Jesus walks on water

“Who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Mark 4.41)  

Looking around 

During a drought in 1986, the receding waters of the Sea of Galilee gave up a long-held secret: a fishing boat from the time of Jesus. Allowing for four rowers and a sailing mast, the boat is the kind of vessel the fishermen among Jesus’ disciples would have used. No wonder it is known not just as the ‘Galilee boat’, but as the ‘Jesus boat’. 

Surrounded by hills and mountains, the Sea of Galilee – actually a freshwater lake – is known for its unpredictable weather. Cool mountain air mixing with warm air above the lake can produce sudden storms, just as the Gospels tell us. 

Jesus’s disciples knew that, when God created the world, his word had turned chaos into order. Only God could control nature. So, when they witnessed the storm and the waves obeying the word of Jesus, their question, ‘Who is this man?’ makes perfect sense: could he be God’s son?  

Stepping closer 

‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face,’ boxer Mike Tyson famously said. You might be in a season of life where what used to look so sturdy and reliable has come crashing down and now you have no plan.  

Matthew wants to give us a plan: Jesus. Because if we grasp who really is out on the waters with us and why we need not doubt even when the waters are filling the boat of our life, we find true courage. The bigger your anchor, the greater your confidence. And have you seen the size of the anchor?  

God’s word, in the beginning, brought order out of chaos. As the wind and the waves obey him, Jesus signals a new beginning. Only God could do this. Jesus is God with skin and flesh. We will not drown because he is with us, ending the chaos and extending his hand to save us.