Matthew 14:22-33, Jesus Walks on the Water

22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Comments

Only Matthew describes Jesus’ solitary prayer here and in Gethsemane. Why did Jesus need to get away and pray alone? Perhaps he needed to reflect on the enthusiasm of the Galilean crowd after the miraculous feeding and what his next steps would be.

From the middle of the Sea of Galilee, the disciples watch something physically impossible. Before, Jesus had multiplied bread, now he reverses basic physics, walking on the water, eliciting fear from his disciples. In the presence of Jesus, however, fear can be dismissed. “It is I” is an expression used by Jesus at other moments of revelation and is an echo of the Divine Name in Exodus 3:14, connecting the one who has power over the sea with the one who created it.

Peter would not walk on the water unless it was in agreement with Jesus’ will. In this account, we learn that walking on water depends on faith. The story teaches us an example of true faith that did not survive a crisis. The disciples groped for words to adequately describe Jesus, knowing that he was more than an ordinary man whom they needed to worship.

Prayer

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(BCP, p. 232)