Walking on Water
Matthew 14:22-33
Today, We come to another familiar story in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus walking on the water. Which would be so utterly amazing to us, had we not heard the story many times over. This episode in the life of Jesus has left its impression on the mind of the world. Still today, we describe someone who is very gifted or successful as “able to walk on water.” But we mean the phrase only metaphorically. No one can literally walk on water. But Jesus did. And the point of the whole episode comes at the end when the disciples worship Jesus saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33).
We said last time that this section of the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 14-17, focuses on Jesus training His disciples for kingdom ministry. Jesus does many miracles in this section, but these miracles have less to do with proving Himself to the crowds, and far more to do with Jesus teaching the twelve. We saw this last time as Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus wants to do kingdom ministry through His disciples. So He pressed them to the end of themselves and their resources to reveal that kingdom ministry must be done according to His will and in His power.
Now, Jesus gives His disciples another hands-on ministry learning session. This lesson also will bring the twelve to the end of themselves. They find themselves tormented by the waves and the wind against them (Matt. 14:24). The Gospel of Mark tells us that when Jesus finally joined them in the boat, “… they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:51-52).
They didn’t learn the lesson Jesus was trying to teach them when He fed the five thousand. So now, He is teaching them again. Jesus wants to grow their faith in Him. And one of the ways Jesus grows our faith is through difficult circumstances. In those trials, we learn things about God’s love and power that we would never understand in any other way. Sometimes, the Lord puts us in difficult situations so we will learn to trust Him more.
So first we see…
1. The disciple’s problem (Matt. 14:22-24)
Here’s the setting. It’s late in the day (Matt. 14:14). Jesus has just performed the great miracle of feeding the multitude—5000 men, plus women and children—with five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:13-21). The Gospel of John tells us that the crowd was so enthralled by this miracle that “they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king” (John 6:15). But Jesus, knowing that their enthusiasm is shallow, refuses them. The Lord knew that their motives were not spiritual and that their purposes were out of God’s will. Instead, Matthew 14:22 tells us, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.” When it says Jesus made them get into the boat, the verb means He compelled or drove the disciples. Jesus got them out of there forcefully and quickly. If the disciples had stayed, they would likely have fallen in with the plans of the crowd for a popular uprising. But that was not Jesus’ plan.
He sent them “to the other side” of the lake away from the crowds and their superficial enthusiasm. Matthew 14:23 tells us, “And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.” Jesus went up alone into the mountain on the eastern side of the lake to pray, to commune with His Father. The masses were wild with enthusiasm and the disciples misunderstood Him. The Father alone was what Jesus longed for at this time.
Meanwhile, what are the twelve doing? They are in a boat on the lake, and Matthew 14:24 says, “But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” It should have been a short boat ride across the northwestern corner of the lake. They started in the evening, perhaps hoping to get to their destination before it got too dark. But now, they are “in the middle of the sea”, a long way from land, and not at all where they intended to be. Their little fishing boat was “tossed by the waves” because the wind had kicked up and was against them. Imagine trying to row against the wind on a storm-tossed sea in the middle of the night! They have been straining at the oars for hours (Mark 6:48).
And the worst part? Jesus is not with them. Back in Matthew 8, they had also been on the in a boat in a storm on the sea. The boat was being covered by the waves and the disciples thought they were about to perish. But Jesus was with them, asleep in the boat. When they woke Him, desperately calling out, “Lord, save us!”, Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm (Matt. 8:23-27). But this time, they are alone. Maybe they are thinking, “if only Jesus were here, He could rebuke the wind and calm the sea!” But there they are, alone, blown off course, exhausted, and buffeted by the waves on the sea.
And why are they there? Jesus sent them there. No doubt, Jesus knew a storm was brewing. He knew the torment they would face on the sea. They were in this storm because they were obedient to Jesus. As we read our Bibles, we discover that two kinds of storms: storms of correction, when God disciplines us; and storms of perfection, when God helps us to grow. Jonah was in a storm because he disobeyed God and had to be corrected. The disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Christ and had to be perfected. MacArthur writes, “Jesus knew of their situation long before it happened, and He did not have to rush away from prayer in order to be on time to help. The storm and the disciples were equally in His hands, and He knew in advance exactly what He would do with both.”[1]
They are in Jesus’ spiritual boot camp. He is training them in faith. Adrian Rodgers says, “Jesus is an unusual teacher. He gives the test first and the lesson afterward.”[2] Jesus sat upon the mountain in prayer for hours—perhaps occasionally looking up to see how, off in the distance, the disciples were rowing frantically and fighting against the winds; and yet, did nothing to change the winds in their favor. Matthew tells us that it grew to be the fourth watch of the night (Matt. 14:25), which would have made it about three or four in the morning.
