When Walking on Water, Don’t Get Your Feet Wet (Walking on Water, Part I)

 In Matthew 14, the familiar story of Jesus walking on water is recounted. I’m not going to address Peter’s response to Jesus’ actions here (previously addressed in Walking on Water, Part II). For this post, I am going to focus solely on Jesus. Here’s the backstory. Jesus sent the disciples ahead while he dispersed the crowd and went up into the mountainside to pray. According to Boice (2001), “...Jesus had been praying for six or seven hours and ... the disciples had been rowing for the same length of time” (p. 273). Most likely he was able to observe the disciples’ progress, which presumably was not as significant as it would have been had it not been for a storm that buffeted the boat with waves and wind. Jesus decided to join them and so walked out on the lake to where they were. Okay, let’s just stop here for a moment. Although Matthew does not provide an in-depth account of Jesus’ actions from the mountainside to the boat, let’s infer what the scene might have looked like to a bystander. Jesus walks down the mountainside and begins walking to the water. Imagine watching this as he approaches the waterline and begins to walk on the water. He didn’t start wading out as the water rushed over his feet. No, he stood on the water. 

Now, we know from John’s account that Jesus was susceptible to the laws of nature because he was baptized via submersion. I won’t dwell on that or debate the different interpretations of that sacrament. Suffice it to say that ordinarily Jesus was constrained by the laws of nature. In this particular case, though, he chose to invoke his power and to do so for a specific purpose. He didn’t decide to walk on the water on a whim, nor did he choose that option over swimming. No, Jesus was intentional about each miracle he performed. A topic I will address in a future post is that all miracles point to creation because for us therein lies God. Before creation, we did not know God. Therefore, creation is the focal point of God’s power and majesty. Okay, back to the story. So Jesus decides to join the disciples on the lake even though there is storm, and he does so in a supernatural manner. Pause. When the term supernatural is used, it refers to an event that occurs outside of normal and understood parameters. In essence, the cause of the event is beyond earthly boundaries and human explanation. Effectively Jesus was demonstrating he was in fact God. Hold that thought for a second. 

So, why walking on water? Have you ever wondered about that? Of all the miracles Jesus performed, walking on water is the only one that directly affected him. Therefore, I believe it is unique. Now, before I continue, I see a bunch of hands waving in the back, most of whom belong to non-believers, who doubt the  truthfulness and literal interpretation of the account. A few hands belong to believers, those who accept the Bible and have faith, yet believe there is a reasonable explanation beyond the obvious. Well, to all of you doubters in the room, believer and non-believer alike, I hate to disappoint you, but if you accept that Jesus performed all the miracles the Bible says he did including bringing the dead back to life, you’re just going to have to accept that he did in fact walk on water. Stop looking for a way to explain it. I mention this because over the years scientists have attempted to explain just how Jesus was able to pull off such a feat. One account I read a number of years ago attempted to explain this by indicating that due to cold temperatures there was ice on the lake and that Jesus walked on it, not the water. Rubbish! He walked on the water. Get over it. 

Okay, now that we have addressed that, let’s get back our story. Why? Why walk on water? Up to this point, Jesus healed many people, calmed a storm, cast out demons, and fed the 5,000. The answer is simple really. He walked on water because he could! Yes, that’s right, he walked on the water because he had the power to do so. He is God! Job 9:8 “[God] alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.” In that moment, and in all the miracles he performed, Jesus was demonstrating that he was exactly who he claimed to be, the Son of God! God, and only God, is above creation. Jesus demonstrated that he was God the Creator by walking on water. Arguable all the miracles he performed make this point. However, in this specific incident, Jesus demonstrated that he was literally above his creation by walking on the water. 

To be clear, he walked on the surface of the water. That is, the bottom of his sandals actually made contact with the water. Just trying to imagine that is mind boggling, but it’s true. Jesus strolled out to the disciples on the surface of the water like you and I walk down the street. I firmly believe the bottom of his sandals were wet. Now an important point to make here is that Jesus did not levitate. Because the disciples believed they were seeing a ghost, many have interpreted this account incorrectly. Jesus never levitated. In fact, to my recollection, the only accounts of levitation I have heard were all associated with Satan or demonic possession. It is important for Christians to accept the story at face value and not attempt to explain it in order to understand and accept it. That’s a great mistake we make. We bring God down to our level in order to explain him. It’s a foolhardy attempt to humanize and simplify our creator, who is vast and complex beyond our earthly understanding. 

Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be - the Lord of lords and King of kings. As such, all power, glory, and dominion is his. The earth is his creation, and he is indeed above it. In no way, other than his own choosing by appearing to us in human form, is he constrained by that which came into being with just his spoken word. Jesus walked on the water for the benefit of the disciples (more on that in a later post), the only witnesses to this miracle, so they might believe. As the story progressed, and I noted in Peter, Peter, True Believer, Peter did believe - completely. Had he not, he never would have stepped out in faith. We must step out in faith like Peter and accept the miracle for what it was - the true demonstration of Jesus’ identity - for we are called to be disciples and make disciples of all nations.