Walking on Water – February 22, 2026, First Sunday in Lent

Old Testament, John 6:1-21
February 22, 2026

“Walking on Water.”  Did you ever hear that expression said of somebody when it wasn’t referring to Jesus?  Think about it.  Maybe it was someone people thought so highly of, that it was said they could “walk on water!”  Maybe it was a celebrity at the height of their fame, or an athlete who won all the championships.  Some people think a guy like Tom Brady can “walk on water!”  (But not in this town!)

Well, today, of course, we have the origin of that expression.  Today we have the original model – the first example of someone who could and actually did “walk on water.”  Of course we’re talking about Jesus.  And here we have the story of him doing that.

I was wondering this week if there was anyone else in the Bible who walked on water.  We know the story of Moses, who parted the water and walked on dry land.  Elijah did that, too!  But was there anyone else who walked on water?

As it turns out, the only one who did that – before Jesus – was God himself.  God is depicted as “walking the paths of the sea,” in Psalm 77. (Psalm 77:19)  In Job, he is described as “trampling the waves of the sea. (Job 9:8)  But that’s pretty much it.  So, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, they would have recognized that he was doing something that only God can do!  And we can only imagine the impact it had on them!

That’s the image I want us to start with today.  I want you to think about what that looks like in your mind.  Jesus and his disciples started out that day in Capernaum, which was Jesus’ “adopted home town” during the years of his ministry.  They took a boat and went to the far side of the sea – the sea of Galilee – where this other miracle took place.  We’ll talk about that in a minute.  But now they were getting ready to return to Capernaum, and John tells us that the disciples went ahead of Jesus in a boat, for whatever reason.

Now, add this to your mental image.  They had gone three or four miles, now it was dark, and a storm arose!  And they knew what storms on that sea were like.  Several of them were fishermen, who probably lost friends in such storms!  So the disciples were rowing feverishly, the waves were rising all around them and crashing over the boat, the wind was blowing, they were getting wet, and probably cold.  And then they saw Jesus coming towards them, walking on the water!  That’s the image!

John tells us they were frightened.  I think it’s hard for us to imagine this scene!  Our mental imagery is probably a lot more “tame” than what was actually happening.  I know mine is!  And of course, remember, we know what we know about Jesus.  They didn’t.  But they were learning, weren’t they – especially this particular day!  Because of course, Jesus walking on water wasn’t the only miraculous thing they had seen.  In a way, this just added an exclamation point to everything they had witnessed that day!

So, picture this part.  Backtrack a little and picture them watching Jesus feeding the multitude.  And remember, this was not his first miracle – according to John.  The first miracle took place at the Wedding in Cana, back in chapter two.  But this one was arguably his first really big and, of course, very public miracle!  And I think it was a bigger miracle than we usually think.

Think about it.  When Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding feast, those people knew something happened.  And I’m sure word spread about that.  And by the way, that’s yet another story that only John tells!  But here in this story, the word didn’t have to spread!  Thousands of people knew something happened!  They were part of it!

I wanted to read these two stories together, because they both part of the big picture of what happened that day.  There were two major miracles – one very public, one more private.  And the disciples were beginning to see – that day – that they were part of something big!  They were beginning to see that Jesus was a man of great miracle power.  And if, in those days, they had the expression of thinking so highly of someone they could “walk on water,” they would have said it about Jesus.  But they didn’t have to.  Because he did!

So, this was a big day for those disciples!  They saw Jesus feed the multitude, and now they see him walking on the water.  And then immediately, their boat was transported to Capernaum – we can’t forget that part!  So, for these disciples, this day was a double dose of Jesus’ miracle power!  And again, I have to wonder what they were thinking.  In the other Gospels, when Jesus calmed the storm, do you remember what they said?  They said, “Who is this man, that even the seas obey him?”  Well, this is John’s version of that story, and I’m sure they were thinking the same thing here!  “Who is this man?”

Back when they started following Jesus, I’m sure they thought he was just a man.  Albeit a good man!  An important man!  But just a man.  Now they were learning otherwise.  And I think it’s too easy for us to think of Jesus as being “just a man.”  Isn’t it?  And there are many people – and there have been many people over the years – who would have us think that way about him!

Back in seminary – 45 years ago! – we read books about people who thought that Jesus should be “demythologized.”  (Do you remember that, Kari?)  That means that the miracle stories of Jesus should be seen as being “mythological” in nature – like the grand physical attributes of Paul Bunyan.  He was said to be a giant of a man who could create canyons and rivers and lakes.  Well, some people have tried to say that the miracles of Jesus were more like “mythological” attributes given to him over the years.

Well, whether we think like that or not – and I for one, don’t! – I think we do sometimes tend to “tone down” the power of the things we read about Jesus in the Gospels.  Or we read over them too fast and we fail to stop and try to picture the scale of what was happening.  Or maybe we read those stories in our “Bible voice” – you know, that voice that sounds respectful, but tends to lessen the power and emotion of what we’re reading.

So, I think we need to revisit and rediscover the miracle power of Jesus.  And we need to know that the power of God is still working in the world through him.  Because that’s the same power we need – the power we rely on – for living our lives.  We need to rediscover that we don’t just follow a Savior who did great and miraculous things.  We follow a Savior who still does great and miraculous things in our world and in our lives!

Does he still walk on water?  Does he still feed the multitudes?  Maybe those things aren’t so readily seen as they once were.  Maybe his miracle power may not be as “public” as it was when he walked this earth.  But I think we have to recognize what he still does in our world and in our lives.

That’s a good thing to think about during Lent.  We need to ask ourselves, “When have we been aware of his power in our lives?”  “When have we felt the comfort of him being ‘with us always, to the close of the age.’”  “How have our lives changed, as we’ve learned to ‘run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith?’”

Those are good things to do during Lent.  And then, as we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter, we also have to remember that we are directly involved in his greatest miracle.  And that is the Atonement!  Yes, Easter was the great celebration of his victory over sin and death.  But his atonement – the cross – was where that victory took place.  That was the greatest miracle.  Remember, when he died, his last words were, “It is finished!”  “It is accomplished.”  In the cross, God’s plan of salvation was complete!  Then the resurrection showed that victory to the world!

As we think about all of that this Lenten season, let us know, that Jesus is not “just a man.”  He’s not just a miracle worker.  He is Lord!  He is Lord over the chaos in our world, and in our lives.  He comes to us in the storm, and in our struggles.  And he often comes to us unbidden.  And when we’re going through those difficult times, we may at first forget to reach out to him.  We may just struggle in the storm on our own.  But then, when we finally do reach out to him, we often find that he has been there for us all along.

Who is this man, that even the wind and waves obey him?  Who is this man, that storms of our lives are subject to his word?  Who is this man, who walks on water?

Prayer

Eternal God, we thank you that you have come to live among us, so that you can know all aspects of this life you have given us.  Help us to know, this Lenten season, that you are with us always, and that your power is still at work in our world and in our lives.  For we pray in the name of our Savior, Amen.