4 Powerful Reminders from the Miracle of Peter Walking on Water

As fishermen by trade, most of Jesus’ disciples had grown up on the Sea of Galilee. They knew the good fishing spots and had become familiar with the lake’s tide and weather patterns.

Though their inexperience in ministry was evident throughout the gospels, the disciples’ ability to catch fish and navigate a boat across the Sea of Galilee would have been an area of comfort and familiarity for the Twelve.

Needless to say, a trip across the lake was not something that required much of a miracle, at least not in the eyes of the disciples. In fact, if there was one area of life they probably felt like they could manage without Jesus, it would have been on a boat on the Sea of Galilee.

Little did they know, even their confidence in sailing would soon be challenged.

After a long day of ministry, Jesus sent His disciples by boat to the other side of the lake while He traveled up the mountain alone to pray. Unfortunately for the Twelve, a journey that should have taken an hour or two at most, lasted anywhere from six to twelve hours (Mark 6:48).

By the time Jesus met them on the water, Mark’s gospel tells us that the disciples hadn’t even reached the halfway point of the lake (Mark 6:47). They had been rowing for hours and barely gotten anywhere.

It’s not hard to imagine the level of fatigue and frustration that would have set in for this weary group of seasoned fishermen, who could no longer rely on their strength or expertise to see them through this storm. To add insult to injury, Mark’s gospel also tells us that Jesus, walking on water, could have passed the disciples on the waves (Mark 6:48). Even at an average foot speed, Jesus would have been walking faster than they were rowing.

For hours, the disciples had exhausted themselves trying to row out of trouble. Only after Jesus arrived would they find any reprieve or deliverance from their struggle (Matthew 14:32).

The takeaway here is that it often takes a storm to expose the areas of our life we’ve turned to for security and strength apart from Jesus. Like the disciples, we often rely on our talent, our knowledge, our health, our finances, our jobs, and even others to get us through difficult times. These are the things we trust and lean on. In and of themselves, these are not bad things.

The disciples were skilled fishermen and capable sailors. There was no reason for them not to trust in their ability to sail across the lake. However, though they were the masters of their tiny boat, in the storm they realized they were not masters of the wind and the sea or the lords of creation.

In sailing, the disciples probably felt most confident and comfortable without Jesus. Here, however, Jesus proved He too was lord.

In our lives, Jesus cannot be the master of just the areas we’ve already surrendered to Him; He seeks to be Lord over every aspect of our lives, even the areas we don’t think we need Him. Sometimes it takes a storm or sinking ship to realize that.

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Though Jesus’ walk on water was one of the more spectacular displays of His divine power, by the time the disciples got into the boat to travel across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus had already performed many miracles, which they had witnessed firsthand.

- They had seen Jesus calm the seas (Mark 4:41)

- They had seen Jesus cast out demons (Mark 5:1-20)

- They had seen Jesus heal the sick (Mark 5:23-34)

- They had seen Jesus raise the dead to life (Mark 5:1-43)

In fact, just hours prior to the storm, Jesus had challenged their same lack of faith when he multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed more than five thousand people (Matthew 14:13-21).

On the waves, however, the disciples quickly fell into doubt and despair. Had they forgotten who Jesus was and what He was capable of so quickly?

Unfortunately, yes.

Mark writes that, “they (the disciples) had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52). Even after all He had done, Jesus’ closest friends and followers still didn’t understand who He was, what He was capable of, or what He had come to do.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus had performed countless miracles and offered numerous signs that affirmed His divine authority. Signs and wonders, however, were never enough for the Pharisees and, at times, even the disciples, whose hearts were still hardened and filled with doubt.

Many in Israel demanded a sign from Jesus, questioning “if” Jesus was truly the Son of the God. But without faith and an open heart, even the miracles of Jesus and signs He performed were not enough. “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,” Jesus told the Pharisees (Matthew 16:4).

When Jesus appeared on the waves, telling His disciples to “take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), it was Peter who said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28, emphasis added). Peter was willing to do what the others were not by getting out of the boat and braving the storm. However, when Peter took his eyes off Jesus, Jesus asked, “you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

Jesus often challenged His disciple’s lack of faith, and to their “if” He responded with an “if” of His own: “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

Ironically, the story of Jesus (and Peter) walking on water took place only months after Jesus had calmed the seas while on a boat with His disciples (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25). In that instance, Luke writes that, “he (Jesus) got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ he asked His disciples” (Luke 8:24-25).

About the disciples, Matthew notes, “the men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’” (Matthew 8:27)

After the first storm, they asked the question.

After the second storm, they found their answer. “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:33). 

That night, something had changed in the twelve disciples, Peter included. For the first time, they understood who Jesus really was.

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It’s no secret that Peter’s lapse in faith has become the topic of countless sermons over the years, and rightly so. However, it is worth noting that although Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, of the Twelve, Peter was the only one who actually stepped out of the boat and walked on water.

On the boat, Peter decided it was better to be in a storm with Jesus that continue doing things his way without him. And so he took that faith-filled first step.

Peter had developed a reputation for being impulsive, stubborn, and thick-headed. He missed the mark, did things his own way, and struggled to get what Jesus was saying on more than one occasion. But there’s also no denying that Jesus was at work in Peter’s life, refining his natural leadership qualities.

On the Sea of Galilee, we get a glimpse of Peter’s potential when reliant on Christ’s power. On the Sea of Galilee, Peter was willing to do what the others had not.

It doesn’t take faith to observe a miracle. Even the Pharisees saw Jesus perform miracles, and even they could not deny Christ’s power or authority. Jesus, however, is not just looking for believers or eyewitnesses; He calls people to follow Him. This requires submission and surrender.

Fortunately for Peter, his willingness to step up and step out made it so that he not only got to observe a miracle; on the Sea of Galilee, he got to experience one for himself. It is often the first followers who say, “yes,” “I’ll go,” and “send me.” They are the first to experience the promises and miracles of God in their own lives.

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For many readers, Peter’s lapse in faith and focus on the waves are enough to inspire ridicule and criticism. It’s true that there are many things we can learn from the moments we choose to focus on the dangers and impossible situations around us, rather than Jesus. These are the moments, like Peter, we too begin to sink.

However, before we make light of Peter, who was called the rock, sinking like a rock, we should always remember that the focus of this story is on Christ’s divine power and mercy, not Peter’s momentary courage or lack of faith.

Like Peter, we all have fallen. We too have had moments where we’ve taken our eyes off Jesus and sunk beneath the waves of sin and separation from the Father. The Bible says that, before Christ, we too were once “dead in our sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Not drowning. Not sinking. Dead! It wasn’t us who reached for Christ. Similar to Peter’s peril, Christ stretched out His hand and took hold of us (Matthew 14:31).

Even though Peter sank for lack of faith, the heart of Christ was always to deliver and redeem His friend and follower. May we always remember that, despite our many failures, moments of weakness, and lack of faith, it is Christ who seeks to pull us up from beneath the waves, redeem us, and bring us to life.

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