Jesus Walks on Water

After discussing several scriptures of the New Testament, our group decided to write our paper on Jesus walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33). This is the story were Jesus after feeding the 5000 sends the disciples ahead of him across the Sea of Galilee where they encounter a storm. It was out there in the storm where Peter experiences his true test of faith. It was the miracle of Jesus walking on the water that convinced the disciples that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

Directly after Jesus feeding the five thousand he insisted on his disciples' getting aboard their boat and going on ahead to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while he himself sent the crowds home. And when he had sent them away he went up the hill-side quite alone, to pray. When it grew late he was there by himself while the boat was by now a long way from the shore at the mercy of the waves, for the wind was dead against them. In the small hours Jesus went out to them, walking on the water of the lake. When the disciples caught sight of him walking on the water they were terrified. "It's a ghost!" they said, and screamed with fear. But at once Jesus spoke to them. "It's all right! It's I myself, don't be afraid!"

"Lord, if it's really you," said Peter, "tell me to come to you on the water." "Come on, then," replied Jesus.

Peter stepped down from the boat and did walk on the water, making for Jesus. But when he saw the fury of the wind he panicked and began to sink, calling out, "Lord save me!" At once Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying, "You little-faith! What made you lose your nerve like that?" Then, when they were both aboard the boat, the wind dropped. The whole crew came and knelt down before Jesus, crying, "You are indeed the Son of God!"(Matthew 14:22-33)

In the bible water has been a symbol of many miraculous events. There was the flood in Genesis killing all and saving Noah and his family, the parting of the Red Sea to save the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, and in Mark Jesus rebukes the turbulent sea and says "Peace" and the sea obeys (4:35-41). Water has been a sign of chaos. "As stated in Job 9:8, 'God alone stretched out the heavens, God alone walked on the waves of Yamm, 'a mythical name for the sea, water, chaos.' Thus in an important sense, our "walking on the sea" miracle story proclaims the belief that Jesus has the God-given powers to subdue chaos, to walk on it when it threatens the lives of others, in this case, his followers."(Grinnell Magazine Haas, 1/29/89)

This miracle was for the 12 disciples aboard the boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. The miracle was to prove that Jesus was truly the Son of God. The second miracle was Peter walking on the water. "Peter doesn't begin to