Jesus Walks on the Water

Text: John 6:15-21 (Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52)

I.         After the feeding, Jesus had sent the people away.

            A.        The people desired to make Jesus a king whether he wanted to be one or not

            B.        To avoid this, Jesus withdrew to a mountain, alone to pray

            C.        That evening, the disciples entered a boat at Jesus’ insistence, heading toward Capernaum

II.        A storm came that night, forcing them to row

            A.        They only made about 3 or 4 miles, but a significant distance from the shore

            B.        It was between 3 and 6 am. The disciples had been battling the waves all night.

            C.        Jesus sees their distress.

            D.        A figure appears, walking on the water. Mark tells us Jesus intended to pass them by, meeting them at their destination.

            E.        The disciples concluded it was a ghost

            F.        It is Jesus, telling them not to fear.

            G.        Peter, showing bold faith, asks to join Jesus in the water

                        1.         Jesus tells him to come

                        2.         Peter begins to walk to Jesus

                        3.         But seeing the wind and waves, he began to fear (He took his eyes off the goal).

                        4.         He cried to Jesus, and Jesus rescued him

                        5.         Jesus scolded him for his lack of faith

III.       Jesus then enters the boat

            A.        Immediately, the wind died down

            B.        The next thing the disciples knew, they were at Capernaum.

            C.        The disciples concluded that he must be God’s son.

                        1.         Mark points out that it should have already have been obvious from the feeding of the five thousand.

IV.      The incident tells us much about faith.

            A.        The disciples lacked much

            B.        Though Peter showed some.