Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G073 The Lord Jesus Walks on the Sea
Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21

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All the Bible verses quoted in this article are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 14:22-33

22 And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28 And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.

29 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.

Mark 6:45-52

45 And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people.

46 And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.

47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land.

48 And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

49 But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

50 For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

51 And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

John 6:16-21

16 And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea,

17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

21 Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

In this lesson, we will study the miracle of the Lord Jesus walking on the sea. This event was recorded by Matthew, Mark, and John. However, Mark and John recorded it briefly, while Matthew recorded it with more detail. Matthew included the event where the Apostle Peter asked the Lord Jesus to let him walk on the water to come to Him.

Matthew 14:22-23

22 And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.

Mark 6:45-46

45 And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while He sent away the people.

46 And when He had sent them away, He departed into a mountain to pray.

John 6:16-17

16 And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea,

17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

“Straightway” is right after the Lord Jesus performed the miracle of turning loaves and fishe into enough food for over 5,000 people to eat.

“When the evening was come” is after the sun had set and a new day had begun. The adjective “ὄψιος” (opsios) /op’-see-os/ (G3798), depending on the context, is used to refer to the time from 3 PM to sunset, translated as “afternoon,” or to the time immediately after sunset until 9 PM, translated as “evening.”

“It was now dark” refers to the time towards the end of the evening, as well as the end of the first watch. The first watch is from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.

“The Lord Jesus had not yet come to them.” Perhaps the disciples had rowed against the wind for about 5 kilometers (John 6:19), at which point they had passed the dock at Bethsaida but still did not see the Lord waiting for them there. Despite this, they had to keep rowing towards Capernaum so that the wind could push the boat back and allow them to dock at Bethsaida. We understand that, until then, the disciples had been rowing close to the shore. After that, possibly because the wind was blowing from the northeast to the southwest, the boat drifted to the middle of the sea before the Lord Jesus walked on the water to come to them.

The Lord Jesus urged the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side while He dismissed the crowd. Mark adds the detail “to Bethsaida.” John does not mention the Lord urging the disciples, but only that they went down to the sea, got into the boat, and crossed the sea towards Capernaum. In Matthew 14:34 and Mark 6:53, it is recorded that when they had crossed the sea, they landed in the region of Gennesaret.

We see that, according to Mark, the Lord Jesus instructed the disciples to sail to Bethsaida. According to John, the disciples got into the boat and headed towards Capernaum. But according to Matthew and Mark, when the boat arrived, it was in the region of Gennesaret. So, does this mean the Scriptures contradict themselves?

Map of the locations of towns around the Sea of Galilee

We can understand it as follows: the Lord Jesus instructed the disciples to row the boat to the other side, that is, from the east shore to the west shore, but He would meet them at Bethsaida first. The disciples intended to stop at Bethsaida to pick up the Lord, but when they encountered contrary winds, they continued rowing towards Capernaum, so that after passing Bethsaida, the boat could drift back to the shore of Bethsaida. This means that the Lord Jesus wanted the disciples to go ahead to Bethsaida, and then He would meet them there to go together by boat to Gennesaret, the intended destination. Therefore, after He got into the boat, He calmed the wind and the waves, and the boat landed at Gennesaret.

After the disciples got into the boat and the crowd had dispersed, the Lord Jesus went up the mountain alone to pray. The prayer of the Lord Jesus was His communion with *God. We truly do not know what the Lord Jesus conversed with *God about during such times of prayer. But we can believe that since He was 12 years old, He was fully aware that He was God incarnate, come to carry out the redemption of humankind. He had to temporarily relinquish the attributes of God to take on the attributes of humans, experiencing the suffering of human life. Similar to Adam and Eve when they were first created, He was completely without a sinful nature. However, He had to face all sorts of temptations from both the devil and humans, and He had to maintain reverence for *God above all else to avoid falling, as Adam and Eve did. He used the Word of God to resist the tempter. Therefore, we think that the prayers of the Lord Jesus to *God throughout His life before His resurrection were no different from the prayers of God’s children everywhere to *God. These included words of praise, thanksgiving, requests for protection and preservation, and petitions for increased grace, strength, and wisdom to fulfill all the tasks *God had entrusted to Him.

Matthew 14:24-25

24 But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

Mark 6:47-48

47 And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land.

48 And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

John 6:18-19

18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

“The ship was now in the midst of the sea,” which means the boat was far from the shore. The width of the Sea of Galilee from Bethsaida to Gennesaret is about 8 kilometers. It is likely that the wind blew the boat to the middle. Twenty-five or thirty furlongs is approximately 5 kilometers.

“The fourth watch of the night” is from about 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM. The Israelites divided the night into four watches, each lasting three hours. The first watch was from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM; the second watch was from 9:00 PM to midnight; the third watch was from midnight to 3:00 AM; and the fourth watch was from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM.

Perhaps around three in the morning, the Lord Jesus began walking on the sea, heading towards the boat the disciples were rowing. He saw them struggling to row because of the headwind and the rough seas.

