Why did Jesus walk on water?

Answer 1

Have you ever tried to walk on water? Have you ever know or heard of anyone except Jesus who has walked on water? If you saw someone walk on water would you believe they were special? No one can walk on water except it be frozen. Jesus was special and He could walk on water plus do many other things that no one else can ever do. He is special because He is the only begotten Son of God. The next time you are at a lake try walking on water, but be sure to wear a life jacket as you will surely sink.

Answer 2

There is one way to establish whether this miracle is likely to have happened and why Jesus walked on water, or why the evangelists portrayed him as walking on water. That is to look at the original account in its full context and see the reasons for this narrative.

Scholars have established that the first New Testament gospel was the gospel now known as Mark's Gospel, and that this was the source for the other gospels that wrote about Jesus walking on water. In Mark 6:33-8:21, we can see a contiguous series of miracles and discourses with at least ten references or allusions to food, with a theme of the disciples not understanding. The miracle of Jesus walking on water is one of these:

• Jesus and the disciples had no leisure so much as to eat, so they went into a desert place
• Feeding the 5000
• When Jesus walked on water the disciples were amazed, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves
• Pharisees complain about the disciples eating with unwashed hands
• Discourse - what goes into a man goes into his belly and does not defile
• Greek woman metaphorically begs for crumbs from the table
• Feeding the 4000
• Disciples are hungry and have only one loaf of bread - a similar situation to the two feedings of thousands
• Jesus warns the disciples about the leaven of the Pharisees and they reason, "It is because we have no bread," showing they do not understand
• Summary by Jesus of the two feasts, asking again, "Why is it that ye do not understand?"

First of all, Mark says that Jesus sent away the disciples by ship in rather contrived circumstances, as he wanted to send the people away (which he surely could have done more easily from the ship) and then go up the mountain to pray - a necessary action so that he could see the ship in trouble. I believe the key issue here is not that Jesus walked on water, but that the disciples lacked understanding, for they considered not the miracle of the loaves. This passage looks backwards to the feeding of the five thousand and forwards, along with the other miracles and discourses, to verse 8:21 when Jesus again asks, "Why is it ye do not understand?" The reader has become very aware that the disciples do not understand, and this awareness is carried forward in the parallel structure that forms a framework for Mark, to the matching event, the Last Supper. A parallel structure is a literary sequence in which an opening set of events is contrasted with another, parallel set of events that mirrors the first, using association for emphasis and to develop themes that would not otherwise be apparent:A . John explains the coming of Jesus(Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Notice how elegantly each important event in the first set has exactly the right matching event in the second set? So when the reader comes to the Last Supper (event R'), he understands but knows that the disciples do not. This miracle was for a literary purpose, not a historical record. Jesus no more walked on water than did the Greek god Hermes before him.