Jump to content

Jesus walking on water

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tobyjensen (talk | contribs) at 21:40, 3 February 2012 (Undid revision 474701560 by Editor2020 (talk) Adds and clarifies important details that change the context.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the miracle of Jesus walking on water in Christianity, for other uses see Walk on Water.
Jesus walks on water, by Ivan Aivazovsky (1888)

Jesus' walks on water, or Jesus walking on water, is one of the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. Accounts of the miracle appear in three Gospels: Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52 and John 6:16-21.

The story tells how, following the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus sent the disciples by boat to the other side of Lake Galilee while he remained behind, alone, to pray. Night fell, the wind rose, and the boat became caught in a storm. In the midst of the storm and the darkness the disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea. They were frightened, thinking they were seeing a spirit, but Jesus told them not to be afraid, they were reassured. Jesus calmed the storm and entered the boat, and they went on to the shore. According to a detail found only in Matthew, Peter walked out onto the water towards Jesus, but he became afraid and began to sink, and Jesus rescued him.[1]

Christian teachings consider the episode a miracle intended to show the importance of faith, and the control of Jesus over nature. Biblical scholars view the episode as instrumental in asserting the divinity of Jesus among early Christians. In this view, the episode's demonstration that God the Father is willing to share divine power with his son Jesus impacted the affirmation of the belief in the divinity of Jesus in the Christian ecumenical creeds.[2][3]

Critical scholars do not share the traditional Christian perspective, some stating that it was not miraculous and that the disciples saw Jesus walking on the shore, but were confused by darkness. Others regard the story as an example of creative symbolism, or a pious legend. George Young considers the story as fantastic art which should be analyzed by literary-critical methods.

Biblical narrative

In the New Testament narrative, this episode appears in the gospels of Matthew (14:22-33), Mark (6:45-52), and John (6:16-21). This episode is distinct from the Calming the storm episode which also involves a boat on the lake but takes place much earlier in the gospel narratives. In all three gospels this episode follows the narrative of the feeding of the 5000, where Jesus has withdrawn by boat to a solitary place near Bethsaida after hearing of the death of John the Baptist, but is followed by the crowds on foot.[4][5]

Christ Rescuing Peter from Drowning, by Veneziano, 1370

In all three accounts, during the evening the disciples get into a boat to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, without Jesus who goes up the mountain to pray alone. John alone specifies the destination was Capernaum. During the journey on the lake the disciples are distressed by wind and waves, but see Jesus walking towards them on the lake. John alone specifies that they were 25 or 30 furlongs away from the shore. The disciples are startled to see Jesus, but he asks them not to be afraid. In John and Mark's accounts Jesus then gets in the boat. [4][5]

Only Matthew's account mentions Peter asking to come unto the Lord on the water. He is encouraged to do so by Jesus. After Peter came out of the ship and walked on water, he became afraid of the storm and began to sink. He calls out to Jesus for help. Jesus takes Peter’s hand and reprimands him for his lack of faith, and leads him back to the boat whereupon the storm stops. Also in Matthew the astounded disciples call Jesus the Son of God.[4][5]

In all three accounts, after Jesus gets into the boat the wind dies down and they reach the shore. Only John's account immediately has their ship reach the shore. Matthew and Mark's accounts end at this point, but John continues to narrate the events of the next day, when the crowd of the five thousand go to Capernaum and asked Jesus how he had crossed over without a boat, having seen the disciples leave without him. Jesus does not answer that question, but tells the crowd that they have followed him not because they have seen signs, but because of the free loaves they had eaten the day before, and advises them to not to seek earthly gains, but aim for a life based on higher spiritual values. In John's account this discussion about the loaves then leads to the Bread of Life Discourse about "true bread" from heaven.[6][4][5]

This episode takes place towards the end of the Ministry of Jesus in Galilee before the key turning points half way through the gospel narratives where Peter proclaims Jesus as Christ and sees the Transfiguration. After those events Jesus begins his final journey to Jerusalem.[4][7]

Interpretations

Christian teachings

Emperor Constantine (center) holding the Nicene Creed which affirms the belief in the divinity of Jesus.

The walking on the water episode has specific interpretations within Christian teachings and has been viewed by scholars as important due to its perceived impact on the formation of Christian ecumenical creeds, as discussed below.[2]

One aspect of the pericope is how it highlights the relationship between Jesus and his apostles. Merrill Tenney states that the incident is in essense centered on that aspect, rather than their peril or the miracle itself.[8] Dwight Pentecost and John Danilson state that this miracle was deliberately designed by Jesus to instruct his apostles and increase their faith.[9] David Cook and Craig Evans note that "of little faith" is a somewhat common expression in Matthew (e.g. 8:26 when Calming the storm or 16:8 regarding bread and the Pharisees just before the Confession of Peter) and may mean "of no faith".[10]

Richard Cassidy states that this episode sheds special light on the position of Peter among the apostles and the relationship between Jesus and Peter.[11] In Cassidy's view the episode implies that Peter had faith in Jesus and acknowledged Jesus' extraordinary powers, and by considering to walk on water himself, wanted to share in the act of Jesus before the other disciples for he considered himself closest to Jesus.[11] Cook and Evans note that the "Lord Save me" cry of Peter is similar to Matthew 8:25 and Mark 4:38 in the Calming the storm episode and again emphasizes the reliance of the disciples on Jesus.[10]

Cook and Evans also echo Pentecost's interpretation that the detail regarding "many stadia away" and "battered by the waves" were intended to emphasize that Jesus could walk on the water long away from the shore, on a rough lake, thus establishing his dominance over nature.[10][9] R.T. France has also pointed out that the details regarding the boat being a long way from the shore, and the portrayal of Peter sinking are intended as a confirmation of the depth of the water.[12]

