Jesus Walking on the Water, Christian Wall Art

What is painted

The scale is what strikes first. Enormous cliffs rise on the right, their tops lost in cloud and mist, and wooded slopes fall to the water on the left. The lake between them is utterly calm, a sheet of pearl and silver gray with only faint ripples and long reflections. In the middle, very small, Jesus stands on the surface in a pale robe and a brown mantle, facing out toward the mountains. Far off to the left, a little boat with a sail sits on the water.

The palette is almost monochrome, grays, soft blues and white, with a touch of gold in the clouds. It is a meditative image, and there are no words on it.

The night on the lake

Matthew, Mark and John all tell this story. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent his disciples across the Sea of Galilee by boat and went up a mountain alone to pray. The wind was against them, and in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. They thought it was a spirit and cried out for fear. Straightway he spoke: “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27).

Only Matthew adds that Peter asked to come to him on the water, stepped out of the boat and walked, then saw the wind, was afraid and began to sink. “Lord, save me”, he cried, and Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and caught him: “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”

The Gospels describe a contrary wind and waves; the painting instead shows the water gone completely still. It is a choice that looks at the story from its end, when the wind ceased and those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).

For courage and quiet faith

This is an image for anyone being asked to step out of the boat: a new job, a move, a hard decision, a season of fear. It is chosen as a confirmation gift, for a graduation or for a man's office or study, and its calm grays make it restful above a bed or a sofa. As jesus wall art it is unusually understated.

The Christian poster is printed to order in the US on heavy archival matte paper and ships free within the US. It is sent without a frame, with a white margin, in sizes from 5x7 to 24x36, plus A and metric sizes. A digital file is also available.