This is one of the Bible’s best-loved stories, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s easy for us to visualize the disciples struggling to get their small ship across the stormy Sea of Galilee, and their astonishment when Jesus comes to them, strolling atop the waves as if the water was a Roman road. We can sympathize with Peter, who in the flush of amazement goes onto the water himself, only to be struck with fear. And we can draw a clear spiritual message of trusting the Lord and believing in His power.

(References: The Apocalypse Explained 514 [21])

But is that all there is? Did Jesus walk on water just to amaze the disciples and to amaze the reader? Or did it have some deeper meaning?

According to the Writings, what the story illustrates the fact that the new church being launched by Jesus would bring spiritual life to the wide world, not just the narrow group of specific believers – and that the Lord works the same way in the world today.

One of the key symbols here is the sea, which represents those in the outskirts of the church. They have some spiritual knowledge and a great deal of natural knowledge, all of it fluid and turbulent. Another is the ship, which represents the specific beliefs held by the disciples, their doctrine. They sail that ship, alone, into the turbulence of the beliefs of the outskirts of the church. The waves show that they were attacked by arguments from natural ideas; the wind shows that their doctrine was not elevated enough to be truly aligned with the Lord’s power.

So Jesus comes to them at dawn – which means the beginning of His new church – walking on the water. This shows that in His perfect love and goodness He brings life even to those in external beliefs. At first the disciples don’t recognize Him and are afraid – the reaction of those in a lower spiritual state to the advance of a higher one. But Jesus reassures them, and Peter – who represents true ideas which spring from the desire for good – dares to walk on the water himself.

For a moment, buoyed by the belief in Jesus, it works. True ideas based on the desire for good can work without the support of a specific doctrinal system, even in the hurly-burly of natural thinking. But the disciples are not ready for this yet; Peter’s confidence fails him and Jesus has to deliver him back to the ship. The end result, though, is a spiritual advance for the disciples. The fact that the wind stops when Jesus boards the ship shows an elevation in their doctrinal ideas; they are more in accord with the Lord’s power (represented by the wind). And what is this difference? That’s illustrated by the fact that they bow and worship Jesus, calling him the Son of God.

So what does this mean to us? We are (hopefully, anyway) essentially disciples – people with some knowledge of the Lord and the desire to be good. What we can learn, then, is that the Lord’s love is not restricted to us or to those who believe as we do – it is for everyone, everywhere, in every reach of the sea. And we might want to work on trusting the Lord and believing in His power if we want to get out on the water and help the world.

(References: The Apocalypse Explained 514 [21])

34. The complete union of the Divine and the human in Him was achieved by His suffering of the cross, which was the last of those temptations or trials. This we established in its own section above, in which we showed that the Lord came into the world to conquer the hells and glorify His humanity, and that the suffering of the cross was the last battle by which He completely overcame the hells and completely glorified His humanity.

Now because the Lord by His suffering of the cross completely glorified His humanity, that is, united it to His Divinity and so made His humanity Divine, it follows that He is Jehovah

[2] and God in respect to both. In many places in the Word, therefore, He is called Jehovah, God, and the Holy One of Israel, the Redeemer, Savior and Former, as in the following passages here:

Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)

The angel said to (the shepherds), “...behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people, (that) there is born...this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

They said..., “...this is truly the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

I (Jehovah God) will help you, ...and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

...said Jehovah, your Creator, O Jacob, your Former, O Israel: “...for I have redeemed you.... ...I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1, 3)

...said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.... “I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” (Isaiah 43:14-15)

Thus said Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker.... (Isaiah 45:11, cf. 45:15)

Thus said Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.... (Isaiah 48:17)

...that all flesh may know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 49:26)

...Then he will come to Zion as the Redeemer. (Isaiah 59:20)

...that you shall know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 60:16)

...Jehovah..., your Former from the womb.... (Isaiah 49:5)

...O Jehovah, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)

They remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. (Psalms 78:35)

...said Jehovah your Redeemer, and your Former from the womb.... (Isaiah 44:24)

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4)

“With everlasting mercy I will have pity on you.” (Thus) said Jehovah, your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:8)

Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah...is His name. (Jeremiah 50:34)

O Israel, hope in Jehovah; for with Jehovah there is mercy; with Him is abundant redemption. He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities. (Psalms 130:7-8)

Jehovah (God) is my rock, my fortress..., the horn of my salvation..., my Savior.... (2 Samuel 22:2-3)

Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, its Holy One...: “Kings shall see and endure..., because of Jehovah, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:7)

Surely God is within you, and there is...no other God (besides). Certainly You are a hidden God, O God of Israel, the Savior ! (Isaiah 45:14-15)

...said Jehovah, the King of Israel, and its Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: “...Besides Me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)

I...am Jehovah, and besides Me there is no Savior. (Isaiah 43:11)

Am I not Jehovah? And no other...besides Me, (and) no Savior besides Me? (Isaiah 45:21)

I am Jehovah your God..., and you shall not acknowledge any God but Me; and there is no Savior besides Me. (Hosea 13:4)

Am I not Jehovah? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God, and there is no Savior besides Me. Look to Me to be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is none besides. (Isaiah 45:21-22)

...Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; He shall be called the God of the whole earth. (Isaiah 54:5)

[3] It can be seen from this that the Lord’s Divinity called the Father, and called here Jehovah and God, and His Divine humanity called the Son, and called here the Redeemer and Savior, or Former and Maker, meaning the Reformer and Regenerator, are not two entities but one. For we are told not only that Jehovah God and the Holy One of Israel is the Redeemer and Savior, but also that Jehovah is the Redeemer and Savior. Indeed, we are also told that Jehovah is the Savior and none besides Him.

It is clearly apparent from this that the Divine and the human in the Lord are one person, and that the human is also Divine, inasmuch as there is no Redeemer and Savior of the world other than the Lord in respect to His Divine humanity, called the Son.

Redemption and salvation, indeed, are the unique attributes of His humanity called merit and righteousness. For it was His humanity that underwent temptations or trials and the suffering of the cross, so that it is by His humanity that He redeemed and saved.

[4] Now after the union of His humanity with the Divinity in Him, which was like the union of soul and body in anyone else, because they were then no more two but one person, in accordance with the Christian world’s doctrine, therefore the Lord was Jehovah and God in respect to both. That is why we are sometimes told that Jehovah and the Holy One of Israel are the Redeemer and Savior, and sometimes that Jehovah is the Redeemer and Savior, as may be seen from the passages cited above. Namely, that the Christ is called the Savior (Luke 2:10-11, John 4:42); that God, and the God of Israel, is called the Savior and Redeemer (Luke 1:47, Isaiah 45:11, 15, 54:5, Psalms 78:35); that Jehovah is called the Holy One of Israel, the Savior and Redeemer (Isaiah 41:14, 43:3, 11, 14-15, 48:17, 49:7, 54:5); that Jehovah is called the Savior, Redeemer, and Former or Maker (Isaiah 44:6, 47:4, 49:26, 54:8, 63:16, Jeremiah 50:34, Psalms 19:14, 130:7-8, 2 Samuel 22:2-3); and that Jehovah God is called the Redeemer and Savior, and there is no other besides Him (Isaiah 43:11, 44:6, 45:14-15, 21-22, Hosea 13:4).