own question: Truly you are the Son of God. Though they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord.Also, this was the first time the disciples are said to have worshiped Jesus.In Matthew 2:11, the magi from the East worshiped Jesus.Later, a leper is said to have worshiped Jesus (Matthew 8:2). Every time the 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 his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Thus, the story is extremely significant to Christiansand the basis for several important life lessons that govern how believers practice their faith. Stand firm and see the Lords salvation that he will accomplish for you today (Ex. Initially Jesus collects the Apostles on a boat and sends them away alone, to go alone to the mountain to pray, but promising to meet them on the other side of the "sea"; the apostles have difficulty in reaching the other shore, but Jesus appears and everything ends well. (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). [11] Dwight Pentecost and John Danilson state that this miracle was deliberately designed by Jesus to instruct his apostles and increase their faith. 78:1920). The disciples were staring at Him in astonishment, praising Him, and understanding that a reality had suddenly become obvious to them.I can almost hear Him remark, with his eyebrows arched, See? They received tangible evidence that would compel them to radically alter their lives: Truly, you are the Son of God, they were told (Matthew 14:33).Id want to say a prayer for you: God bless you in the morning!Thank you for providing us with yet another day on your world! (Matthew 8:2). What do you think? 349 views, 7 likes, 2 loves, 2 comments, 6 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Woodridge Baptist Church: Guest speaker, Saleim Kahleh's sermon from. However, like with the last lake-miracle (Matthew 8:23-27), the disciples are in a precarious situation and are afraid when they see Jesus approaching them. John C19 V30, "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his . It is I; do not be scared, Jesus assures them. Your email address will not be published. Jesus is the true source of our escape since He is the Passover Lamb (John 1:29) and the One who guides His people safely across hazardous rivers (John 6:1621), among other roles.And we know He is capable of doing so because Christ has shown Himself to us.During the most difficult time of their ordeal, when they were terrified by the fury of the sea and the apparent certainty of death, the disciples overheard Jesus declare, It is I; do not be terrified (John 6:20).Do not be scared, Moses instructed the Israelites on the eve of the Red Sea crossing: Do not be terrified. Remain steady and watch for the Lords redemption, which he will bring about for you today (Ex.14:13).2 This implies that we have nothing to be afraid of as long as God is with us, as He is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 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. One reason Jesus stayed on earth for 40 days after His resurrection instead of ascending immediately into heaven was to demonstrate to His followers that He truly was alive. Jesus walking on the water, or on the sea, is depicted as one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: Acts 1:3. One of our friends heard the splash and very quickly dove in after her. [10], One aspect of the pericope (passage) is how it highlights the relationship between Jesus and his apostles. What can we learn from Jesus feeding of the 5,000? Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. Mark C15 V37, "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.". 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 called out to Jesus for help. As soon as Jesus stepped into the boat, the wind stopped, and everyone was surprised.The danger was no longer a threat.They couldnt comprehend what I was saying.Although they had hardened hearts, Jesus was nevertheless able to assist them despite their lack of comprehension.The story of Mark can inspire us to accept Jesus into our insane, chaotic situations in order to provide tranquility, even when we dont understand how. And here in John 6:1621, Jesus stands above the sea as One with authority over it all. Therefore, in John 6, Jesus is revealed as the One who brings about the new exodus, that is, the true liberation of Gods people from slavery to sin, the inevitability of death, and the just judgment of God. As he began to descend, his last words were, Lord, save me. O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Jesus said as he put out his hand and grabbed him by the shoulders.And as soon as they got onto the boat, the wind stopped blowing.And they in the boat prostrated themselves before him, proclaiming, Truly, you are the Son of God (Matthew 14:20-33).Following in the footsteps of Mark, Matthew describes Jesus instructions and the situation as though it were newsworthy.Matthew, on the other hand, is the only one that chronicles Peters reaction to the circumstance and their eventual affirmation of Jesus divinity. 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. Yet when Gods enemies attempted to follow them, God brought the same sea that He had stayed from the Israelites back over Pharaohs army (Ex. He is showing to his followers that he is the God of the universe. Despite this, he was able to walk on water like the Son of God!Why?!How? 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