Jesus deliberately sent them off on a journey that He knew would prove very frustrating to them, and that would drain them of all their own personal resources. Why did He not come to them sooner? Jesus’ seeming delay was not due to indifference or inability. As remarkable as it may seem, I believe it was because Jesus wanted them to first exhaust themselves of every resource of their own. He did this so He could then illustrate to them—and to us—that He is far above those things that frustrate us. That He is with us and in control of all things even when we cannot see Him. He wants to build our faith in Him.
Which brings us to point 2…
2. Jesus’ presence (Matt. 14:25-27)
Matthew 14:25 says, “Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.” What a wonderful statement! “Jesus went to them.” He knew their need and He came. Spurgeon wrote, “Jesus is sure to come. The night wears on and the darkness thickens … He comes in the teeth of the wind, and on the face of the wave. Never fear that He will fail to reach the storm-tossed [boat]: His love will find the way. Whither it be to a single disciple, or to the church as a whole, Jesus will appear in His own chosen hour, and His time is sure to be the most timely.”
Jesus comes, “walking on the sea”, demonstrating His power over nature and His own true nature as the Son of God. In the Old Testament only God walked on the water and had power over the sea. Job 9:8 says of God: “He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea.” And so by this miracle Jesus was showing that he is truly God. Later on, the disciples will acknowledge this when they worship Him in the boat saying: “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matt. 14:33).
Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples who He is and what He can do with them when they trust Him. I believe that’s what Jesus was doing with the disciples. And I believe that’s what He often does with us. In order to teach us about His own sufficiency in our lives, He will often send us off in a direction that He knows will frustrate us—into a situation that will take us to the end of ourselves and leave us feeling as if we’re getting nowhere. And then, Jesus comes, walking above it all. He sends us into the storm because He loves us and knows how bad it is for us to rely on our own strength and resources. He wants to wean us of our trust in ourselves, and to learn to trust Him alone.
But in their struggling faith, the disciples don’t recognize Jesus right away. Matthew 14:26 says, “And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out for fear.” Matthew tells us that they were “troubled”; but I suspect that was something of an understatement. It didn’t register to them that it was Jesus walking toward them. Rather, as Matthew tells us, they were saying, “It’s a phantasma”—a ghost; some unearthly, inhuman apparition. No man could do what they were seeing. And if it isn’t a man, what is it? Matthew tells us that “they cried out for fear”.
Why did they not recognize Jesus? The answer is they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. The point is this: fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.[3]
Notice the contrast. The disciples are terrified. Jesus is calm. I don’t know what that scene looked like, but I don’t picture Jesus walking upon the water with great difficulty—as if He were struggling to keep His balance. I doubt He was leaping from wave to wave like a broad-jumper. No, He was just walking, calmly walking. As the wind was blowing and the waves were raging all around Him, He walked in the midst of it all with perfect calmness and peace. When He detected the fear in His disciples over the sight of Him coming, He immediately spoke to them and said, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” (Matt. 14:27).
First, He says, “Be of good cheer”—that is, take courage. We can take courage and be of good cheer—no matter what the troubling circumstances—because of what He says next: “It is I”. Literally, this is the Greek version of God telling Moses in Exodus 3:14 that His name is “I AM.” Jesus identifies Himself with the God who in the Old Testament miraculously delivered His people again and again. It’s not just that Jesus is saying, “Don’t worry. It’s me. I’m not a ghost.” It’s His way of saying, “I am the Lord God of the universe. I created the wind and the waves and I sent the storm.” We could never be of good cheer if it wasn’t Him. but because He is God and is always near, we can always be of good cheer—even in the most fearful of circumstances. And finally, He commands us, “Do not be afraid.” We can truly abandon all fear. We can truly be at peace. The circumstances are all in His mighty hands.
Now when Mark and John wrote about this in their Gospels, the Holy Spirit led them to end the story with Jesus entering the boat. But Matthew goes on to tell us about something else that happened before then.
Which brings us to…
3. Jesus’ provision (Matt. 14:28-32)
Matthew tells us that Peter said, “Lord, if it is You . . .”. Isn’t that interesting? Was Peter unsure? Perhaps he was unsure. He was seeing a man walking on the water, after all. But I suspect that Peter thought there was one way to be sure it was Jesus; and that was by walking on water to Him at His command. And so, he said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” (Matt. 14:28).
