Oral tradition, according to Meier, is intertwined with references to the Old Testament (Jesus' answer "I am" is in accordance with the vision of Jesus as Yahweh of the Early Church) and post-resurrection perceptions. But as a matter of fact, Jesus is the One who can calm the storms of our lives precisely because He is the One who liberates us from sin, death, and hell. Kenda Deans newbook is called Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church []. So what was Jesus motivation for walking on water? Lord, save me! he cried out in desperation. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.. 157 views, 3 likes, 4 loves, 3 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Mora Grace Lutheran Church: Music used with permission from CCLI What can we learn from Jesus feeding of the 5,000? In other words, Christ can and sometimes does stop our trials as instantly as He carried His disciples off the sea (John 6:21). After this, Israel wandered in the wilderness, and Moses asked God where he could find food for so many people (Num. Then Jesus multiplies bread, as if from thin air, to feed the multitudes with as much as they wanted (John 6:11), just as God had provided bread from heaven to feed His people with as much as any man could eat (Ex. 11:79). Come, he instructed.As a result, Peter stepped out of the boat and walked across the water to reach Jesus.His fear increased, though, as he noticed the wind. Every time the And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. Did Jesus walk on water? Mary accompanied Jesus during His ministry in Galilee before seeing His crucifixion, burial and . His claim is further confirmed by the disciples in Matthew 14:33 where Jesus steps into their boat, and immediately the wind ceased. Your email address will not be published. 237 views, 1 likes, 5 loves, 12 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Harris Funeral Directors: Homegoing Service for Minister Beatrice Lee Wiggins. But when he saw the fury of the wind he panicked and began to sink, calling out, "Lord save me!" At once Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying, "You little-faith! If we call out to Jesus in trust, he will come and take our hands in his and lift us over what appears to be insurmountable circumstances. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. k.A was an eighth of a mile, or a little more than 600 feet (192 meters) in length.John 6:19 translates the word as three or four mile in the original Greek.The fourth watch of the night was when they first saw Jesus, or shortly before dawdling time.wn.If the disciples departed at twilight, about 8PM, and it was approximately 5:30AM when they returned, they would have been struggling against the wind for over nine hours. The New Testament Bible story of Jesus walking on water is one of the most widely told narratives and key miracles ofJesus. 19 When therefore they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the boat: and they were afraid. After all the LORD swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned It wasn't identified exactly in the Bible the year on which JESUS walk on the water but we can say it was perhaps year 33 as JESUS walkes on the water after His resurrection from the death when He . The details presented differ slightly, but the cornerstone of each is the declaration of who Jesus is. And promising a coming of, and baptizing with, the Holy Spirit ( Acts 1:5, 8 ), Jesus ascended to heaven . Jesus walking on water is one of the most well-known stories in the New Testament. As he began to descend, his last words were, Lord, save me. O you of little faith, why did you doubt? Jesus said as he put out his hand and grabbed him by the shoulders.And as soon as they got onto the boat, the wind stopped blowing.And they in the boat prostrated themselves before him, proclaiming, Truly, you are the Son of God (Matthew 14:20-33).Following in the footsteps of Mark, Matthew describes Jesus instructions and the situation as though it were newsworthy.Matthew, on the other hand, is the only one that chronicles Peters reaction to the circumstance and their eventual affirmation of Jesus divinity. Though Satan should buffet / though trials should come, / Let this blest assurance control: / That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate / And hath shed his own blood for my soul (It Is Well with My Soul by Horatio Spafford). A few minutes behind them, I meandered over towards the dock full of people I knew. Please enjoy the archives. [22], Finally, there are scholars who regard the story as an example of "creative symbolism", or myth,[23] which probably was understood by a part of the audience literally and by others allegorically. The narrative serves as a reminder to Christians of the need of making space for God in their lives. Those who believe in Jesus can enjoy peace of mind knowing that he will calm the tumultuous waves of life when they are in his company. Other times, however, storms rage with no end in sight. Approximately three or four miles into their journey, they noticed Jesus walking on the water and approaching the boat, which caused them to become alarmed.It is I, he assured them.Do not be alarmed, he said. A synagogue ruler