Res Biblica

Following the feeding of the multitudes, Mark recounts an episode where Jesus walks on the waters to meet the disciples harassed by contrary winds in the middle of the lake. When Jesus joins them in the boat, the winds die down. Mark connects the amazement of the disciples at this event to their ignorance of the significance of the feeding of the multitudes. For Mark, the feeding of the multitudes is the eschatological feeding with manna and Jesus' walking on the waters points to his identity as the Lord, the "I Am" (cf. Mark 6:50).

Matthew rewrites the episode of the walking on the waters by suppressing the name place "Betsaida". In addition, he rewrites the reaction of the disciples into that of veneration and makes them profess Jesus as "Son of God" in anticipation of the episode in Matthew 16. Finally, Matthew inserts an episode involving Peter (again anticipating Matthew 16) trying to walk on the waters and failing because of his lack of faith. Viviano describes this episode as a nature miracle "that has been classed in the genre of sea rescue-epiphanies". 1

The episode can be outlined as follows:

As in Mark there is no clear break between the Feeding of the Multitudes and the episode of Jesus walking on the waters. Verse 22 literally begins with "And immediately he prevailed upon the disciples...". The section ends with the note that it was already evening when Jesus was alone on the mountain (v. 23). As written, this last phrase actually goes with the beginning of verse 24: Jesus being alone and at peace in the mountain is contrasted with the struggles that the disciples were having while they are at the mercy of the sea. A similar situation is found in Matthew 8: 23-27 where the disciples' boat is in the midst of a cataclism (literally, "a great earthquake") while he slept. This narrative situation prepares for the sight of Jesus walking on the waters.

Jesus Walks On The Waters

In the OT, the Lord shows his supremacy over the waves of chaos and disorder by walking on them. In Psalm 77:19, the Exodus is psalmodically proclaimed as Yahweh's victory in war. "Your pathway leads through the sea" the psalmist proclaims, "although your footprints are unseen." In Job 9:18, God's power is shown as He treads upon sea. In Job 38:16 God asks Job a rhetorical question: "Have you entered into the sources of the sea, or walked about in the depths of the abyss?" In Is. 43:16, the Lord is described as the one "who opens a way in the sea and a path in the mighty waters". Except in the passages of Job, the other OT citations here are directly about the saving actions of God. The pasages in Job are theological declarations bearing on God's power considered in itself.

Jesus walking on the waters added to the sight of him feeding the multitudes out of a few loaves of bread and pieces of fish should have evoked images of God Himself feeding His people and leading them through the waters of the Red Sea, and should have led the disciples to a deeper understanding of who Jesus is. This is evoked by Jesus' words to the frightened disciples "Have courage; I AM"

Modern translations render the words "ego eimi" as "It is I". But "ego eimi" is actually the name that God reveals to Moses in Exodus 3:14 (see also Ps. 18:17-18; 144:7; Isaiah 43:10;51:12) . Jesus qualms the fear of his disciples with words that guaranteeing divine presence in their midst. At the fourth watch, when the disciples were already tired as they fight against forces opposed to their progress, Jesus arrives majestically walking over the waters and makes the winds and the waves grow calm by his presence. Thus the sequence in Mark. Mark illustrates the disciples' weak faith by writing that the disciples mistake Jesus for a ghost and at the conclusion of the story, explains that the amazement of the disciples was due to their hardness of heart (Mark 6:56). While Matthew retains the incident about the disciples' fear at thinking they were seeing a ghost on the sea, he however changes the story drastically with his insertion of the story of Peter and by rewriting the story's Marcan conclusion.

The Peter Incident

After Jesus says "It is I", Matthew inserts the response of Peter. "If it is you, command me to walk on the waters towards you." The focus on Jesus' word of command recalls the centurion's words earlier in the gospel:

Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, `Go,' and he goes; and to another, `Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, `Do this,' and he does it. (Matthew 8:8-9)

Jesus' words of appreciation for the faith shown him by the centurion was immediately followed by a rebuke for the "sons of the kingdom" who at the end of time will not join in the eschatological banquet (vv. 10-12) Peter's words assume that by Jesus' command, he would be able to walk on the waters so that he can be with him. Jesus obliges and Peter does begin to walk, but being afraid of the waves, he begins to sink. Thus Jesus' rebuke. "Why did you doubt, o man of little faith?"

The phrase "of little faith" is used by Jesus for disciples. In Mt. 6:30 it appears in an exhortation to trust in God and not worry about food and clothing. In 8:26, it is used by Jesus in rebuking the disciples who were frightened by the storm at sea. In 16:8, Jesus again uses the phrase in rebuking the disciples who could not understand his allussion to the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. In 17:20, the disciples' "little faith" is given as the reason for their inability to drive out a demon. All these usages are in contrast to Jesus praise for the Canaanite woman who kept on asking for his help in spite of his resistance (15:28). And while he does not use the phrase "great faith", Jesus does imply the excellence of the centurion's faith when praising him (8:10). The phrase "men of little faith" in Matthew are used for the disciples who are expected to have faith, but do not. Thus the rebuke to Peter who began believing but failed because he allowed himself to be distracted by the winds. (See John Chrysostom's interpretation of the episode here.)

Peter's cry as he sinks into the sea -- "Lord save me" -- is a model for the Church whenever she feels overwhelmed by the winds and waves of history. Augustine comments on the passage thus:

Cry out, Peter, as you stagger in the waves and say "Lord save me". The Lord, you see is stretching out his hand. He does indeed rebuke you and say "Little faith, why did you doubt?" Why didn't you keep your eyes on the one you were aiming at and make straight for him, and in this way boast only in the Lord?" And yet he does snatch you from a watery grave, and because you are admitting your weakness and imploring him to help you, he doesn't allow you to perish.2

The Conclusion

The concluding part of the narrative departs radically from the Marcan one. In this latter, the hardness of the disciples' heart is highlighted. In Matthew, the conclusion is rewritten in such a way that the reaction of the disciples anticipate the confession of Peter in Matthew 16:16. This, plus the use of the verb "proskuneo" -- the verb for worship -- implies a post-resurrection scenario. Matthew rewrites this gospel episode for a community of faith who know that they are in the fourth watch of human history. For this community, what is important is the meaning of Jesus' walking over the waters. This community of faith -- this Church -- has been experiencing "contrary winds" as it struggles to push forward the agenda of evangelization. Matthew invites this community to see themselves in Peter who flounders in the sea because of his lack of faith. In the end, the presence of the Lord brings peace and calm, helping them to reach "the other side."

1. 1. "The Gospel of Matthew" in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p.658
2. 2. Sermon 75, in TWSA III/3 by Edmund Hill (trans), p. 309. Augustine explains the passage in terms of the Church's temptation to worldly glory, thus the implied contrast between "boasting in the Lord" and "the temptation to human praise."