Jesus Walks on Water

Immediately after the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while He dismissed the crowd. After sending the people away, Jesus went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. He spent the entire evening and night in communion with His Father, seeking solitude after the intense day of ministry and the emotional news of John the Baptist's death.

Meanwhile, the disciples were in the boat, struggling against the wind and waves. The Sea of Galilee was known for sudden, violent storms, and on this night a strong wind had risen against them. By the fourth watch of the night—between 3 and 6 a.m.—they had only made it halfway across the lake, despite rowing for hours. They were exhausted, fighting against forces beyond their control.

As dawn approached, the disciples saw something that terrified them even more than the storm: a figure walking on the water toward them. In their fear and exhaustion, they thought it was a ghost and cried out in terror. But immediately Jesus called out to them, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' His voice cut through their fear with the reassuring truth of His presence.

Peter, always impulsive and passionate, called out, 'Lord, if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water.' Jesus simply said, 'Come.' Peter got out of the boat and began walking on the water toward Jesus—the only human besides Jesus ever recorded as walking on water. For those miraculous moments, Peter did the impossible because his eyes were fixed on Jesus.

But then Peter made a crucial mistake: he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the wind and waves around him. Immediately he began to sink and cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Jesus reached out His hand and caught him, saying, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' It was a gentle rebuke mixed with rescue. Jesus didn't let Peter drown, but He did point out that Peter's sinking wasn't caused by the storm's strength but by his wavering faith.

When Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the wind died down completely. The other disciples were utterly amazed, and they worshiped Jesus, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.' This miracle revealed Jesus' divine nature in multiple ways: His power over the natural world, His ability to do what only God can do, and His willingness to save those who cry out to Him in their sinking moments.