Bible Study Series: Peter the Apostle
Peter walks on Water! Matthew 14:23-33
by Fraser Gordon
We’re going to look at one of those amazing incidents in the bible - Peter walking on water. Only two people in history have ever done this miracle. Obviously one is the Lord Jesus Christ and the other is Peter. Out of the four gospels only Matthew records it. Both John and Mark record Jesus walking on water but only Matthew records Peter getting out of the boat and walking to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is an incredible miracle and I would have thought the other gospel writers would have written about it, but only Matthew records it.
I recently read about a Pastor called Frank Kabele. He told his congregation he could repeat the miracle of walking on water if everyone had enough faith. He took them all down to the beach in Gabon's capital, Libreville, and walked into the water. Soon the water passed over his head and he was never seen again. This is apparently a true story. Sincere you might say but really stupid if you can't swim. I also read of a yoga instructor trying to attempt it. He believed you could enter a state of levitation through meditation by which you could levitate across water. He failed at his first attempt and blamed his preparation time, that he had not got himself into the right state to perform the miracle.
By Himself alone
The miracle of Jesus walking on water follows the miracle of feeding the 5000. John Chapter 6 tells us a little bit about the context leading up to it.
John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
After the feeding of the 5000 the people wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king. They wanted a political saviour but Jesus was not going to allow the will of man to be done in His life because He lived to do the will of the Father. So because of that He separated Himself from the people and also from His disciples, going to the mountain alone.
Matthew 14:23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there.
In the previous message we saw that straight after a day of miracles and healings, Jesus withdrew Himself. In the morning they couldn't find Him because He was at prayer and fellowship with His Father. It is the same here in Matthew 14. Jesus perceived that they wanted to take Him by force and make Him king so He withdrew himself to find out what the Father's will was for Him. Prayer and fellowship was a constant theme in the Lord Jesus Christ’s life. He would separate from those around Him and receive direction and power for His ministry by fellowshipping with the Father.
There are two contexts to this incident. One is that they wanted to make Him king and the other is found in Mark. I love this about the Bible. The gospels all give an account of this event and each one adds a little bit extra to make it a full story.
A hard heart
After Jesus walked on water Mark 6.51 tells us that He Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Jesus had wanted to teach the disciples something at the feeding of the 5000 but Mark tells us that the disciples failed to learn it because their hearts were hardened. So not only did He send the multitudes away He also sent His disciples away by boat while He departed to the mountain to pray.
Mark 6.48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
In Matthew it says that the wind was contrary and in Mark it says that the disciples are straining at rowing for the wind was against them. They have hard hearts and are out there doing their own thing. The disciples had been out there all night and had only made it to the middle of the sea because the wind was against them. This is a picture of self-effort. They're straining at the oars doing the best they can going nowhere into a headwind. It pictures the life of a person before they come to Christ. We always feel like we're battling a headwind until our lives are given to the Lord Jesus Christ. But even after coming to the Lord Jesus Christ it's so easy for us to have hard hearts and take the situation into our own hands, trying to live the Christian life, trying to do the right thing. It's like we're rowing our own boat, straining at the oars into a headwind determined to do it. We keep pulling and pulling, getting absolutely nowhere.
When Jesus came walking on the sea He was going to carry on past the boat. It's an interesting scenario. Jesus saw His disciples struggling and straining at the oars but He was going to pass them by and leave them to it. You get a similar scenario after His resurrection on the road to Emmaus. He walks and talks with them but their eyes are blinded to who He is. It says that He indicated that He would carry on but they asked Him to come and stay with them and He did.
He knows where we are
Matthew 14:25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
The night was split into four parts; the first watch was 6 - 9pm, the second watch 9pm - midnight, the third watch was from midnight - 3am, and the fourth watch from 3 - 6am. It's in the fourth watch that the Lord Jesus came to them. Even though He was on the mountain with the Father He knew exactly where they were. He was always watching His disciples. It is pitch black between 3 and 6am. There's no light whatsoever and sometimes just before dawn is the darkest part of the night. It’s beautiful that He knows where we are. Even though we're in the storms of life, even though we can be surrounded by darkness and turmoil, the Lord Jesus Christ is always watching and knows where you and I are. He always comes for His own.
He's at the Father's right hand at the moment while we're here on Earth being buffeted by storms and trials straining against a headwind. As a side note the fourth watch could also refer to His return in the end times when it's the darkest of all times. Do not fear, He always comes for His own.
Jesus has power over His creation. There have been many miracles with creation; the Red Sea parted with Moses and the Israelites and the Jordan river was pushed back when Joshua and the nation went into the Promised Land. There is the miracle of the axe head defying gravity and floating to the surface of the water with Elisha. The Son of Man - the Cloud Rider, rides on the clouds in Daniel 7 and here in the gospels He is walking on water.
There are two events of Jesus with boats. One is when the disciples are scared, fretting and crying out to Him that there is a storm. They are afraid they will die and Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat. He wakes up and calms the sea and the storm. They marvel that even the wind and the waves obey Him. In the first scenario Jesus is in the boat but this second time He's not and the disciples are left to themselves. Then He comes walking on the sea towards them, defying gravity. He should be sinking but He's not, He's walking on water in a storm. It's not flat water either, it's rough but that means nothing to faith because faith can walk on rough water as easily as on smooth.
Matthew 14:26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
No human walks on water so the only conclusion they come to, seeing the shape of a man, is that it must be a ghost.
Matthew 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
Jesus is always watching and He knows how to find us in storms. His word is always one of comfort, It is I; do not be afraid. He knows exactly where we are.
Boots and all
Matthew 14:28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."
Of all the disciples who are in the boat Peter is the one that says something. Why did he say such a thing? Of all the things you could say, why did Peter say that? If you were in the boat and saw Jesus walking towards you on the water, what would you say? What would you think about Peter? You'd probably think, ‘Oh no, here he goes again, old big mouth. Shush, Peter, what are you thinking?’ But this is Peter in boots and all. The fact that he even said this to the Lord Jesus Christ shows his character. Peter is safe in the boat but he sees the Lord Jesus Christ defying gravity. ‘If Jesus can do that, I can do that too, I need to go to the Lord Jesus’. Peter is full of zeal and full of faith, in boots and all.
We also see Peter’s character in John 13 when Peter refused to have Jesus wash his feet. Jesus said to him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.". Once again Peter is in boots and all, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!". ‘I want you to wash everything’. That's Peter. Another incident is after the resurrection. The disciples are out fishing and someone recognises Jesus on the shore. Immediately Peter puts on his garment, leaves everyone in the boat, and dives overboard.
I believe that when Peter saw the Lord Jesus Christ walking on the water, not only did he see the miracle and want to do it too but his true heart's desire was to be where the Lord Jesus Christ was. He wanted to go to Christ. This is what I love about Peter. All the other disciples wouldn't have even thought of saying such a thing, I wouldn't have. I would have stayed safe and secure and thought, ‘At last Jesus has come’, but not Peter. William Carey said this great quote, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God”. That pretty much sums up Peter's response to the Lord Jesus.
Matthew 14:29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
At the command Peter put his leg over the side followed by his other leg and off he went. Only two people in all history have walked on water and Peter is one of them. How would you have acted had that been you? Anyone else would have dined out on it for ages. We would have said later, ‘Wow, did you see that, fellas? I was the only one that got out of the boat! There's something special about me, I walked on water!’ We would have highlighted ourselves as many Christians do. We might have even started our own church - The Church of the Water Walkers. Peter never mentions this account of walking on water. All through his epistles there is no mention that, out of all the disciples, he alone walked on water. Only him and Jesus have done this yet he doesn't highlight it. He doesn't make himself out to be something he's not, he doesn't even mention it.
Faith
Peter hopped out of the boat at the command of Jesus by faith. Faith has to have an object. You can't put faith in nothing, it is only as real as the object in which you put it. So what was the object of Peter’s faith? The Lord Jesus Christ. When Peter’s eyes were fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ he walked on water doing the impossible, living the miracle. As his eyes were fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ his faith was as strong as the object. And the object is the Lord Jesus Christ, so he walks. However, then we get to verse 30.
