Lord, save me! he cried out in desperation. 7:3), and John, the author of Revelation, repeats the same (Rev. In Matthew 14:25-32, Jesus is seen walking on water near the Sea of Galilee. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! One step off, and she began to drown. 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 . Be brave and do not be scared. And as he got into the boat with them, the wind stopped blowing.And they were completely taken aback, for they had no idea what was going on with the loaves, and their hearts had hardened (Mark 6:44-52).Mark begins with a matter-of-fact demeanor, but by the conclusion of the chapter, he has shown surprise. After this, Israel wandered in the wilderness, and Moses asked God where he could find food for so many people (Num. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish. Make it possible for these wonderful readers to believe in your brilliance! The video appears to have been taken roughly 15 miles downstream from East Palestine, and just north of where Little Beaver Creek feeds into the Ohio River in Midland, Pennsylvania. By the end, no one could tell what : essays on Christology, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jesus_walking_on_water&oldid=1133982716, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 12:30. He came with a mission to reconcile all things to God himself. Stephanie is passionate about allowing God to use her honest thoughts and confessions to bring gospel application to life. Following their witnessing of this miracle, the disciples prostrated themselves before Jesus and said, Truly you are the Son of God.. 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. A mighty fortress is our God / a bulwark never failing; / Our helper He amid the flood / of mortal ills prevailing (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Martin Luther). That is a departure from the Jewish . By walking on water in the middle of a furious storm, Jesus demonstrates His power and compassion for His people. Merrill Tenney states that the incident is in essence centered on that aspect, rather than their peril or the miracle itself. 9 Although I can see him as he passes me, I am unable to recognize him when he passes me. 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. 20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. [11] Dwight Pentecost and John Danilson state that this miracle was deliberately designed by Jesus to instruct his apostles and increase their faith. 2 Cor. All of us face the same reality that Peter was in. However, when Uncle George tells you about his encounter with the Mothman, and you know Uncle George is the most hardheaded and pragmatic sort of guy, you have to accept that something strange really happened, and whatever it was and whatever it meant, Uncle George truly did have some sort of strange experience. of squirmy when such episodes are brought up. About 3 1/2 years later, Stephen opposed the unbelieving Hellenistic crowd. The majority are faith healings, exorcisms, resurrections, and control over nature.. In particular, the narrative part of the story seems to fall into the apocalyptic genre, meaning by this term a genre characterized by an accentuated symbolism and light-shadow contrasts. As recounted in Matthew verse 27,Jesus told them, "Take courage! In Isaiah 57:20, the sea is said to represent evil because its continual waves stir up filth and dirt (see also Ps. There are three different accounts of Jesus walking on water that have been recorded in the Bible.It is crucial to notice that the event is told by three of Jesus followers, Matthew, Mark, and John, who are all named in the Bible.In Jesus earthly career, Luke was not a disciple of Jesus, thus his gospel does not include any references to Jesus walking on water. 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. 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. All this receives further confirmation when we consider that in Scripture, the sea tends to symbolize sin, death, and judgment. [26] In the Hebrew Bible, God gives power over the sea, e.g. The miracles of Jesus are miraculous deeds attributed to Jesus in Christian and Islamic texts. 9 Christians You Don't Want to Sit Beside on Sunday Morning, 7 Ways Anxiety Dominates the Christian Mind, 7 Tests to See if Your Worship Is Truly Christian or Pagan. In the book of Exodus, I AM was the name God revealed to His people just before He rescued them from slavery. (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. This is not a God who is unaware of our fears, failures, and faults. He does not let us drown for a little while until we get our act together. Matt. Because the Bible only mentions 5,000 males, and not women or children, I believe there are more than 5,000. This indicates that the narrative of Jesus walking on water has been recorded by three different eyewitnesses, which lends credibility to the storys truthfulness.This is crucial since walking on water is considered a miracle by many people.Why did Jesus choose to walk on water?What exactly does it mean? When Jesus glanced out across the lake, he noticed that it was extremely windy, as if a storm had swept in. Some scholars would question how early the empty tomb story is. This is all the more remarkable given that Johns account is the shortest by far (86 words in Greek compared with 139 in Mark and 186 in Matthew). Author, coach, and speaker Danielle Bernock is an international award-winning author, coach, and speaker who specializes in assisting individuals in embracing their worth and healing their hearts through the power of Gods love.A Bird Named Payn, A Bird Named Payn, Loves Manifesto, and Because You Matter are among the books she has authored, and she also hosts the Victorious Souls Podcast.Danielle has been a committed disciple of Christ for many years. [7], In all three accounts, after Jesus got into the ship, the wind ceased and they reached the shore. 