Did Jesus Walk on Water? | John Emery, OP

Among the important mysteries of Christ’s life, few are as overlooked in theology as his walking on water, perhaps because this exceptional action seems to distance him from other human beings while not benefitting anyone. Our goal in this presentation is to remedy this oversight. It is structured according to several questions. What does walking on water mean? What does it not mean? What is the unique context of this event in Christ’s life? How did he walk on water? Why did he do so? How does this mystery save us?

Current exegetical scholarship allows us to grasp significant theological elements present in the pericopes dealing with this episode in Matthew, Mark and John. It is invariably placed in the context of Jesus’s prayer and after the miraculous feeding of the multitude. In Matthew it is a forerunner of the revelation of Christ’s true identity, in Mark it is a key stage in the development of the disciples’ faith in Jesus, while in John it is a sign like no other, that is, one that is not counted among the seven signs. Because in Sacred Scripture deeds manifest and confirm words, while words proclaim and clarify deeds, special attention will be afforded to the words uttered by Christ on this occasion.
Saint Thomas draws critically from Hugh of Saint Victor’s understanding of Jesus’s walking on water as a sign of a quality (dos) of the glorified body. As such it reveals different aspects of Christ’s being. Although it is not treated in the Tertia Pars, this action should be interpreted in light of what is said there of the other actions and experiences of the Savior. Once its soteriological fittingness is established, we determine and analyze the multiple ways in which this event saves us. These soteriological causalities prove that Jesus’s walking on water is among the most beneficial mysteries for our life of discipleship and mission.