A.One of the notable miracles performed by our Lord is the occasion when He walked on the waters of the Sea of Galilee.
B.Let us consider the various accounts of these events and glean some valuable lessons and applications for ourselves.
II.THE EVENTS
A.The timeframe of these events was near the end of Christ’s Galilean ministry.
1.Jesus began His Galilean ministry about one year after He was baptized by John.
2.His ministry was met with a growing popularity among the people and a growing hostility from the leaders (Matt. 12).
3.Later in His Galilean ministry, Jesus selected his twelve apostles (Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16), and He sent them on a limited commission to preach and perform miracles (Matt. 10; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6).
B.On the day before Jesus walked on the water, He had attempted to withdraw Himself and His apostles to a quiet place, but the multitudes followed.
1.When the apostles returned from their preaching journey and reported to Jesus, He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while” (Mark 6:30-31).
a.At this point, the activity surrounding Jesus and His apostles must have been exhausting.Mark 6:31 says, “For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.”
b.This commotion around Jesus had even led to Herod hearing of the name of Jesus (Matt. 14:1-2; Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7-9).
c.Jesus also wished to withdraw from the crowds due to the news of John’s murder (Matt. 14:12-13).
2.Jesus and the apostles travelled by boat to a place called Bethsaida, but the multitudes anticipated them and arrived there before them (Matt. 14:13-14; Mark 6:32-33; Luke 9:10-11).
a.When Jesus came ashore and saw the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, taught them, and healed their sick (Matt. 14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11).
b.It was on this occasion when the Lord fed 5,000 men along with the women and children with only five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:15-21; Mark 6:35-44; Luke 9:12-17).
C.At evening, Jesus sent His apostles across the Sea of Galilee by boat while He went to pray alone (Matt. 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46).
1.In this time of chaos, Jesus sought solace with His Father through prayer.
a.This was a turning point in the Lord’s ministry.
i.John’s work was done.John had said, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
ii.The multitudes whom Jesus had fed sought to make Him their king (John 6:15), but soon they would turn against Him (John 6:60-66).
b.It was Christ’s habit to pray to His Father at times like this and always.
2.Meanwhile, the apostles were battling against the contrary winds and waves on the sea.
a.They had strained at the oars due to the wind and waves for hours, for it was the fourth watch of the night (3-6AM, Matt. 14:25; Mark 6:48).
b.They had made a distance of 25 or 30 stadia, which is about 3 or 4 miles away from the shore (Matt. 14:24; John 6:19).
D.In the darkness of night, Jesus came to His apostles walking on the water.
1.Jesus intended to pass by the apostles, but they cried out when they saw Him, supposing that He was a ghost (Matt. 14:25-26; Mark 6:48-50).
a.Some Jews believed in spiritual apparitions.
b.They considered such things to be omens of evil.
2.Therefore, Jesus calmed their fears.
a.The Lord announced, “Take courage it is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14: 27; Mark 6:50; John 6:20).
b.Matthew recorded how Peter boldly answered Jesus (Matt. 14:28-31).
i.Peter said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
ii.When Jesus said, “Come,” Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.
iii.However, when Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink.Jesus took hold of Peter’s hand and saved him.Jesus rebuked Peter for his doubt.
c.After this, Jesus entered the boat with the apostles, and immediately the winds and the waves stopped (Matt. 14:32-33; Mark 6:51-52; John 6:21).
d.At this, the apostles were astonished and declared that Jesus must be God’s Son (Matt. 14:33; Mark 6:51-52; notice that Mark says they had learned nothing from the previous day because their hearts were hardened).
III.THE LESSONS
A.Lesson #1 – “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
1.In the Great Commission, Jesus said to His apostles, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).They have passed this promise on to us.
2.When Jesus is with you, nothing can harm your soul.
a.When we realize who Jesus is – the Son of God who has all authority from the Father, who has all power and judgment, who loves us and gave Himself for us – then all of our fears of anything or anyone else should disappear.
b.Notice Hebrews 13:5-6 – “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.What will man do to me?’”
c.Notice Matthew 10:28 – “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
B.Lesson #2 – “Lord, if it is You, command me…”
1.When we recognize that Jesus is Lord, then we must seek to do His will by His authority.
a.The term “Lord” is more than just a title.It is a description of one who has authority over us to command us and rule us.
b.When our Lord speaks, we must receive Him with the attitude of Isaiah (Isa. 6:8).
i.The Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”
ii.Isaiah responded by saying, “Here am I.Send me!”
2.Today, the Lord directs us by way of the Scriptures.
a.Notice 2Timothy 3:16-17 – “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
b.We can and must do everything the Scriptures direct us to do by the authority of our Lord Jesus who grants to us “everything pertaining to life and godliness” (2Pet. 1:3).
C.Lesson #3 – “And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
1.A Christian can do great things through the Lord Jesus.
a.The wisdom, power, and providence of Christ make it possible for Christians to succeed beyond their expectations (see Eph. 3:20).
b.Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).
2.Peter walked on the water.What can you do?
a.Can you tell others about Christ (Matt. 28:18-20)?
b.Can you be faithful until death (Rev. 2:10)?
D.Lesson #4 – “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
1.As long as Peter focused on the Lord, he successfully walked on the water.However, when he became distracted with the wind and waves, he failed in doubt.
2.Likewise, as long as we focus on Christ, we will succeed in our faith, but when we turn our attention to other things, we will fail.
a.When a Christian’s attention is divided between Christ and the world, then he becomes double-minded and doubtful (see Jas. 1:6-8; 4:8).
b.A double-minded Christian always fails because his faith in Christ, which is the key to his success, is compromised and unstable.
3.Do you allow the world that rages around you to take your focus off the Lord?
