Jesus walked on water to reveal that he is the God who rules over creation. In Mark 6:45-56, his disciples are straining against the wind in the middle of the night when Jesus comes to them, walking on the lake. When they panic, he says, “Take courage! It is I.” Those words echo God’s own name. The miracle shows that Jesus sees us in our struggles, comes to us, and is far greater than we realize.
Setting the Scene in Mark 6:45-56
This story comes immediately after Jesus fed the 5,000. John’s Gospel tells us that after the feeding, the crowd wanted to make Jesus king by force (John 6:15). That may explain why Mark says Jesus “made” his disciples get into the boat and leave right away. He didn’t want them swept up in the crowd’s political excitement. Then he sent the crowd home and went up on a mountain to pray, just as he had done after his busy day in Capernaum (Mark 1:35).
This story also feels a lot like Jesus calming the storm in Mark 4. The disciples are again in a boat at night, struggling against the wind. But this time, Jesus isn’t asleep in the boat with them. He comes to them across the water.
Jesus Sees and Comes
Mark tells the story with vivid detail.
Mark 6:45-52 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray. Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
The disciples had been rowing for hours. “Shortly before dawn” refers to the fourth watch of the night in Roman reckoning, between 3 and 6 a.m. The word for “straining” can also mean tormented. They were exhausted and getting nowhere. But Jesus saw them. Even from a distance, in the dark, he knew exactly where they were and what they were facing.
Then Mark adds a puzzling phrase: Jesus “was about to pass by them.” Why would he pass by? The phrase echoes some of the most important moments in the Old Testament, when God revealed himself. God told Moses, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you” (Exodus 33:19). God also “passed by” Elijah on the mountain (1 Kings 19:11). In those moments, God was showing his glory. Many commentators believe Mark is telling us that Jesus was revealing his divine glory to his disciples.
“It Is I”
The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, and they were terrified. Jesus immediately reassured them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” In Greek, “It is I” is egō eimi, literally “I am.” It can simply mean “It’s me,” but it is also the name God used for himself when he spoke to Moses from the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). In context, with Jesus walking on the sea and passing by like God in the Old Testament, the double meaning is hard to miss.
The Old Testament describes God as the one who walks on the sea.
Job 9:8 He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
In the Greek translation of the Old Testament that many early Christians used, this verse says God “walks on the sea as on dry ground.” The disciples were watching Jesus do what only God could do.
Interestingly, Matthew’s account includes Peter walking on the water and then sinking (Matthew 14:28-31). Mark, who likely got much of his material from Peter, leaves that part out. We don’t know why, but Mark keeps the spotlight entirely on Jesus.
Hardened Hearts
Mark ends the scene with a surprising explanation: the disciples were amazed “for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” That is strong language. Mark used similar words to describe the Pharisees’ stubborn hearts (Mark 3:5). The disciples weren’t opposed to Jesus, but they still hadn’t grasped who he was. If they had understood the feeding of the 5,000, that Jesus has the power of God to provide, they wouldn’t have been so shocked to see him rule over the sea.
We can be the same way. God shows us his faithfulness, and then the next crisis hits and we panic as if we have never seen him work before. Spiritual growth often means remembering what Jesus has already done.
Healing Everywhere He Went
When they reached shore, the scene shifted from a lonely sea to crowded towns.
Mark 6:53-56 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Gennesaret was a fertile plain on the northwest shore of the lake. People there recognized Jesus immediately and ran to bring the sick. Like the woman in Mark 5, they just wanted to touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. The disciples struggled to understand Jesus, but these ordinary people knew exactly where to go for help.
What This Means for Us
Are you facing a storm right now? Maybe a relationship issue, a financial strain, or a health concern? This passage reminds us that Jesus sees us, even when we feel alone in the dark. He comes to us in our struggles. And his words to the disciples are his words to us: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” The one who walks on the waves is the same one who climbs into our boat.
The Takeaway
When Jesus walks on water, he reveals that he is the great “I AM,” the God who rules over the sea. He saw his exhausted disciples, came to them in the middle of the night, and calmed their fear with his presence. Whatever storm you are facing, take courage. Jesus sees you, he is with you, and he is greater than you realize.