“He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them” might mean that the Lord Jesus reached near the boat but did not stop or come close. There was still a significant distance, so the disciples did not recognize Him and were frightened. Perhaps the Lord did not get into the boat immediately to observe their reaction.

Matthew 14:26-27

26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Mark 6:49-50

49 But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

50 For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

John 6:20

20 But He saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

In the dark of night, when the disciples saw a figure walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost, so they were terrified and cried out. When the Lord Jesus saw their fear and their cries, He spoke to them to calm them. He said to them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid!”

The Greek noun “φάντασμα” (phantasma) /fan’-tas-mah/ (G5326) is used in the original Scriptures to refer to the appearance of a dead person, faint and ghostly, and is translated as “ghost.” This term is used only twice in the two passages of the Scriptures we are studying.

The Hebrew noun “רְפָאִים” (rᵊp̄ā’îm) /raw-faw’/ (H7496) is used in the Scriptures to refer to the shadowy forms of the dead, translated as “ghosts.” This term appears eight times in the Old Testament (Job 26:5; Psalm 88:10; Proverbs 2:18; 9:18; 21:16; Isaiah 14:9; 26:14, 19).

The Israelites, influenced by superstitions from surrounding nations, believed in phenomena such as necromancy, spirit conjuring, and ghosts. A notable example is the story of King Saul consulting the medium at Endor to summon the Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28). The disciples of the Lord may not have believed in necromancy or ghosts, but in the face of a sudden and unexpected phenomenon, their minds would naturally interpret it based on what they had previously known. Their reason told them that it was impossible for a human to walk on water.

Matthew 14:28-29

28 And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.

29 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

The Apostle Peter was known for his straightforwardness and quick speech. After hearing the Lord’s words, he responded with a request. He asked the Lord to allow him to come to Him by walking on the water.

A full reflection on these two Scripture verses would be quite lengthy. We will only briefly mention a few points.

• Peter truly had faith.

• Peter did not allow his understanding of physical laws to govern his faith.

• Peter was not afraid to ask the Lord according to his faith.

• The Lord answered Peter’s request.

• The Lord used Peter’s faith to display His power.

• Peter believed the Lord’s words and acted on them.

• The faith that manifested in Peter’s actions led him to receive what he had asked from the Lord.

• Perhaps the other disciples were very surprised by Peter’s request.

• They may have been even more astonished when they saw the Lord grant Peter’s request.

• And the disciples’ astonishment reached its peak when they saw that Peter was able to walk on the water to come to the Lord.

From these points, we can draw many lessons for ourselves. Do we truly have faith in God? Do we allow our understanding of the physical world to influence our faith in the Almighty God? Are we bold in presenting all our requests to God in faith? Do we manifest our faith through actions by obeying God, living according to His Word, and acting on His commands? What have we received from God through our faith-filled requests? Let us live by faith so that the miracles the Lord performs through our lives will glorify His name and lead many people to His salvation.

Matthew 14:30-31

30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

We do not know how far Peter walked on the water, but when he saw the wind pick up and blow strongly, he became frightened and began to sink. Peter, being a fisherman, was naturally skilled at swimming. But in that moment, he cried out to the Lord, asking Him to save him. We do not know how far the Lord Jesus was from Peter at that time. But as soon as Peter cried out for help, the Lord immediately reached out His hand and took hold of him.

Although Peter began with faith, when circumstances changed, he became frightened. The fear came from doubt. Peter’s faith seemed very strong, but in reality, it was not sufficient. We can consider that Satan caused the contrary wind, making it difficult for the Lord’s disciples, and Satan also made the wind blow stronger when Peter was walking on the water. Job 1:19 records how Satan used a great wind to collapse the house and kill Job’s ten children. Therefore, we understand that Satan still has influence over weather phenomena.

The Lord Jesus asked Peter, “Wherefore didst thou doubt?” to prompt him to examine his own heart. In fact, according to the Greek original of the Scriptures, the Lord’s statement should be translated literally as “What did you doubt about?”

Did Peter doubt that the Lord’s power could overcome the strong wind? Did Peter doubt that He was truly the Lord? Perhaps Peter doubted himself. He might have doubted that he could continue walking on the water due to the strong wind and large waves. Nevertheless, Peter still believed that the Lord could save him, so he asked the Lord to rescue him. Peter did not rely on his own swimming skills but on the Lord’s salvation.

On our journey following the Lord, how many times have we lacked sufficient faith in God’s providence? How many times have we lacked faith in the Lord’s provision of the strength to overcome all temptations and trials?

Matthew 14:32-33

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.

Mark 6:51-52

51 And He went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

John 6:21

21 Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

We do not know how long it was from the moment the Lord Jesus reached out His hand to take hold of Peter until they both got into the boat, or how far they were from the boat. But when they entered the boat, the wind ceased, the waves were calm, and the boat reached the shore.

At the same time, three miracles may have occurred consecutively:

• First miracle: In the midst of strong winds and large waves, with the boat rocking, even if it were possible to walk on water, getting into the boat would not have been easy. We believe that, by a miracle, the Lord Jesus brought Peter from the sea onto the boat.