does the same thing in Matthew 9:18.But this is the first time the disciples worshiped Him.It is also important to note that their worship is joined to their confession (Matthew 14:33). Matthew 14 says: Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. Many readers will disagree with me on some of this but not, I hope, because belief in the signs and wonders of Jesus and in his resurrection is in some way contingent on specific understandings of the mechanism of creation. To show His disciples that the very thing they feared, the raging, seething sea, was merely a set of steps for Him to come to them.Often we fear the difficult experiences of life such as illness, loss of loved ones, and financial hardships only to discover that these experiences can bring Jesus closer to us.But we have to ask, why did they not recognize Jesus?The answer is they were not looking for Him. We pulled in shortly before check-in, so my husband took our three-year-old out to the water. [13], Cook and Evans also echo Pentecost's interpretation that the detail regarding "many stadia away" and "battered by the waves" were intended to emphasize that Jesus could walk on the water far away from the shore, on a rough sea, thus establishing his dominance over nature. The New Testament Bible tale of Jesus walking on water is one of the most commonly repeated narratives and one of the most significant miracles performed by Jesus in his lifetime.The incident takes place immediately after another miracle, the feeding of the 5,000 people, had taken place.This experience persuaded the twelve disciples that Jesus is, in fact, the Son of God who is still alive. When they saw him, they were all scared, according to Mark 6:5051. Lord, please save me! he shouted aloud. Jesus, on the other hand, talked to them right away. In the Gospel of John, Jesus is said to have performed seven miraculous signs that characterize his ministry, from changing water into wine at the start of his ministry to raising Lazarus from the dead at the end. Jesus is saying I AM. God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum. Identification of miracles of timing is well nigh impossible with the passage of time. But what about the Red Sea crossing, which was a massive migration event in its own right?There is a similarity between this and the gospel of John.The Johannine narrative of Jesus walking on water, in addition to the obvious similarities to the Exodus in John 6, also makes four references to the seaa number that is more than any other account in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).This is even the more astonishing when you consider that Johns account is by far the shortest (86 words in Greek compared with 139 in Mark and 186 in Matthew).Furthermore, John refers to the sea four more times in the same chapter, both before and after the crossing of the Sea of Galilee by Jesus and his disciples (John 6:1, 22, 25).To the contrary, none of the other authors mentions the sea either before or after Jesus walks on its surface water. Jesus had waited until the boat was as far from land as possible, when all their hope was gone. Christ ascended 40 days after His resurrection. The study hypothesized "a rare combination of optimal water and atmospheric conditions for development of a unique, localized freezing phenomenon." [2] I've got a lot more problems with "Jesus walks on ice" than with their Red Sea crossing theory. One of our friends heard the splash and very quickly dove in after her. Fairchild, Mary. Suggestion of a natural cause and effect does not undermine the work of God. We dont have to guess what it is, which is a relief.Because, while all four Gospel authors mention the feeding of the five thousand, only John tells us when this miracle occurred, i.e., around the time of Passover (John 6:4).And this is his key to understanding the significance of all that follows. 4-5). God interacts with and in his creation in relationship with his people. Yes, he walked on water, stilled the wind, healed and restored. Theism not deism. Finally, the response of the audience to Jesus is a mirror image of Israels response to God. To show His disciples that the very thing they feared, the raging, seething sea, was merely a set of steps for Him to come to them. This episode is narrated towards the end of the Ministry of Jesus in Galilee before the key turning points halfway through the gospel narratives where Peter proclaimed Jesus as Christ and saw the Transfiguration. This indicates that the narrative of Jesus walking on water has been recorded by three different eyewitnesses, which lends credibility to the storys truthfulness.This is crucial since walking on water is considered a miracle by many people.Why did Jesus choose to walk on water?What exactly does it mean? Matthews narrative goes into greater detail about the scenario than the other two accounts.They had all finished their meals and were satisfied, and the disciples collected twelve baskets full of broken bits that had been left behind.In addition to women and children, there were around 5,000 males who participated in the meal. However, Jesus only draws closer and closer until, at long last, He calms them down and leaves them alone. In addition to being Jesus closest buddy, John was also known as the disciple whom Jesus loves. Many things he observed and documented that the others did not were picked up on by him.What do you think youre seeing here?After the people witnessed the sign Jesus performed, they started to speculate, Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world, as if Jesus were the promised Messiah. Your email address will not be published. You of little faith, why did you doubt? he said as he reached down into the water and raised him to his feet. