Peter -was come down out of the sLip, he walked ou the water, to go to Jesus.
30 But when lie saw the wind bois- terous, he W'as afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth Ms hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, ■wherefore didst thou doubt ?
32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying. Of a truth thou art tlie Son of God.
34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Geunezsaret.
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased ;
36 And besought Y' ^ that they might only touch the hem oi"i's gar- ment ; and as many as touched we. . made perfectly whole.
22 And straightway Jesus con- strained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multi- tudes away.
23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and- when tlie evening was come, he was there alone.
2-1: But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves : for the wind was contrary.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troub- led, saying. It is a spirit ; and they cried out for fear.
27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid.
28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29 And he said, Come. And when
: 7
Tfb liioioiy contained in these verses, is one of singular interest. The miracle here recorded brings out in strong light the character both of Christ and His people. The power and mercy of the Lord Jesus, and the mixture of faith and unbelief in His best disciples, are beautifully illustrated.
We learn, in the first place, from this miracle, what absolute dominion our Saviour lias over all created things. We see Him " walking on the sea," as if it was dry land. Those angry waves which tossed the ship of His disciples to and fro, obey the Son of God, and become a solid floor under His feet. That liquid surface, whi/^h was agitated by the least breath of wind, bears up the feet of our Kedeemer, like a rock. To our poor, weak
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minds^ the whole event is utterly incomprehensible. The picture of two feet walking on the sea, is said by Dod- dridge to have been the-Egyptian emblem of an impossi- ble thing. The man of science will tell us, that for material flesh and blood to walk on water is a physical impossibility. Enough for us to know that it was done. Enough for us to remember, that to Him who created the seas at the beginning, it must have been perfectly easy to walk over their waves when He pleased.
There is encouragement here for all true Christians. Let them know that there is nothing created, which is not under Christ's control. " All things serve Him." He may allow His people to be tried for- a season, and tossed to and fro by storms of trouble. He may be later than they wish in coming to their aid, and not draw near til] the " fourth watch of the night." But never let them forget that winds, and waves, and storms are all Christ's servants. They cannot move without Christ's permission. ^^ The Lord on high is mightier than the voice of many waters, yea than the mighty waves of the sea." (Psalm xciii. 4.) Are we ever tempted to cry with Jonah, " the floods compassed me about : all thy billows and thy waves passed over me." (Jonah ii. 3.) Let us remember they are " His" billows. Let us wait patiently. We may yet see Jesus coming to us, and " walking on the sea."
We learn, in the second place, from this miracle, what poiver Jesus can hestotu on them that helieve on Him. We see Simon Peter coming down out of the ship, and walk- ing on the water, like His Lord. What a wonderful proof was this of our Lord's divinity ! To walk on the
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sea Himself was a mighty miracle. But to enable a poor weak disciple to do the same, was a mightier miracle
still.
There is a deep meaning in this part of our history. It shows us what great things our Lord can do for those that hear His voice, and follow Him. He can enable them to do things which at one time they would have j thought impossible. He can carry them through difiacul- ties and trials, which without Him they would never have ^ dared to face. He can give them strength to walk j through fire and water unharmed, and to get the better of every foe. Moses in Egypt, Daniel in Babylon, the saints in Nero's household, are all examples of His [ mighty power. Let us fear nothing, if we are in the path of duty. The waters may seem deep. But if Jesus says, " Come," we have no cause to be afraid. " He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do." (John xiv. 12.)
Let us learn, in the third place, from this miracle, how much trouhU disciples bring on themselves hy unbelief. We see Peter walking boldly on the water for a little way. But by and bye, when he sees " the wind boister- ous," he is afraid, and begins to sink. The weak flesh gets the better of the willing spirit. He forgets the wonderful proofs of his Lord's goodness and power, which he had just received. He considered not that the same Saviour who had enabled him to walk one step, must be able to hold him up for ever. He did not reflect that he was nearer to Christ when once on the water, than he was when he first left the ship. Fear took away his
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memory. Alarm confused his reason. He thought of nothing hut the winds and waves and his immediate danger, and his faith gave way. " Lord/' He cried, " save me."
What a lively picture we have here of the experience of many a believer ! How many there are who have faith enough to take the first step in following Christ, but not faith enough to go on as they begun. They take fright at the trials and dangers which seem to be in their way. They look at the enemies that surround them, and the difficulties that seem likely to beset their path. They dwell on them more than on Jesus, and at once their feet begin to sink. Their hearts faint within them. Their hope vanishes away. Their comforts disappear. — And why is all this ? Christ is not altered. Their enemies are not greater than they were. — It is just because, like Peter, they have ceased to look to Jesus, and have given way to unbelief They are taken up with thinking about their enemies, instead of thinking about Christ. May we lay this to heart, and learn wisdom.
Let us learn, in the last place, from this miracle, how merciful our Lord Jesus Christ is to iveah believers. We see Him stretching forth His hand immediately to save Peter, as soon as Peter cried to Him. He does not leave him to reap the fruit of his own unbelief, and sink in the deep waters. He only seems to consider his trouble, and to think of nothing so much as delivering him from it. The only word He utters, is the gentle reproof, ^^ 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?"
Behold in this concluding part of the miracle, the exceeding "gentleness of Christ !" He can bear with