31. Jesus Walks on Water

What the Story Says

1. What did Jesus do after he sent his disciples across the lake in a boat?

   Jesus sent away the crowd and then went up on a mountainside to pray alone (#31-01).

2. What difficulty did the disciples have on the lake?

   The wind was glowing hard, so the disciples were having difficulty crossing the lake in the boat (#31-02).

3. How did Jesus come to the disciples?

   Jesus walked on top of the water to the boat in the middle of the lake (#31-03).

4. Why were the disciples afraid of Jesus when he came to them?

   The disciples were afraid when they saw Jesus walking on top of the water because they thought Jesus was a ghost (#31-04).

5. What did Peter ask Jesus to do in order to prove that Jesus was not a ghost?

   Peter asked Jesus to command him to walk to Jesus on the water (#31-05).

6. What happened when Peter stepped onto the water?

   Peter was also able to walk on the water for a short distance (#31-06).

7. Why did Peter begin to sink in the water?

   Peter began to sink when he took his eyes away from Jesus and looked at the waves instead (#31-06), (#31-07).

8. What did Peter do to save himself as he was sinking in the water?

   Peter shouted for Jesus to save him. Jesus reached out and grabbed Peter (#31-07).

9. What happened to the storm?

   The storm stopped as soon as Peter and Jesus stepped into the boat (#31-08).

10. How did the disciples respond when Jesus entered the boat?

    The disciples were amazed. They all bowed down and worshiped Jesus as the Son of God (#31-08).

What the Story Means to Us

1. Why did Jesus remain on the mountainside and pray until late at night?

   Jesus believed that prayer was important even for him. He often spent time talking to his Father. Even when he was very busy, he took time to pray. He became an example for all of his disciples, and for us.

2. Why do you think the disciples had difficulty crossing the lake? Jesus had sent them there.

   A disciple who follows Jesus will still experience difficult times. Jesus did not say it was easy to be his disciple. In this situation, Jesus sent the wind against the disciples so he could show them that he had authority over the storm. God often causes difficult times in our lives so that he can show us his power.

3. Why do you think it was wise for Peter to try to walk on the water to Jesus?

   Peter often did not think carefully about things before he did them. Perhaps this occasion is an example. It may have been a foolish thing to do. But at the same time, it was also very brave. None of the other disciples tried to go to Jesus. They all remained in the boat and waited for Jesus to come to them.

4. Why did Jesus say that Peter had little faith?

   Peter began to trust Jesus. He asked to Jesus to cause him to walk on the water. That shows that Peter believed in Jesus. However, when Peter saw the wind and the waves, he began to fear that Jesus could not keep him safe on the water. His faith began to waver. At that point, he began to sink. His faith was not strong enough to trust Jesus for very long.

5. Why did the disciples worship Jesus?

   The disciples saw that he had walked across the water of the lake during the storm, and that he had calmed the wind. Many of the disciples were fishermen. They knew that no mere man could walk on the water. They understood clearly that Jesus was doing things that only God could do. Therefore, they bowed down and worshiped him.

Summary

Jesus stayed behind as he sent his disciples across the lake in the boat. While they went, he prayed to his Father until late at night. Jesus often spend much time in prayer, no matter how busy he was. Eventually, Jesus began to walk across the lake on the water toward the disciples. They were afraid when they saw him, but Peter asked permission to come to Jesus on the water. He walked partway to Jesus before he became afraid the waves and began to sink. Jesus saved Peter, but he rebuked him for not believing in Jesus enough. When Jesus got into the boat, the storm stopped. The disciples were so amazed at what Jesus had done that they all fell down and worshipped him as the Son of God.