JESUS ON THE WATER: LUKE 8:22-25; MARK 6:47-51

There are some practical lessons in living that we can gain from the NT miracles stories. Consider two seemingly similar nature miracles of Christ. In both cases, the apostles are in trouble in a boat on the water, become afraid, and Jesus takes care of the situation by demonstrating his power over nature. Part of the significance of both miracles is that the sea and ocean were looked on as forces of chaos at war with the God of order. You can see this from the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 1 where God tames the waters of chaos all the way to the end of Revelation where John states that the sea will be no more. 

Jesus Stills the Storm (Luke 8:22-25) – Acute Situations

One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the

lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

This is an example of an acute situation, a literal matter of life and death. In this case, note that Jesus is right there in the boat with them and immediately acts to deal with the situation. When we think we are alone in a crisis, “Remember I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20b)

He can be relied on to know exactly what serious and immediate dangers we are facing and to take action in accord with His will, not our own. And ultimately, we have faith that even death itself won't “be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ( Romans 8)

Jesus Walks on the Water (Mark 6:47-51) – Chronic Situations

When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning on the sea. He intended to pass them by. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded.

In this second story, the apostles can be said to be dealing with a chronic situation of spending hours rowing against the wind. This is not life-threatening but similar to situations we find ourselves in that wear us down anyway. In this case, Jesus actually sees their predicament but delays going to them. When he at last comes walking on the water, there is the curious comment: “He intended to pass them by.” There may be an echo of a passage in Job being fulfilled here: “He walks upon the waves of the sea...If he goes by me, I will not see him, and if he passes by me, I will not recognize him.” (Job 9:8,11)

A few commentators have tried to explain Jesus' actions by translating the sentence differently (“He intended to get ahead of them to lead the way.”), but it seems obvious that Jesus' original intent, until the disciples saw him and became afraid, was to let them toil on by themselves. This may be an example of what Paul says in Romans 5, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” Paul may have been alluding to his own thorn in the flesh which God chose not to remove. So God has lessons for us to learn even in the middle of difficulties that don't seem to go away.

But whether our problems are acute or chronic, short term or long lasting, life threatening or just plain exhausting, we can rely on Jesus knowing our situation and having it under control even when we don't sense his presence and everything seems hopeless.