Peter Walks on the Water

February 16

After feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus sent His disciples across the lake, and He went up to pray on the mountain. Some have suggested that sent is too mild a word; other translations use the word compelled, perhaps suggesting that the disciples were reluctant to leave without Him.

Matthew doesn’t tell us how long Jesus prayed but says that He prayed from “well into the night” (v. 23) until “very early in the morning” (v. 25). Jesus was accustomed to praying alone at night. We don’t know how long it was, but it’s safe to say that Jesus prayed for quite a while.

After spending some time in prayer, Jesus walks across the water to catch up with His disciples, who were struggling to battle the wind and waves in the boat. They had traveled “some distance,” which actually was only about two hundred yards, while Jesus was praying.

They were terrified when they saw Him walking on the water; they even thought He was a ghost. But Peter called out to Jesus, asking him to prove it was Him, by inviting him to walk out and meet Him. “If it’s really you…” This if implies that Peter already knew that this was Jesus. Then, Jesus invites Peter to come to Him on the water. But when Peter saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid and began to sink.

It’s easy to mock Peter for his weak faith. But we must note that Peter was the only disciple who got out of the boat!

Application

When was the last time you spent an extended amount of time in prayer as Jesus did. If the Son of God needed to get away to spend time with the Father, how much do we?

Jesus rebuked Peter for his lack of faith. (v. 31) Interestingly, he didn’t rebuke the other disciples for not having as much faith as Peter. How sensitive are you to immediate obedience to whatever Jesus says?

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman