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Jesus walks on the water toward
the helpless disciples. Despite Peter
questioning Jesus’s identity and
betraying his faith in the process,
Jesus saves His servants.See also: Demons and the Herd of Pigs 224–25 ■ Feeding the 5,000 228–31 ■
Peter’s Denial 256–57 ■ The Empty Tomb 268–69THE GOSPELS
they are terrified, because they
believe the figure is an apparition.
Jesus calls out to them to calm
them down, but Peter asks Jesus
to command him to come. When
Jesus calls for Peter, Peter climbs
out of the boat and starts walking
on the water toward Jesus. When
Peter’s faith wavers, he begins to
sink, but Jesus rescues him.The Gospel writers vary slightly in
the way they tell the story of this
particular miracle. According to
Matthew 14, Peter walks on the
water in response to Jesus’s one-
word command, “Come,” before
his faith fails him. The focus of the
story as told in Mark 6:47–51 and
John 6:16–21 differs from that of
Matthew: in those Gospels, only
Jesus is shown to walk on water.Messages in the miracle
There are two important points to
note in this particular miracle. One
is the lesson the disciples learn
when Jesus comes to save them
from the stormy waters. The
message is universal: Jesus will
always be there for His followers at
the times when He is needed themost. Jesus helps the disciples to
go safely to their destination, and
they hail Him as the Son of God.
It is also significant that Jesus is
shown as having the power to walk
on water. In the Old Testament,
this ability is described as being
unique to God. Genesis 6–7 and 9
and Exodus 14:21 and 15:8 all state
clearly that only God has power
over the seas. This fact is also
confirmed by Job 9:8, which states:
“He alone ... treads on the waves of
the sea.” Jesus's ability to walk on
water is therefore proof of His close
relationship to God. ■Flawed faith
Although Peter steps out onto
the water, his faith is not
strong enough to overcome
his fear. This is not the only
time Peter loses faith in Jesus.
As Jesus accurately predicts
on the Mount of Olives
immediately after the Last
Supper, “this night, before the
rooster crows, you will disown
Me three times” (Matthew 26:
69–75). Fear and frailty usurp
Peter’s faith—but he learns
from these moments to go
on to become a pillar of the
early Christian Church.
His three denials of Christ
are counterbalanced by his
three declarations of love
after Jesus’s resurrection.
There are many examples
of flawed faith in the Bible.
The prophet Jonah fails to
go to the Ninevites and tell
them to repent. Instead, he
flees through fear and because
he does not think they deserve
to be forgiven (Jonah 1:1–3).
Just as Jesus rescues Peter,
Jonah is forgiven by God.
In renewed faith there
is redemption—these stories
show that it is never too late
to return to God.Immediately Jesus
reached out his hand
and caught him. “You
of little faith,” He said,
“why did you doubt?”
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