Introduction
After a full day of ministry and picking up twelve baskets of leftovers, Jesus sees that the disciples are exhausted. So He sends them off in a boat, onto the Sea of Galilee to get them away from the crowd and allow them to rest, while he dismisses everyone else (Mark 6:45). After bidding the crowd farewell, Jesus makes His way back up a nearby mountain to spend some time debriefing with His Father (Mark 6:46). It has been a long day, filled with a whirlwind of emotions for Jesus. He begins to relax and is just enjoying the communion with His Father, when…
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
Matthew 14:22-33
(or)
Mark 6:45-52
(or)
John 6:16-21
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- As you study this story, what amazes you?
- What might Jesus have been thinking about as He watched His disciples “straining at the oars”? (Mark 6:48)
- What do you think Peter was thinking during this experience?
- What lessons did Jesus want His disciples to learn here?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
Jesus enjoyed an incredible night of communion with His Dad. As always, He was energized after spending time in prayer. Possibly the words of Isaiah 40:31 applied here, “… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Jesus must have realized that the people below had wanted to make Him king that morning (John 6:15). What was He to do? What were the marching orders? Jesus spent the evening discussing His next steps with His Dad.
It is late now, about three o’clock in the morning (Matthew 14:25). As the wind begins to blow, Jesus lifts up His eyes and sees His leaders out on the lake struggling against the storm. What will they do without Him? Will they exercise their faith? Jesus begins to make His way out to the disciples who are about 3-4 miles out from shore (John 6:19). [Mark 6:48 curiously noted that “He meant to pass by them…”] As He comes close to the boat, they start screaming, “It’s a ghost!” They were overtired and too scared to think about the impossibility of it actually being a ghost. When we are tired and scared, who knows what will come out of our mouths? Jesus continued to come closer and says, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (Matt. 14:27).
Peter seizes the opportunity for a little adventure and says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water” (Matt. 14:28). Jesus tells him to come. I wonder what those first few steps felt like for Peter? It must have been the coolest thing ever to step out of that boat and walk on the water. Everything is going well until Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and places them on what is happening around him. At that moment, he begins to sink. It will happen every time if we do the same. You need to keep your eyes on Jesus and not on the circumstances that surround you if you want to walk on water. I love what happens next. Jesus looks at Peter sinking and says, “Stay there a while, learn to keep your eyes on me. In fact, go under a few times and then I will think about saving you.” No, he does not say that at all! Notice what Peter cries: “Lord, save me!” (Matt. 14:30). Sound familiar? I am convinced that God loves to hear those words from us; He is a Saviour who loves to save the day, because when He saves the day, He gets all the glory.
So Jesus immediately stretches out His hand and lifts Peter up. What a scene! As they enter the boat, the storm stops abruptly and the twelve leaders begin worshipping Jesus and saying, “‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matt. 14:33). Now, I imagine some were jumping up and down and dancing and others were lying face-down worshipping. But there was one who was worshipping at a totally different level than the others. I imagine Peter, the one who had not only experienced the storm stopping, but had also walked on water, experienced a different level of worship. He was the only other person, outside of Jesus, to ever walk on water! His praise must have been a bit sweeter, having taken the step of faith to get out of the boat and obeying Jesus in faith.
Well, are you a water-walker or boat-hugger? [I prefer the known boat over the unknown water]. The only way we can “walk on water” as a leader is to keep our eyes on Jesus. He is the author, leader, and perfecter of your faith. Become consumed by Him, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus. Consider where you may need to take a step of faith in your life. What is your next step of faith? Have a good discussion with others today about being water-walkers or boat-huggers.
“As you study this story, what amazes you?”
What amazes me is that Peter walked on water with Jesus. I would be so scared of drowning too so I can see why Peter had doubts. But Jesus was with Him & made the impossible happen. This story reminds me that God invites us to join this journey with Him & even though we may feel like we’re in the unknown, He is always with us.
As you study this story, what amazes you?
What amazes me is that of the three Gospel accounts we read today, only Matthew records the incident of Peter walking on water with Jesus. What is also amazing is that Peter has enough faith to believe that Jesus can allow him to walk on water but then when the wind blows he loses it just as quickly. I think about how sometimes we can ride these extreme crests and troughs in our faith but I am thankful that Jesus still saves us even though we can lose our faith so quickly.
In Mark, the disciples were seen struggling against the wind. It specifically says they were making headway “painfully”, as if they were going nowhere. Which is probably why, on the fourth watch, Jesus decided to get out onto the water and heads towards them. Mark notes that Jesus only meant to pass by them, though, like He didn’t want to intervene in their struggles just yet. It wasn’t until they cried out that Jesus immediately tends to them. I feel this is a reflection of my own struggles from Christ’s perspective as I sometimes feel in “stormy weather” that I’m going nowhere and it isn’t until I cry out to God that I end up actually going in a direction. Of course, like Jesus’ perspective here of the disciples, He’s always been watching and knows and see’s our struggles. It isn’t until we cry out that He comes to us, but it’s comforting to know he’s there. It’s also comforting to know that He let’s us struggle as I feel that we don’t truly appreciate His power in our life until we’ve tried with our own efforts.
Just like with His disciples, Jesus knows exactly when to challenge us and when to give us to opportunity to rest in Him. It’s interesting how it’s noted that when Peter got scared, he began to sink. It wasn’t an instantaneous thing, as I’m sure it would be if we were to attempt to just walk on water. Peter’s faith faltered when his focus wasn’t on Jesus, but Jesus kindly reminds us to trust Him and still reaches out to us so that He may allow us to pick ourselves up and out of a situation.