Scholars such as Ulrich Luz and separately Dale Allison view the pericope as instrumental in asserting the divinity of Jesus among early Christians.[2] Alan Robinson sees the pericope as important in establishing the belief in the early Church that the disciples viewed Jesus as the Son of God.[13] Dale Allison states that Matthew's presentation emphasizes that God the Father is willing to share divine power with his son and that the impact of this pericope on the affirmation of the divinity of Jesus in the ecumenical creeds is undeniable.[3]

Historical-critical perspective

François Boucher Cathédrale Saint-Louis (1766) Versailles

Scholars who hold that the story records actual events do so on the basis that Jesus, as Son of God, was exempt from the laws of nature; or, in a variation, that Jesus projected an image himself while actually remaining on the shore.[14] The lack of any record of protests against the truth of this and other miracles is held to be proof of their historical reality.[15] The meaning of the episode is held to be inherent in its miraculous nature: "The meaning of the pericope (story) ... only has meaning ... if it is understood as relating a miraculous event which really took place" (Leopold Sabourin, 1975).[16]

Others have held that while some event took place, it was not miraculous: Albert Schweitzer, for example, suggested that the disciples saw Jesus walking on the shore, but were confused by high wind and darkness; some scholars who accepted this "misperception thesis" argued that Mark originally wrote that Jesus walked on the seashore rather than on the shore, and that John had a more accurate version.[17] Others have held that the entire episode is a "pious legend" (B.H. Brunscombe, 1937), based perhaps on some lost incident; perhaps Jesus waded through the surf (Vincent Taylor, 1957), or perhaps he walked on a sand bar (Sherman Johnson, 1972, J.D.M. Derrett, 1981).[18]

Finally are those scholars who regard the story as an example of "creative symbolism," or myth: Rudolf Bultmann pointed out that the sea-walking theme is familiar in many cultures;[19] in a similar way Arthur Lillie argued that Indian missionary activity had deeply influenced the Near East during the 3rd century BCE and that the origins of the story were to be found in Buddhist propaganda.[20] Others look for an origin in the mythic world of the Old Testament itself (Christ's victory over the waters paralleling Yahweh's defeat of the primeval Sea, representing Chaos),[21] or within the New Testament, as an originally simple story later embellished with Hellenistic and Old Testament details.[22]

Literary-critical analysis

See also: Subversive Symmetry (book)

Biblical scholar George W. Young dismisses the naturalistic explanations, the traditional and the historical critical perspectives. He contends that these methods of exegesis rely on factual interpretations and fail to capture the full meaning of the text based on its structure. Instead, Young explores the pericope with literary-critical methods as narrative art. Young views the text as fiction, and uses tools and terms often associated with fantastic literature to analyze it.[23]

Young analyses the pericope as the expression of three entangled, conflicting perspectives on reality: (i) the “conventional reality” based on sensory perception; (ii) the “impossible” vision of Jesus resulting in the astonishment of the observers; (iii) the narrator's metaphysical comment in verse 52 identifying Jesus as the Son of God.[24]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jesus walks on water.

Notes

  1. ^ Matthew 14:22–33
  2. ^ a b c Matthew: The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 by Frederick Dale Bruner 2004 ISBN 0802826709 page
  3. ^ a b Matthew: A Shorter Commentary (International Critical Commentary) by Dale C. Allison and W.D. Davies 2005 ISBN 0567082490 page 244
  4. ^ a b c d e Steven L. Cox, Kendell H Easley, 2007 Harmony of the Gospels ISBN 0-8054-9444-8 pages 99-100
  5. ^ a b c d The Chronological Study Bible by Thomas Nelson 2008 ISBN 0718020685 page 1144
  6. ^ Who do you say that I am?: essays on Christology by Jack Dean Kingsbury, Mark Allan Powell, David R. Bauer 1999 ISBN 0664257526 page 83
  7. ^ The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels by Douglas Redford 2007 ISBN 0784719004 pages 189-207
  8. ^ Merrill Chapin Tenney 1997 John: Gospel of Belief ISBN 0802843514 page 114
  9. ^ a b J. Dwight Pentecost (2000). The words and works of Jesus Christ. Zondervan. pp. 234–235. ISBN 0310309409. Retrieved 2011-10-04. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew-Luke by David C. Cook and Craig A. Evans 2003 ISBN 0781438683 page 303
  11. ^ a b Four Times Peter: Portrayals of Peter in the Four Gospels And at Philippi by Richard J. Cassidy 2007 ISBN 081465178X pages 70-73
  12. ^ France 2007, p. 567
  13. ^ The Apostles' Creed: God's special revelation by Alan Robinson 2005 ISBN 1898595461 pages 35-36
  14. ^ Young 1999, p. 2-3
  15. ^ Young 1999, p. 4
  16. ^ Young 1999, p. 2-3
  17. ^ Young 1999, p. 8-9
  18. ^ Young 1999, p. 9-10
  19. ^ Young 1999, p. 10
  20. ^ Young 1999, p. 12
  21. ^ Young 1999, p. 12-15
  22. ^ Young 1999, p. 16-17
  23. ^ George W. Young: Subversive Symmetry. Exploring the Fantastic in Mark 6:45-56. Brill, Leiden 1999, p. 1-6, 23. ISBN 90-04-11428-9. Online preview
  24. ^ George W. Young: Subversive Symmetry, 1999, p. 112-145, 149ff., 157f., 181-184.

Bibliography

Jesus walking on water
Preceded by New Testament
Events 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Jesus_walking_on_water&oldid=474856412"