And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea Mat 14:25
Jesus Felt the Necessity of Being Alone with God
The fourth watch began at three am, and continued till six am. It was therefore between the hours of three and six in the morning that Jesus made his appearance to his disciples.
It had been a day of great trial and stress for Jesus, and when the sun set, the danger was not yet over. There were huge risks in that enthusiastic crowd that surged and swayed upon the mountain side. The miracle of His feeding the five thousand had made a powerful impression upon everyone. It had struck deep into these volatile hearts. And when the cry rang out along the hillside that “Jesus is King!” who could have known where the echoes of that cry might end up? Jesus recognized the peril of the hour. Jesus felt the urgent necessity of prayer. It was a moment in the Master’s life when His greatest desire was to be alone with God. Full of that quiet authority that moved the crowd as wonderfully as it calmed the sea, Jesus urged the disciples to depart, and sent the crowds away. How they would talk as they traveled homeward!
Disciples Learn Dependence in The Storm
Meantime the storm had arrived with great fury. The clouds seemed to have swept away the stars. The wind came screeching through the trees and the countryside. The ocean was rising high. Out in the midst of it toiled the disciples, Masterless, shelterless, helpless. It was a wild night after a weary day. It was a strange fulfillment of their promised rest (Mark 6:31). But we must question if any rest among the hills could have taught them as much as did that unmanageable time in the boat when that storm hit. That very evening they had been telling Jesus what to do. (Mat 14:15). They giving Jesus advice about how to handle that crowd of five thousand men. They were eager to control that huge crowd for Jesus—and now they cannot even manage their little boat. It was a very blessed and very humbling experience for the disciples who were stuck out in that crazy storm.
Being stuck in that storm put the disciples back into their proper place again. It wrote upon their hearts, as if in a picture, that the secret of Christian power today is dependence.
Day by day God instructs His children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act their part upon that wider stage to which His providence has appointed them. It is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in life’s great crisis. {DA 382.3}
Those who fail to realize their constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. We may now suppose that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved. We may say with confidence, “I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake my faith in God and in His word.” But Satan is planning to take advantage of our hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to our own necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness and looking steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely. {DA 382.4}
No sooner had Jesus taken His place in the boat than the wind ceased, “and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” The night of horror was succeeded by the light of dawn. The disciples, and others who also were on board, bowed at the feet of Jesus with thankful hearts, saying, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God!” {DA 382.5}
When We Want Jesus We Do Not Recognize Him
The that night wore on, and every wave that dashed against or into the boat deepened the disciples need of Jesus. Increased the fear in their heart. The crowds were home now, the children were asleep, and every light by the lake side was out. Then with the breaking of the day came Jesus. Walking on the water towards their boat. At first, they spied a form, moving along the waves of the sea. Lost for a moment in the rough waves, now dimmed by the torrents of waves and their spray. Though they had longed for Jesus, and prayed for Jesus, and although this actually was Jesus, they did not know Jesus when they saw Him walking on the waves. They cried out for fear.
Sometimes we get the very thing we ask, and we do not recognize it when it comes. Sometimes we are blessed with the very help we need, and yet we are sometimes even more troubled than before. The disciples cried out “It is a spirit!” The demon of the tempest was rushing about and Jesus—where was He? Who can describe their joy when the familiar voice rang over the white crests, “Be of good cheer; it is I. Be not afraid!”
One Stood Out
Now there are times when a man’s character is revealed, and one of these times is often that of storm. When we find Jesus sleeping in the tempest, it teaches us His perfect trust in God. When we rehearse Paul’s conduct in the shipwreck, it opens a window into that noble heart. So here, from all the disciples, one stands out; and amid the spray, and in the driving wind of that wild morning, there falls a shaft of light on Simon Peter. It is Peter who cries across the storm, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee.” It is Peter who flings himself upon the waves to get to Christ. And it is Peter who begins to sink, and would have gone to the depths but for the hand of Jesus. There is the strength and there is the weakness of that hero. There is the story of his life condensed. When the wind ceased, and the ship’s company knelt down to worship Jesus, none felt so deeply as Peter that this was the Son of God.
When trouble comes upon us, how often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes fixed upon the Savior. Our footsteps slide, and the proud waters go over our souls. Jesus did not bid Peter come to Him that he should perish; He does not call us to follow Him, and then forsake us. “Fear not,” He says; “for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. When thou passes through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior.” Isa 43:1-3. {DA 382.1}
Jesus read the character of His disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,–to show that his safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely upon the Savior. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the great test came upon him.
{DA 382.2}
Long Delays of Heaven
A violent tempest had been stealing upon them, and they were unprepared for it. It was a sudden contrast, for the day had been perfect; and when the gale struck them, they were afraid. They forgot their disaffection, their unbelief, their impatience. Everyone worked to keep the boat from sinking. It was but a short distance by sea from Bethsaida to the point where they expected to meet Jesus, and in ordinary weather the journey required but a few hours; but now they were driven farther and farther from the point they sought. Until the fourth watch of the night they toiled at the oars. Then the weary men gave themselves up for lost. In storm and darkness the sea had taught them their own helplessness, and they longed for the presence of their Master. {DA 380.3}
Jesus had not forgotten them. The Watcher on the shore saw those fear-stricken men battling with the tempest. Not for a moment did He lose sight of His disciples. With deepest solicitude His eyes followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden; for these men were to be the light of the world. As a mother in tender love watches her child, so the compassionate Master watched His disciples. When their hearts were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and in humility they prayed for help, it was given them. {DA 381.1}
At the moment when they believe themselves lost, a gleam of light reveals a mysterious figure approaching them upon the water. But they know not that it is Jesus. The One who has come for their help they count as an enemy. Terror overpowers them. The hands that have grasped the oars with muscles like iron let go their hold. The boat rocks at the will of the waves; all eyes are riveted on this vision of a man walking upon the white-capped billows of the foaming sea. {DA 381.2}
Among the many lessons of this miracle we can note three of the more notable ones. First we look at the long delays of heaven. The night must have seemed endless to the twelve. Hour after hour dragged on, and hour after hour brought no word of Jesus. And it was not till the Roman guard in Caesarea had changed for the fourth watch, that the beloved voice was heard over the waves. Had they lost heart and hope? Did they suspect that Jesus had forgotten them? We are always ready to think ill of God, because of God’s great method of delay. But of this be sure that when our need is greatest, God is closest. He may delay, He will not disappoint. We must be schooled out of our impatience somehow. We must be trained in waiting and in trusting. It was not only for a night of prayer that Jesus lingered. It was to teach His own that patience of hope which was to win such triumphs for the Church.
Jesus Comes by The Unexpected Road
Unbelief was taking possession of their minds and hearts. Love of honor had blinded them. They knew that Jesus was hated by the Pharisees, and they were eager to see Him exalted as they thought He should be. To be united with a teacher who could work mighty miracles, and yet to be reviled as deceivers, was a trial they could ill endure. Were they always to be accounted followers of a false prophet? Would Christ never assert His authority as king? Why did not He who possessed such power reveal Himself in His true character, and make their way less painful? Why had He not saved John the Baptist from a violent death? Thus the disciples reasoned until they brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness. They questioned, Could Jesus be an impostor, as the Pharisees asserted? {DA 380.1}
The disciples had that day witnessed the wonderful works of Christ. It had seemed that heaven had come down to the earth. The memory of that precious, glorious day should have filled them with faith and hope. Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts, been conversing together in regard to these things, they would not have entered into temptation. But their disappointment had absorbed their thoughts. The words of Christ, “Gather up the fragments, . . . that nothing be lost,” were unheeded. Those were hours of large blessing to the disciples, but they had forgotten it all. They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds. God often does this when men create burdens and troubles for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching. {DA 380.2}
Evidently, Christ comes by unexpected roads. That night the twelve were longing for their Master, but they never dreamed that He would come that way. If any sail went beating up the lake, their hopes rose, for Jesus might be there. But even Peter, most sanguine of them all, had never guessed that the waves would be His street. Yet by that unexpected avenue the King approached, and on unlikeliest highways He is coming still. By what strange roads Christ enters human hearts! By what strange ways He comes into our homes! A word, a visit of a stranger perhaps, a sickness or a death—and He is here. We may thank Jesus for our time with our beloved companions of Hunger Want Desolation Impending Destruction Caught in the middle of the terrible storm, it is all so different from what we had looked for, that we do not even recognize it is our Lord. There are ten thousand thoroughfares for Jesus. His ways of entrance into human souls are endless. Let me not bind Him. Let me not limit Him either to my preconceptions or my prayers. He puts to shame my well worn offers of salvation, and comes to all of us by unexpected roads.
We Sink When We Only See the Storm
And lastly, this meets me in the story: we sink when we see nothing but the storm. When Peter looked to Jesus he was safe. But perhaps a wave came and towered like a wall before him, and for the moment he could not see his Lord. He saw the waves, he felt the spray, he heard the wind. But he looked and he saw no face, no arm, no hand, and in that moment Peter began to sink. Do we still detect that presence in the tempest? Do we discern the presence and the love of God in the confusion of our day of trials or troubles? When we see nothing but the storm, we sink. When we see Christ in the madness of the storms in our lives, then we triumph.
Jesus always comes in the storm. It had been a great relief to escape from the pressure of the crowd to His place of prayer, on heights swept by the evening breeze and lighted by the holy stars. But Jesus tore Himself away because His friends needed Him. He is watching us also in the storm and will certainly come to our help. Jesus uses the element we dread the most as the best path for His approach. When the waves were endangering the boat, Jesus walked on them. In our lives are people and circumstances that we dread, it is through these that the greatest blessing of our lives will come, if we look through them to Christ.
We wait for it. We expect His coming. But it is sometimes delayed. The gray dawn was already beginning to spread over the scene. The disciples’ strength was spent. He was not too late to be of service, but just in time to save them from despair. Be of good cheer, and if Jesus bids you come to Him on the water, or in the terrible storm; always believe that His commands are enablings.
Keep looking to Jesus, not at the storm. You, who are wanting to get to Jesus, should make a heroic effort to get to Him. Walking on the water to get to Jesus. Walking on the water might seem to be an idle and useless exhibition. To walk on the water to go to Jesus is another matter. Try it, and may the Lord enable you to get to Jesus in the middle of your worst storm! There is Light in every cloud. Expect it.