MPV Commentary

Jesus Walks on the Sea.

The crowd had identified Jesus as the Prophet (John 1:21), and now they were following Him to a deserted place where He could rest before performing another miracle of feeding the multitudes (Mark 6:31). However, Jesus deliberately withdrew to a mountain alone to pray for them and prepare for this new manifestation of His glory.

When evening arrived, Jesus entered into a ship with His disciples, who were reluctantly leaving Him behind on the mountain. They were heading towards Capernaum, but Jesus was not yet with them (John 6:15). The disciples likely lingered in hopes that He would still join them, and so they let the darkness fall.

As they sailed across the lake, a fierce storm arose, and they found themselves right in the middle of it. Mark notes that Jesus saw them struggling to row against the wind, but He did not intervene until His time had come (Mark 6:48). From His mountain-top, Jesus watched over them through the darkness, His heart filled with compassion for them.

It was around the fourth watch of the night, or between three and six in the morning, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea. This was a demonstration of God's power to spread out the heavens and tread upon the waves (Job 9:8; Psalm 104:1-2). The Son of Man was performing what was considered an unapproachable prerogative of God.

As Jesus drew near to the ship, the disciples were terrified, thinking He was a spirit. They had not expected to see Him in this way, and their fear turned into wonder when they realized it was their Lord.

Jesus reassured them with words they knew well: "It is I; be not afraid" (Matthew 14:27). The disciples' initial fear gave way to delight as they welcomed Jesus into the ship. Immediately, the storm subsided, and the ship glided through the calm waters, arriving at its destination without further incident.