And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just appearing to them out of nowhere; he was actively coming to them in the midst of their struggle. He had spent the night praying alone on the mountain while they battled the storm, and his arrival in the "fourth watch" shows his deliberate timing to meet them at their lowest point.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus had just fed thousands with a few loaves and fish and sent the crowds away. He then told his disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of him across the Sea of Galilee, while he went up a mountain to pray alone. Hours later, as the disciples struggled against a strong wind and waves in the middle of the night, Jesus appeared, walking on the water towards them.
The disciples were battling a fierce storm for hours, nearing despair. Then, in the darkest, most desperate hour, Jesus appeared. Why the delay?
God's Apparent Absence
Jesus intentionally sent his disciples ahead into the storm. He knew the tempest was coming, yet he spent the night alone on the mountain praying. This wasn't a lack of care, but a deliberate choice to allow the disciples to face their struggle.
The Purpose of the Wait
Jesus didn't just appear; He walked on water. This wasn't swimming or floating – it was an impossible act that shattered the disciples' understanding of reality.
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Defying Gravity and Expectation
The phrase 'walking on the sea' is a powerful statement of divine power. Ancient cultures even used the image of feet on water as a hieroglyphic for impossibility. For Jesus to do this was to demonstrate that He is not bound by the physical laws He Himself created.
The Nature of the Miracle
Understand the original words
phylakē · Greek Noun
In the ancient world, the night was divided into four watches. The fourth watch (approximately 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.) was the final period before dawn, representing the time of greatest darkness or trial before deliverance arrives.
thalassa · Greek Noun
The large, restless body of water. In biblical cosmology, the sea often represents chaos, hostility, and the untamable powers of nature that only God has the authority to subdue.
The disciples had just witnessed an astonishing miracle of provision, yet hours later, in a terrifying storm, they failed to recognize Jesus' divine power when he appeared to them. This shows how quickly fear and spiritual blindness can overshadow even recent encounters with God's might.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus' Ministry and Calling Disciples
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching, healing, and calling his first disciples, including the twelve apostles.
c. AD 28
Feeding of the Five Thousand
Jesus miraculously feeds over five thousand men with only five loaves and two fish, a significant public display of his power.
Evening of the Feeding— this verse
Disciples Sent Across the Sea
Jesus urges his disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while he dismisses the crowds.
Night of the Feeding
Jesus Prays Alone
After sending the disciples away, Jesus goes up onto a mountain by himself to pray through the night.
Fourth Watch of the Night (c. 3 AM - 6 AM)
Jesus Walks on Water
Jesus appears to his struggling disciples by walking on the stormy Sea of Galilee, demonstrating his divine authority over nature.
Following Morning
Calm Seas and Worship
Upon Jesus entering the boat, the storm ceases, and the disciples worship him, acknowledging him as the Son of God.
This passage describes God's sovereign power by stating that 'He alone treads on the waves of the sea,' a characteristic directly mirrored in Jesus' miracle of walking on water.
Exodus 14:24This Old Testament account of God parting the Red Sea for Israel mentions the Lord looking upon the Egyptian army in the 'morning watch,' similar to Jesus appearing to his disciples in the pre-dawn hours (fourth watch).
John 6:19This parallel account provides more detail, stating the disciples were about twenty-five or thirty stades (3-4 miles) from shore, emphasizing the distance and danger Jesus overcame by walking on the sea to reach them.
Mark 13:35This verse provides context for the 'fourth watch' by listing the four watches of the night: evening, midnight, the cockcrowing, and the morning watch, helping us pinpoint the time Jesus appeared.
1 Kings 18:43After Elijah prayed for rain following a long drought, he sent his servant to look toward the sea seven times, showing a pattern of God's people looking to the sea in times of distress and waiting for His intervention, similar to the disciples' plight.
calvinMatthew 14:22-33: "And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away."
- And immediately Jesus constrained his disciples to embark, and to go before him to the opposite bank, till he had sent away the multitudes. 23. And when he had sent away the multitudes, he went up into a mountain alone to pray; and when the evening came, he was there alone. 24. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tosse…
barnesMatthew 14:25: "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."
And in the fourth watch of the night - The Jews anciently divided the night into three parts of four hours each, usually called watches. The first of these watches is mentioned in Lamentations 2:19 , the middle watch in Judges 7:19 , and the morning watch in Exodus 14:24 . In the time of our Saviour they divided the night into four watches, the fourth having been introduced by the Romans. These watch…
What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just appearing to them out of nowhere; he was actively coming to them in the midst of their struggle. He had spent the night praying alone on the mountain while they battled the storm, and his arrival in the "fourth watch" shows his deliberate timing to meet them at their lowest point.
Jesus had just fed thousands with a few loaves and fish and sent the crowds away. He then told his disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of him across the Sea of Galilee, while he went up a mountain to pray alone. Hours later, as the disciples struggled against a strong wind and waves in the middle of the night, Jesus appeared, walking on the water towards them.
Jesus had just fed thousands with a few loaves and fish and sent the crowds away. He then told his disciples to get into a boat and go ahead of him across the Sea of Galilee, while he went up a mountain to pray alone. Hours later, as the disciples struggled against a strong wind and waves in the middle of the night, Jesus appeared, walking on the water towards them.
"And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea." — What's easily missed is that Jesus wasn't just appearing to them out of nowhere; he was actively coming to them in the midst of their struggle. He had spent the night praying alone on the mountain…
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Last reviewed October 2026