Matthew 14:30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"
When Peter’s eyes moved away from the Lord Jesus and saw the wind and the waves he was afraid. Fear ruled him. Isn't this true of all of us? You see, the Christian life itself is a miracle. The fact that we do not have to be ruled by our fleshly nature but can be governed by the Spirit of God is a miracle. It’s like walking on water because we are defying the natural law of the spirit of death which once ruled in our bodies. Now we are controlled by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This is only true as long as our eyes are fixed on the object of our faith which is the Lord Jesus Christ. As soon as our eyes are diverted from Him as the means of our salvation and the means by which He can hold us up and deliver us from the natural law of sin and death, we will sink just like Peter. As soon as our eyes are diverted towards the wind and the waves and anything apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, we will sink. You could say the same thing is true about the trials and difficulties we go through. Our eyes need to be fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ who lifts us above what is going on around us. As Hebrews 12.1-2 says, … let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Peter did the impossible and defied the natural law of gravity when his eyes were fixed on Jesus. He acted in faith and the object of his faith was the Lord Jesus Christ. As soon as our eyes are taken off Him and move to our surroundings, then faith ceases and unbelief rules. Faith can walk on rough as well as smooth water because It's not the state of the water that counts but the state of the heart, the faith of the believer, and where our eyes are focussed.
Peter began to sink in verse 30 and he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!. Probably the greatest, shortest prayer in all scripture. Had he prayed like many people, ‘Oh God, you who are holy and dwell amongst the cherubim and seraphim, you are surrounded by light’, he would have had his head underwater as quick as anything. But when men are desperate, they get to the point really quickly. Oh, that we would see our predicament! People of this world don't see that they are sinking like Peter. They don't see that they are perishing. If only they cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’. The Lord Jesus Christ would stretch out His hand. Peter had enough time to say what was necessary and everyone should pray the same way. There is no need for long-winded prayers, just get straight to the point. The Lord knows your heart.
Matthew 14:31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Whenever we are sinking, the Lord Jesus Christ is always right there. Jesus is the one that stretched out His hand and caught Peter, and not only caught him, but held him up. Think about it. Peter is sinking and the Lord Jesus Christ is walking on water. He lifts Peter so that they are both above the natural laws of gravity. He's holding Peter up, and then Jesus takes him to the boat. I've often wondered what the disciples thought when they heard Jesus say, O you of little faith. Here they are sitting in the boat probably clutching onto the side of it in fear. They hadn't even entertained the idea of getting out of the boat! Yet Jesus said to Peter, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? We think that walking on water is a great act of faith but for the Lord Jesus Christ there is no difference in the faith of walking on water or healing someone. No difference whatsoever.
A change of heart
Matthew 14:32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
Jesus displayed His power over creation and then the disciples had a worship time. The disciples had gone out onto the lake with hard hearts. They were straining at the oars and Jesus came to them and proclaimed by His actions that He was the Son of God. God said at Jesus' baptism, This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased. When I read verse 32 I thought of Proverbs 30. It's a beautiful passage where the writer has incredible insight into the fact that God would have a Son.
Proverbs 30:4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know?
Jesus also said in John 3.13 No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
The writer of Proverbs asks who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Then Jesus, in John 3, says that He is the only one. The Son of Man is the only one who has descended, who gathered the wind in His fists, who has control over creation, has bound the waters in a garment, and has established all the ends of the earth. What is His name and what is His Son's name? The writer of Proverbs had inspiration and insight from the Holy Spirit that the Father would have a Son, and this Son would have power over creation. In Matthew we see that He defies gravity by walking on water and when He gets into the boat He then has power over creation. He grabs the wind in His fist, and the wind ceases. And how do they worship Him? By saying, Truly You are the Son of God. Yes, God does have a Son and His name is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter is a great man for his zeal and his willingness to do the impossible. His willingness to get out of the boat and go to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes he failed but he got out of the boat. For me it's a great little passage because it reveals everything about who Christ is as the Son of God. The lesson for the disciples is that this rabbi they were following is surely and truly the Son of God. He has power over gravity and nature - over the sea and the wind. He is the one to be worshiped.
God bless you saints. Next time we will continue with another event in the life of Peter.