• Second miracle: The strong wind ceased.

• Third miracle: The boat reached the shore, arriving at the place where the Lord Jesus and the disciples intended to go.

The conclusion of the event where the Lord Jesus walked on the sea is recorded with different details by Matthew, Mark, and John.

• Matthew records: “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.”

• Mark records: “…and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”

• John records: “Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.”

Matthew, writing for the Israelites, emphasizes that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. He is worthy of human worship.

Here, Matthew uses the phrase “You are the Son of God” (θεου υιος ει) instead of “You are the Son of *God” (του θεου υιος ει) to highlight that He did not have a human father. His fleshly body came from God, by the will of God “the God,” by the voluntary act of God “the Word,” who is Himself, and by the power of God “the Spirit” [1]. Luke also uses the term “Son of God” (θεου υιος ει) in Luke 1:35.

“They that were in the ship” refers to the disciples of the Lord Jesus, among whom are the 12 apostles. They came before the Lord Jesus and bowed down to worship Him. The Lord Jesus accepted their worship because, though He is human, He is also God.

Mark, writing for the Romans, a people who were focused on mythology and miracles, emphasizes details about miracles and faith to introduce the Lord Jesus to them.

Mark records that the Lord’s disciples were utterly astonished beyond measure when they witnessed the miracles of the Lord Jesus walking on the sea; the miracle that allowed Peter to walk on the sea; the miracle of the Lord Jesus rescuing Peter; the miracle of the Lord Jesus bringing Peter into the boat; and the miracle of the wind calming and the waves quieting after the Lord Jesus and Peter were in the boat. Mark explains that the reason the disciples were so astonished by the Lord Jesus’ miracles was that their hearts were hardened. According to Mark, after witnessing the miracle of the Lord Jesus providing enough bread and fish to feed more than 5,000 people, they should have had complete trust in Him.

“Hardened heart” means being stubborn and unwilling to change one’s will, viewpoint, or way of life, even after witnessing or being taught the truth, or lacking the ability to understand the truth. The Pharaoh of Egypt during Moses’ time is a prime example of the first meaning. For those who continue to harden their hearts against the truth, like Pharaoh, God will further harden their hearts to display His power and glory through their evident stubbornness (Exodus 9:16). The people of Israel, in general, exemplify the second meaning, as Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 3:14. This is also the case for the Lord’s disciples.

The verb “hardened” in the original Greek of the Bible is used in the perfect tense and passive voice to indicate a completed action that has occurred and is finished. This means that at that moment, the disciples’ hearts were hardened, preventing them from understanding that the Lord Jesus had divine power to accomplish things only God can do—things beyond the physical laws of the material world. The reason for a hardened heart in the first sense, like Pharaoh, is due to pride, self-satisfaction, and refusal to accept what is contrary to their own desires. The reason for a hardened heart in the second sense, like the Lord’s disciples, is a lack of reflection on the truth.

We believe that the Holy Spirit inspired Mark to write about the disciples’ hardened hearts, so he recorded it as such.

Today, many of God’s people still have hardened hearts in either the first or second sense, or in both senses. Because their hearts are hardened, even though they profess to be God’s people, they do not accept or understand the truth about the fourth commandment, and thus they do not sanctify the Sabbath of the Self-Existing and Eternal One. Because their hearts are hardened, even though they profess to be God’s people, they intentionally engage in actions they know are contrary to God’s Word. Because their hearts are hardened, even though they profess to be God’s people, they refuse to abandon vices and faults such as contention, rivalry, or oppressing others.

John wrote to all of humanity about the truth of God becoming flesh, so he emphasizes every detail that proves both the divinity and humanity of the Lord Jesus.

“Then they willingly received Him into the ship” implies that the disciples believed Jesus was not a ghost but their Lord, so they eagerly welcomed Him. And according to Matthew, they worshiped Him.

“And immediately the ship was at the land” implies that after the disciples welcomed the Lord into the boat and worshiped Him, the boat arrived at the shore. This is clearly a miracle. When the event of Jesus walking on the sea occurred, the boat was in the middle of the sea. The distance from there to the shore of Gennesaret was at least 4 kilometers.

“Whither they went” implies that the place where the boat landed was the destination that Jesus and the disciples intended to reach. In the following verses recorded by Matthew (14:34) and Mark (6:53), this location is identified as the region of Gennesaret. Even though there was a storm with strong winds and large waves opposing the boat, likely caused by the devil, it did not alter Jesus’ plans or intentions, nor did it cause the disciples to fail in following His teachings.

In our walk with the Lord, we need only to trust in Him wholeheartedly, fully commit our ways to Him, and diligently follow His Word. The Lord Himself will resolve all the issues in our lives, allowing us to complete the works that God has prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) and achieve the status and quality that God has destined for us.

“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:8-9)

“and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:20b)

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
08/03/2024

Note:

Note About Using “*God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible uses a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/biblical-theology-g04-god-god-in-three-persons/