Peter was not putting Jesus to the test, something we are told not to do (Matt. 4:7). Instead, he was the only one in the boat who reacted in faith. His impulsive request led him to experience an unusual demonstration of God’s power. Jesus’ presence in the storm caused Peter to exercise a fearless faith. Peter overcame his fear and attempted the impossible. But notice that he did so only with Jesus’ command to come. Notice also that he asked only to do what Jesus was doing.
Peter had spent a lot of time in boats out at sea. He may not have known too many things, but he knew better than to try stepping out of the boat unless Jesus commanded him to do so! And so, the Lord said, “Come”; and Peter threw one leg over and on to the water, then the other, and soon he was walking on the water toward Jesus. We may be tempted to criticize Peter a bit for his lack of faith in this story; but it’s important to point out that—at least—he got out of the boat while the others stayed in! That took more faith than most of us would exercise. Most of us would stay in the boat and wait for Jesus to come to us!
Now, as long as Peter’s eyes were fixed on Jesus, he did fine. He walked on water. But the fact is that Peter turned his gaze from Jesus. Matthew 14:30 says, “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’” The moment he began to focus instead on the wind that was blowing, and on the waves that were thrashing around him—in other words, the moment he focused on the circumstances rather than on Him who walked above them all—Peter began to sink.
He prayed a simple prayer, but a great prayer: “Lord, save me!” And Matthew writes, “And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”” (Matt. 14:31). “You of little faith” comes out to four words. But in the Greek Jesus only used one word: “Little-faith.” It’s a title or a nickname. Jesus called Peter “Little-Faith.” “Little-faith, why did you doubt?” He was not rebuking Peter for attempting too much, but for trusting too little.
And one of the details that I love the most about this story is found in the fact that Matthew tells us that “they” got back to the boat (Matt. 14:32). Jesus didn’t just leave Peter in the water, nor did Jesus walk back to the boat, dragging Peter under the water behind Him. I believe that Jesus raised Peter up and they walked together. As soon as our Lord and Peter got back into the boat, “the wind ceased” (Matt. 14:32). Once again, Jesus confirmed to them who He is—that He is the Lord who has authority over even the winds and the waves.
Ray Fowler points out some lessons we can learn from Peter here.[4] First, there is the lesson of faith. When you trust Jesus, God can do through you the most amazing and marvelous things. Then, there is the lesson of focus. Faith is keeping your eyes on Jesus. Don’t lose your focus! Keep your eyes on Jesus, not on your problems. And then thirdly, there is the lesson of forgiveness. God loves and forgives you even when you fail. Even when you lose faith, even when you lose focus, you just need to call out: “Lord, save me!”, and Jesus is right there to help you back into the boat.
The main point of the whole episode comes now at the end …
4. The disciple’s praise (Matt. 14:33)
Matthew 14:33 says, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly, You are the Son of God’” Matthew DOESN’T say “They thanked Him saying, “We would have died without You.” Matthew says they “worshiped Him.” Though they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord. And so, for the first time in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ disciples confess that He is the Son of God. Their worship is joined to their confession.
Jesus is the promised Messiah and the disciples recognize and declare His deity. There is no other way possible that Jesus could have done what He did, because it was more than just a demonstration of His divine power, but also of His divine love and care for the disciples. The proper response to Jesus is to worship Him.
Let’s remember who Jesus is and worship Him. Let’s remember that, in our times of frustration, in our times of fear, and even in our times of weak faith, He is the Son of God. He is in control of all of life’s circumstances. He comes to us walking on the water. Let’s listen to His voice, lovingly, compassionately calling out to us in those tough times—in the times of frustration, or fear, or weak faith—and saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I: do not be afraid.” Let’s be very sure that we keep our focus on this One who walks above it all.
As we do, we will be ‘walking on the water’ with Him.
I wonder, have you believed that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you worship Him? Has He saved you from your sin and yourself? Are you walking by faith with Jesus? Here’s what Jesus says to you, “Come!”
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[1] John MacArthur, New Testament Commentary-Matthew, Moody Publishers, p. 439.
[2] Adrian Rodgers, quoted on https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-14-commentary#14:24
[3] Got Questions, What was the meaning of Jesus walking on water?, https://www.gotquestions.org/walking-on-water.html
[4] Ray Fowler, https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/when-the-going-gets-tough/