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. Policy Regarding Personal Information The information on this page was last updated on January 4, 2022. In view of all this, it seems that John wants the reader to see the crossing of the Sea of Galilee as a symbolic fulfillment of the crossing of the Red Sea in the exodus/Passover narrative. 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. They said, It is a ghost! and they cried out in fear. All of this has no bearing on my view of the mechanism of creation. sea-symbolism in the Old Testament. There is a parallel in Johns gospel as well. 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. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the narrative will recall that Jesus multiplied enough bread and fish to feed a huge crowdand there were plenty of leftovers to go around.Besides providing what they need, he went above and above to deliver what they desired, which was more than enough!But thats exactly what Jesus does: He struts his stuff!Not only were all of His miracles for our advantage, but they were also for His benefit.He was well aware of who He was. Doug Ponder is pastor of teaching and discipleship at Remnant Church in Richmond, Va., and a content editor for the International Mission Board. 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. After seminary, I came to disdain such interpretations, thinking that they had missed the true meaning of the text. 5:21; Heb. In Isaiah 57:20, the sea is said to symbolize wickedness, since its constant waves stir up mire and dirt. Some of Jesus followers are fishermen who are accustomed to being on the Sea of Galilee at the time of his death. The episode occurs shortly after another miracle, the feeding of the 5,000.This event convinced the 12 disciples that Jesus is indeed the living Son of God.Thus, the story is extremely significant to Christians and the basis for several important life lessons that govern . What made you lose your nerve like that?" And this is his clue to the meaning of all that follows. Stand firm and see the Lords salvation that he will accomplish for you today (Ex. John's Gospel specifies that they were five or six kilometers away from their departure point. Its only me here, so take it easy. Do not be alarmed. Now, in Marks story, Peter does not appear to have gotten out of the boat at all (Mark 6:47-51). This event convinced the 12 disciples that Jesus is indeed the living Son of God. And here in John 6:1621, Jesus stands above the sea as One with authority over it all. The Bible recorded only one instance when Jesus walked on water. Copy. Then, Walking on the sea is linked with the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament. Jesus is not oblivious to the spiritual or physical needs of His people. Why Do We Need to Be Crucified with Christ? [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). (Matthew 8:2). 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. [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. & The Ministry and Life of Christ. (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). In Mark 6:45, Jesus instructed them to travel to Bethsaida, which is roughly seven miles south of Tabgha, despite the fact that the winds were blowing them south to Gennesa. 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. Walking on the water The earliest description we have of this event is found in Mark's Gospel. But what about the Red Sea crossing, which was a massive migration event in its own right?There is a similarity between this and the gospel of John.The Johannine narrative of Jesus walking on water, in addition to the obvious similarities to the Exodus in John 6, also makes four references to the seaa number that is more than any other account in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).This is even the more astonishing when you consider that Johns account is by far the shortest (86 words in Greek compared with 139 in Mark and 186 in Matthew).Furthermore, John refers to the sea four more times in the same chapter, both before and after the crossing of the Sea of Galilee by Jesus and his disciples (John 6:1, 22, 25).To the contrary, none of the other authors mentions the sea either before or after Jesus walks on its surface water. English Standard Version The story of Jesus walking on water is retold in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John; it is not in the Gospel of Luke. Like all apocalyptic literature, his function is to comfort a community