Jesus Walks on Water

John's usual way of presenting the glory of Christ is to bring us new material. He was aware of the other gospels and sees what the Lord has done with them. Having reflected for many years on his walk with Jesus, John, as an old man, gives us the blessing of that reflection. It's wondrous how the Spirit of God has taken different men and circumstances and superintended every detail of their lives, so that what they would write would be “God-breathed.” John presents certain events that provide a new backdrop to the glory of the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth.

Most of the signs and miracle that John recounts are also accompanied by theological discourse that explains the significance of the signs. Last, we saw the Feeding of the Five Thousand, which is followed by the Bread of Life discourse. But in between, John presents a parenthetic account, Jesus walking on water. When Jesus, being omniscient, perceives that the Jews would make Him their king, He withdrew to the mountain. Jesus would allow men to dictate how and when He reveals His glory, that is, allow men to make Him what they wanted Him to be. He then reveals His glory to His disciples selectively. God wants us to know that He will reveal Himself on His own terms, in His own time, in His own way. That is what is being communicated here, in this parenthesis of the walking on water.