Jesus walks on water, and this action reveals his deity. According to Mark 6:48, Jesus “meant to pass by them.” In the Old Testament, God is the one who subdues the waters and treads the waves. That poetic language in the Old Testament takes on a physical sense in the New Testament. The Word became flesh, and the Word walked upon the water.

When Mark reports the miracle of Jesus walking on the water, he uses a line not found in the other Gospel accounts. And this unique line connects us to Old Testament scenes of glory and revelation.

In Mark 6:45–52, the disciples are in a boat and heading to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, without Jesus. Late into the night, the conditions on the water were preventing the disciples from making progress (6:48).

So Jesus approached—without a boat. “And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified” (Mark 6:48–50).

Let’s compare the other Gospel accounts.

• Matthew 14:25–26, “And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‘It is a ghost!’ and they cried out in fear.”
• Luke’s Gospel does not report this event.
• John 6:19, “When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.”

The Gospel accounts tell us that Jesus was walking on the water during the fourth watch of the night (sometime between 3:00 am and 6:00 am). These accounts also tell us that the disciples had a frightened response.

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