Matthew’s Gospel shares miracle after miracle after miracle. In chapter 14 alone, Jesus heals the sick, multiplies food to feed thousands of people, and then performs another miracle over nature itself. After He sends the disciples on ahead across the Sea of Galilee, while He dismisses the crowds, He comes walking to them on the sea in the middle of the night (Matt. 14:25). The disciples, unsure about this, conclude He is a ghost, until Peter asks the Lord to bid him to come out on the water. To this, the Lord Jesus calls Peter to take a step of faith out of the boat to walk on the water to Him (Matt. 14:29).
All human beings understand natural laws to some extent. The law of gravity was understood, at least in part, before it was articulated as a law. People knew if they jumped off something they would hit the ground. Likewise, most people might know how to swim, but one thing that everyone agrees on is that people, although we might float, don’t just walk on water.
Consider also what Peter did for a living! Peter was a fisherman by trade. He spent his life out on this very lake. Beyond the practical understanding that all people have, he had experience! Surely, he knew that you have to swim in water and not walk on it. He knew this from this very same body of water! Yet, after seeing Jesus work countless miracles and now seeing Him walking on the water, Peter believes. Peter believes that he just might be able to experience what Jesus is experiencing: a supernatural activity that breaks the rules of natural law. Peter ends up being the only one out of 12 disciples to walk on water because he had faith. He believed Jesus was able to work this miracle for him as well. As such, he gets to walk out on the water to the Lord.
Unfortunately, the miracle comes to an end. In the face of mighty winds, Peter begins to doubt. As he begins to doubt, he begins to sink. What’s interesting is that people don’t “begin” to sink. You’re underwater in a flash! Yet, the Lord in His grace and mercy allows Peter to experience even this supernatural event to stoke his faith. The story then closes with the Lord Jesus rescuing him but commenting on his little faith. They arrive in the boat, there’s a great calm, and all worship Him.
It’s interesting to think that the only one with faith to walk on the water was the only one in this episode to be criticized for his doubt and his little faith. In the beginning, he exhibits great faith when he steps out, but some wind causes him to doubt. He lost sight of the power of the Lord Jesus in that moment. He was in the midst of experiencing a miracle, and yet the circumstances around him caused him to doubt what he was presently experiencing: a break in the natural order.
This story shows us the wondrous, miracle-working power of the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples concluded, “Truly you are the Son of God” (Matt. 14:33). He is the eternal Son of God, the One through whom the Father made the world (Heb. 1:2). He is the One who, “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3). “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15-16, ESV). This is who the Lord Jesus was and is and will be! The same One who put the rules into place for the natural order can break the rules. The One who told the seas their limit (Pro. 8:29) is the One who can command them to become His footpath. What an awesome, all-powerful Savior we serve, let us put our trust in Him today. Truly, His capabilities are endless and beyond our ability to even ask or think (see Eph. 3:20).
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