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the narrative will recall that Jesus multiplied enough bread and fish to feed a huge crowdand there were plenty of leftovers to go around.Besides providing what they need, he went above and above to deliver what they desired, which was more than enough!But thats exactly what Jesus does: He struts his stuff!Not only were all of His miracles for our advantage, but they were also for His benefit.He was well aware of who He was. In the book of Exodus, I AM was the name God revealed to His people just before He rescued them from slavery. 13:1).Furthermore, John informs us that not only is the dark, chaotic sea the source of Gods adversaries, but it is also a sign of their demise, according to the Bible (Rev.18:21). For while all four Gospel authors record the feeding of the five thousand, only John tells us when this miracle took place, namely, near the time of Passover (John 6:4). Instead of being terrible and punitive, however, the signs Jesus performs are gracious and restorative (John 6:2, 11). Without looking, she had walked directly off the dock and into the water. Jesus is not a ghost hovering over the water to wow people. Luke C23 V46, "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.". All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. Following Jesus dismissal of the throng, he spent some time alone on a hilltop praying. One of His encounters with them was at the road to Emmaus. Meaning of Jesus Walking on Water. To put it differently, if we can trust Jesus to resolve our deepest problems, as He does through the cross and the resurrection, then how much more can we trust Him to handle the smaller trials of life? In fact, He builds on the parallel, ascending a mountain alone (John 6:15) as Moses had before Him (Ex. It was suggested that there is a negative correlation between taking the position that theistic evolution is the best description of Gods method of creation method and a willingness to believe in the miracles related in scripture, in the Old Testament, and more importantly in the New Testament. Is this not what the old hymns taught us to sing? The amazing thing is that in faith Peter started walking on the water toward Jesus. Yes, he walked on water, stilled the wind, healed and restored. 48 And seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea; and he would have passed by them: 49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. As Peter later writes to the persecuted church in 1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for . Be brave and do not be scared. And as he got into the boat with them, the wind stopped blowing.And they were completely taken aback, for they had no idea what was going on with the loaves, and their hearts had hardened (Mark 6:44-52).Mark begins with a matter-of-fact demeanor, but by the conclusion of the chapter, he has shown surprise. Because Jesus desired the people who were following Him about to think that He was the Son of God, he went to such far as to kill himself.The only way to do this was by the performance of divine trickery, sometimes known as miracles.Because of this, He performed every miraclein order for us to realize He was real!He would have been easily dismissed as one of the most insane guys who ever lived if it werent for the miracles He performed.It is His ability to do miracles that distinguishes Him as God in the flesh!His miracles were so impressive that He even warned the legalistic Jews who were attempting to stone Him, If you dont accept what Im saying, at the very least believe me based on my miracles (see John 10:31-39). However, when he saw the tremendous wind and the waves, he became afraid and began to sink into the water. Miracles, Peace, Strength, [24] Rudolf Bultmann pointed out that the sea-walking theme is familiar in many cultures. Then, Jesus walking on the water, or on the sea, is depicted as one of the miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. But it need not be sought. Get our Question of the Week emailed to your inbox every weekday morning! Jesus says, It is I; do not be afraid. In other words, Jesus is still with us in the storm, reminding us of what Hes done, strengthening us for the trials we face, and encouraging us not to forget that our biggest problems have already been solved. He chides them for not believing what the prophets foretold regarding the Messiah then explains to them all the Biblical verses that pertained to him. The very rules of physics that allow our planet to float and spinas well as to be at precisely the proper distance from the sun to provide us with light and warmthwere established by you! 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