The Adventures of Jesus Christ
Episodes from the Life of Jesus for Young Readers
by Vincent Cheung
[ Contents ]

Chapter 21. Jesus Walked on Water
THE WAVES HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT

After the miracle of multiplying one person’s food to feed more than 5,000 people, Jesus wanted to spend some time alone to pray and to rest. He sent his disciples ahead of him in a boat across the Sea of Galilee.

Late that night, the disciples were in the boat in the middle of the sea, while Jesus was alone on land. He saw that they were having a difficult time, because a strong wind was against them, and heavy waves crashed against the boat.

About three o’clock in the morning, Jesus walked on the water, coming close to the boat. One disciple later wrote that Jesus wanted to walk past them! You say, “They were struggling. They were in trouble.” But Jesus had taught them faith and showed them many examples. One time he even rebuked a storm and made it obey him. If the disciples had learned from this, they would have stayed calm and prayed with faith.

In fact, they could have done the same thing that Jesus did the other time. Later Jesus would tell them, “I tell you the truth, anyone can say to this mountain, ‘Throw yourself into the sea,’ and if he does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” Anyone who has faith can do what Jesus did. But at least the disciples of Jesus Christ should never panic.

He intended to walk past them, but the disciples saw him walking on the water. They were terrified and cried out, “It is a ghost!” Jesus replied, “Do not be afraid. Have courage. I am Jesus.” He was walking on the water as if he was on land. He was confident, and unaffected by the storm.

Peter was one of the disciples, and he became very excited. He called out to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water.” Jesus did not think that this was an abuse of power. He did not think that miracles are only for emergencies.

Peter could have waited in the boat, but he did not want to. He wanted to walk out to Jesus by miracle power. Jesus never told them miracles were unique to him, that only he could perform miracles. He had always taught that when they believed in him, they could work miracles too. In fact, one time Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will also do the miracles that I have done. He will do even greater miracles than these.”

So Jesus answered, “Come!” Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. At first, he felt brave and full of faith. It worked! He was walking on water! But then, he looked around at the wind and waves, and fear gripped his heart.

People often claim that doubt is logical, and it is smart to question everything. The truth is that they do not have the spiritual intelligence and strength to have faith, and so instead of admitting this in humility, they want to convince everybody that their weakness is a good thing. But doubting the wrong thing is foolish, and it is a sign of weakness to question miracles.

Look at Peter. What did the waves have anything to do with walking on water? Without God’s miracle power, could anyone walk on water when the sea is calm? No, walking on the water under any condition would require miracle power. It would be impossible without it.

Now he was already walking on the water. The waves were there when he started. The only difference was that he started to notice them more. Instead of focusing on Jesus, he made the mistake of focusing on the waves, and forgot that without miracle power, he could not have taken the first step. Since he had taken the first step, he could have walked all the way to Jesus. His fear was foolish and unreasonable. His doubt was not smart.

When that happened, Peter started to sink. He cried, “Lord, save me!” Jesus reached out and grabbed him. And Jesus said, “You still have too little faith. Why did you doubt?” He scolded Peter for not having enough faith to walk on water. Never let anyone tell you that doubt is good, healthy, or understandable. Doubt is never good, and never acceptable. If you doubt, you can repent and ask for help, but never lie to yourself and say that it is a good thing. Keep growing in faith. Never give up or make excuses.

The moment Jesus entered the boat, the storm ceased. They were in awe and said, “You really are the Son of God!” And they worshiped him.