JESUS WALK ON WATER

Jesus knew that the people who followed Him, wanted Him to be a King, and they wanted to take Him against His will to do so. But that wasn't the kind of King Jesus was meant to be, so He sent His disciples back across the Sea of Galilee, while He sent the multitudes away who had just eaten the HEAVENLY bread and fish and went into a mountain Himself alone to pray. It was evening now, and dark, as the disciples sailed toward Capernaum and Jesus hadn't returned to them yet.

Back in Bible times, people didn't have clocks or wrist watches to keep time with. The Israelites used two twelve hour periods to make up one of our 24 hour modern days. The first was called the day, from what we know as 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the second was called the night, from what we know as 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. So if someone said it was the third hour of the night, back then, it would mean 9 p.m. Jesus died on the cross in the 9th hour of the day (Matthew 27:46) which is 3:00 p.m. Also the night was divided into "watches" for different kinds of duties, and with that we'll get back to our story.

Along about the fourth watch of the night (probably near morning), with the disciples ship in the middle of the sea, the wind picked up and was tossing them around. Jesus saw them struggling with the wind blowing against them as they rowed, and when they had gone about 3½ miles, Jesus went out to them walking on the water. Now put yourself in the disciples sandals for a minute. You're in the middle of the sea. The wind is throwing your ship around and you've been diligently trying to row your way across, when all of a sudden you see someone walking on the water! Well, they'd never seen or heard anything like it before and their first reaction was fear. As He got closer, they thought it was a spirit and they cried out, but Jesus said, Be happy ... It's me, don't be afraid. What a relief that must have been!

So, Peter boldly says to Jesus, Lord, if that's really you, tell me to walk out to you on the water. Jesus said, Come. And when Peter stepped out of the ship. He walked on the water to go to Jesus, but when he realized that the wind was strong, his fear overtook him and he began to sink. He yelled out, Lord, save me! Immediately, Jesus reached out His hand and caught him and said, O you with little faith, why did you doubt?

Doubt is something that hinders us from doing so many things. Why? Because it's the opposite of faith. You may think, I believe in the Lord, it's myself that I doubt. To that, I say to you, doesn't the Lord have the power to work through you? So, in turn, are you not doubting in the Lord as well? Next time you're inclined to doubt about something, pull a fast one on that negative spirit of doubt and instead tell yourself, With the Holy Spirit of God working through me, I can certainly do anything (Philippians 4:13)! Without a doubt, you will get better results. Okay, now back to the story.

Jesus and Peter got into the ship and the wind suddenly stopped. Then it "dawned" on the disciples, what Jesus had done with the loaves a few short hours earlier. They were ashamed that their hearts were hardened when it was actually happening and they didn't realize at the time, how great a miracle it was. They were amazed and worshipped Jesus, saying, You're truly the Son of God.

That's happened to all of us at one time or another hasn't it? We've taken God for granted and failed to see His greatness. It's a terrible feeling when we realize it and repentance is really the only way to fix it. It happened to the disciples too. Praise God for His Grace and the forgiveness He gives us over and over again when we fall, then the only thing that can put our Humpty Dumpty selves back together again, is His hand.

Once Jesus got into the ship and the wind had calmed down, they immediately found themselves at Gennesaret where they were headed. When they got out of the ship, people recognized Him right away. People of the whole region started to carry people who were sick on their beds to where they heard Jesus was. In all the villages or cities or country, they brought Him all the people who were diseased and begged Him to touch even the hem of His clothing and whoever touched Him was perfectly healed.

Back in Bethsaida the people saw that there was no other boat there when the disciples left alone without Jesus the night before. When they saw that Jesus wasn't there and the disciples hadn't returned either, they sailed to the other side looking for Him. When they found Him, they asked, Rabbi, how did you get here? Jesus answered them in a parable, saying, Truly I tell you, You don't look for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Don't work so hard for the meat that perishes, but for the meat that lasts forever, which the Son of man will give to you, because God the Father has sealed Him.

Jesus was telling them that they not only saw, but believed the miracles that Jesus worked, because they ate the bread and were filled. But He was also saying that it was the Word of God that they were filled with before the miracle of the loaves, and not to desire things that are temporal, but for things that are everlasting. And those things, my friends, come from Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Our Walk on Water Bible study on the Jesus walk on water Bible story reveals that we need to hold on tight to our faith during our own storms which we encounter on the Christian walk.

CONTINUE TO NEXT STUDY