in need. 711). You have such a small amount of faith, Jesus responded. Because Jesus desired the people who were following Him about to think that He was the Son of God, he went to such far as to kill himself.The only way to do this was by the performance of divine trickery, sometimes known as miracles.Because of this, He performed every miraclein order for us to realize He was real!He would have been easily dismissed as one of the most insane guys who ever lived if it werent for the miracles He performed.It is His ability to do miracles that distinguishes Him as God in the flesh!His miracles were so impressive that He even warned the legalistic Jews who were attempting to stone Him, If you dont accept what Im saying, at the very least believe me based on my miracles (see John 10:31-39). After teaching a large crowd of people who had gathered around him, Jesus sent the disciples off by boat to return to Bethsaida while he went up on the mountain to pray (Mk 6:34-46). He was Messiah. After feeding the 5,000, Jesus Christ sent his disciples on ahead of him in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. Soon doubt started forming in his mind. Oral tradition, according to Meier, is intertwined with references to the Old Testament (Jesus' answer "I am" is in accordance with the vision of Jesus as Yahweh of the Early Church) and post-resurrection perceptions. Derrett, 1981). Jesus Walks on Water Bible Story Study Guide. After rowing against the wind for most of the night, the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water. with he walked on the SEA, and went into a learned discourse about Only John's account has their ship immediately reach the shore. 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). All we are left with is the evidence of Gods work through his natural cause, the historical record of what happened and the natural laws of the environment within which it occurred. So we ask again the question: Well, I am a scientist, someone who certainly takes an evolutionary view of creation, who is skeptical of intelligent design, and yet claims to be an orthodox evangelical Christian let me take a stab at this. The miraculous feat of Jesus walking on the water, written in three of the Gospels, came right after His wondrous feeding of the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish ( Matthew 14:17 ). 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. 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 text doesnt say it died down a bit. Following Jesus dismissal of the throng, he spent some time alone on a hilltop praying. He walked on water so that we may know Him as the incarnate God and glorify Him as so. 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. 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. These three instances reveal Jesus care for His people by supplying their every need. 18:1518). Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Thus the reasons for the lack of recognition. Despite this, he was able to walk on water like the Son of God!Why?!How? So what was Jesus motivation for walking on water? And we know that He can do this, because Christ tells us who He is. 17:17; John 2:112). Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/jesus-walks-on-water-700220. And He is inviting us in with a warm smile and a hand held out in the air, as if to say, Come. Peter was able to concentrate for a short period of time. 1 Pet 2:1) was found in His mouth.23] Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he . Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, and John 6:16-21 all record an eyewitness testimony of this miracle. Instead of being terrible and punitive, however, the signs Jesus performs are gracious and restorative (John 6:2, 11). He walked on top of the water in the middle of a raging storm. 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. He called out to Jesus for help. 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. 24 But the boat was now in the midst of the sea, distressed by the waves; for the wind was contrary. (Moses could only draw water from the rock, while Jesus could draw wine from the rock, the stone jars; see Ex. His belief in the resurrection of Jesus is based on a vision of the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. It is, in fact, I.Do not be alarmed. When he joined them in the boat, the wind began to drop down.Mark 6:49-50 is an example of a parable.Because He needed to go to the other side of the lake, the quick answer to the title of todays devotional is: because He needed to get there! The same Peter that sunk in fear, and later denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:31-35), is the same Peter that started the church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-42). / In every high and stormy gale / My anchor holds within the veil. Storms, on the other hand, might rage for days on end with no sign of abating. The allusion to the apostle Peter walking on water is not present in the gospels of Mark and John, on the other hand. Got Questions Ministries is a trademark of Got Questions Ministries, Inc., registered in the state of California in the year 2002. 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