Jesus Walks on the Water (Mark 6:45-56)

 

Jesus Walks on the Water (Mark 6:45-56)

How do we rule as God intended to do from the beginning? We live by faith. Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Because Jesus trusted in His Heavenly Father, He lacked nothing in feeding that great multitude (Psalm 23:1). By believing in a faithful God, we lack nothing regardless of our situation.

In Mark 6:45-56, Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water. Jesus demonstrated a new creation that transcends human limitations. We live by faith and hope in the invisible love of God and His kingdom. This is what it means to live a life walking on water.

Going Up on a Mountainside to Pray

Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray (Mark 6:45-46).

After feeding the five thousand with the five loaves and two fish, Jesus immediately had His disciples get into a boat to go to the other side toward Bethsaida. Mark records that Jesus "immediately" made His disciples leave. The miracle of the loaves and fish was undoubtedly an astonishing event for the disciples. The crowds, likewise, were amazed.

However, this event carried the risk of people misunderstanding Jesus Christ as a Messiah who simply came to solve their bread problem. In fact, according to the Gospel of John, the crowd tried to take Jesus by force to make Him their king (John 6:15). They expected that by doing so, their food problems would be solved.

The disciples also saw this event as an opportunity for their dreams of Jesus ascending as an earthly Messiah to grow even larger. They longed for a Messiah who would liberate them from the powerful Roman oppression that ruled the Mediterranean coast at the time.

When they saw that Jesus not only healed the sick but also calmed the wind and sea and fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish, they were convinced that He was the Messiah.

Jesus is in God, and the Father is in the Son

After sending the disciples to the other side of the sea first, Jesus went up to a mountain to pray. Jesus habitually went before God the Father to pray (Mark 1:35). Jesus was always in the Father, and the Father was in the Son (John 17:21). During His time on earth, the incarnate Jesus was always with the Heavenly Father (John 5:19).

The example shown by our Lord Jesus Christ represents the intimate relationship between Christ and us believers. The Lord Jesus Christ is in us, and we always abide in Christ (John 17:21). Therefore, while living on this earth amidst storms and challenges, we fix our eyes on the Lord (Hebrews 12:2).

Consequently, we no longer live by our own strength and ability, but by the power of the resurrection of Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). In Christ, we no longer live according to our own dreams and plans; instead, we surrender everything to Christ, who bought us with the price of His blood (1 Corinthians 6:20).

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship (Romans 12:1).

The Disciples See Jesus Walking on the Sea and Think He is a Ghost

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out (Mark 6:47-49).

The disciples were straining at the oars because of a strong headwind. Shortly before sunrise while it was still dark—Jesus came toward them walking on the sea and was about to pass them by. When the disciples saw someone walking on the water, they cried out, thinking it was a ghost. It is unimaginable for a human to walk on water.

That is true. Water is dangerous for humans. While we can swim to a limited extent, walking on water is impossible. Jesus walking on the water transcends the laws of nature. Jesus was treading upon the sea water. This shows that the Lord rules over all things as the Creator.

In the beginning, God made fish to swim freely in the water and birds to fly freely in the sky (Genesis 1:20-21). In contrast, humans dwell on the land. However, Jesus, by walking on the water, surpassed human limitations. He walked on the water as if it were dry land. The water was no obstacle at all.

Therefore, this is a new creation. The creatures God made reveal the purpose and will He established. Through the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, God shows us a life filled with the Spirit. In Christ, we have been washed by His blood and set free from the chains of sin and death. We have now become a new creation before God.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)

We Sit with The Lord at The Right Hand of The Throne of God and Rule

Although we still wear this earthly body, in the spirit, we are no longer slaves to sin and death but sit and rule with the Lord at the right hand of God’s throne (Ephesians 2:6). We do not sink into the mire of greed, jealousy, hatred, and complaining; instead, we look forward to the hope of the eternal kingdom of heaven and enjoy thankfulness, joy, and rest. By enduring through trials and hardships, we store up heavenly rewards of love, joy, and peace.

In the past, we worried, were anxious, and trembled with fear, but now we adore God’s peace and joy. No matter how urgent or pressing the situation may be, just like the Lord who slept in the midst of the storm, we find peace and rest by dwelling in God through faith.

Even amidst the deceptions and plots of the devil—who hides in unseen places, trying to swallow us up with all kinds of lies and threats—we repel the devil’s lies and threats through the power of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has overcome this world. After everything was made, we enter into the rest of God, who is the Lord of rest (Genesis 2:2-3).

Faith Wins the Victory

People fundamentally live by faith. For example, when starting a car and driving toward school or work, we set out believing we will arrive. When we go to bed at night, we seek sleep believing we will wake up the next morning. We believe the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. We believe that eating food will supply the nutrients our bodies need.

Nevertheless, there is something people often refuse to believe and reject: believing in and obeying Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Instead, they rely on experience, education, and knowledge. Over thousands of years, God has made us realize through historical facts that we are to live by faith alone.

There are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Hosea, Malachi, and a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us (Hebrews 12:1). Through John the Baptist, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, God prepared the way for the coming of Christ, the Son of God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to this earth as evidence sent by God, healed the sick and drove out demons through signs and wonders. There is no praise for people in the Bible. However, Jesus blessed the faith of anyone who came to Him with faith. And Jesus opened the gates of heaven, giving the treasures of the kingdom—the Father’s love, joy, and peace—as gifts.

Therefore, we now obey and live by faith alone, walking on water. Long ago, the prophet Habakkuk said, "The righteous will live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17).

To him who overcomes until the end,
He will give white robes and eternal life;
what a joyful thing.
Passing through this dark world to reach that heavenly fortress,
By the power of believing in the Lord Jesus,
we overcome the whole world.

Faith is the victory!
Faith is the victory!
Believing in the Lord Jesus overcomes the whole world. (Hymn)

Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.

50 because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. (Mark 6:50-56)

Jesus told the terrified disciples to take courage and not be afraid. Here, who was it that made the disciples so terrified? It was the Lord Jesus Christ. Who was it that made them feel safe and relieved? It was the Lord Jesus Christ.

We might think this uncertain world is what startles us. Unexpected difficulties and pain cause us to be afraid. However, none of this can happen without God’s permission. It is a process of discipline and refinement, preparing us as the holy bride of Christ, without spot or blemish (Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 5:25-32).

Therefore, the hardships and pain we experience on this earth are neither accidental nor bad luck. Through Jesus walking on the water in the midst of the storm, the disciples confessed that He is truly the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). "Son of God" means that Jesus is equal to God.

Even after the miracle of the five loaves and two fish and walking on the water, Jesus continued His ministry of healing the sick and driving out demons. Everyone who touched even the edge of His cloak was healed, just like the woman who had suffered from bleeding (Mark 5:34).

Jesus’ work of healing the sick and driving out demons has continued for the last 2,000 years, and He continues it among us today. We know this if we look back at how our week has been. Many challenges and pains follow one day after another. Our hearts are heavy and troubled by things not yet resolved. That is why, even today, if we come to Him in faith, Jesus pours out the living water that flows from the heavenly throne of grace. Amen!

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

Amen!

March 22, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.