Mar 21, 2021
Scripture Reading: John 6:14-21
As if the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 is not astounding enough, Matthew, Mark, and John all follow up the account of that miracle with another breathtaking display of power and authority. This is the miracle of Jesus walking on the water.
Jesus deliberately sent His disciples away in a boat at night (cf. Mt 14:22; Mk 6:45). It is not stretching the story to say that Christ not only knew there would be a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee that night, but that He generated the storm.
Then, in the middle of the night, perhaps at the height of the terror of the disciples, Jesus came to them walking on the surface of the water. Jesus is He through whom all things were created (cf. Jn 1:3). It was as easy for Christ to suspend the natural laws governing the molecular structure of water and gravity as it was for Him to put those laws in place.
The primary purpose for this wondrous display of Jesus' power was the deepening of the faith of the disciples. To Peter, who briefly also walked on the water, Jesus said, "O you of little faith" (Mt 14:31). Mark connects the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 with the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. Citing the astonishment (and prior fear) of the disciples he says, "they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened" (Mk 6:52).
The miracles of Jesus point to the nature of His being. When we deeply grasp the power and authority and wisdom and mercy of Christ, our faith is deeper and our fears increasingly dissipate. How restful our minds and hearts are when we trust in our Savior to watch over us and design for us everything for our good (cf. Rom 8:28,32).