Jesus Walking on Water, Matthew 14:27 Wall Art

Waves, a boat and an outstretched hand

Jesus fills the left half of the scene, walking in sandals over dark green swells capped with white foam. His cream robe is belted at the waist, and a blue scarf and long rust-red mantle blow out behind him in the wind. His left hand hangs relaxed; his right reaches forward, palm open, toward the boat.

On the right, a small wooden craft with a furled sail rides the waves. Several disciples crowd its side, bearded and wide-eyed, and the nearest one stretches an arm back toward Jesus. Between them the sun sits low on the horizon, turning the clouds apricot and laying a bright path across the water. Above, in brown script: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid”, Matthew 14:27.

What happened on the Sea of Galilee?

The episode follows straight after the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus sends the disciples ahead by boat and climbs a mountain alone to pray. By night a headwind is battering them far from shore. Matthew says: “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” That is between three and six in the morning, the hour before dawn the painter has chosen here, when exhausted men would be least able to think clearly.

Seeing a figure on the water, they cry out that it is a spirit. The answer comes in three short phrases. “Be of good cheer” means take courage. “It is I” translates two Greek words, ego eimi, which can also be read “I am”, the name God gave Moses at the burning bush. And “be not afraid” is one of the most repeated commands in all of Scripture.

Peter then asks to come to him and actually walks a few steps before the wind frightens him and he begins to sink. Jesus catches him with the words “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?” The story ends with the wind dropping and the disciples worshipping. It is less about a miracle of physics than about who shows up in the middle of the storm.

Comfort in hard seasons, and a Bible story for children

Because the verse speaks directly to fear, many people give this print to someone facing grief, illness or a frightening diagnosis, or to a family after a loss. Its scene of rescue says what is difficult to put into a sympathy card.

Children love it too: the boat, the waves and the figure walking on top of them make it one of the most memorable Bible stories for a Sunday school wall or a boy's bedroom. The sea blues and sunrise gold go well with coastal or lake-house decor.