Human Ability

This past week I went through with a group the often-heard, very quotable and applicable passage of Jesus walking on water and Peter’s doubt. It’s a very vivid picture of walking calmly when faith is full contrasted to faith wavering and subsequently plunging into the waves. It’s a great passage of scripture. But as we talked through it someone brought up a rather intriguing point to me.

The statement was made that Jesus was able to walk on water because of His God-nature and that humans in themselves cannot walk on water. The point was well-made; Jesus was able to sustain Peter, allowing him the courage and ability to jump out of the boat. Could Peter have walked on water otherwise? Likely not. Could you walk on water at any given time? Likely not. Has anyone, besides this instance with Jesus present, ever seen someone walk on water? Doubtful.

But is it possible?

My humanity says no way. I could take the most faith-filled person I know and they would sink because in what context would we need in this day for someone to walk on the water?

But is it possible?

I’ve been reading scripture throughout my life and come on the thought many times that so much of our world exists in parallels or contradictions to the Holy Scriptures. So much of our humanity is much the same way. While I deeply wish I was like Christ and could be 100% one nature, much like He was 100% God, if I’m deeply honest I’m usually about 70/30 human to Christian (and it fluctuates but I’ll let you decide which percentage is in which camp…).  While His grace completely covers me, my humanity and the evil that subsequently follows, seeps through my God-likeness and too often reveals itself.

But I’ve been thinking about walking on water and whether someone in our modern world actually could do it, without the physical presence of the Lord. That may be a bizarre thought to dwell on and it most certainly is not a salvation issue to ponder, but it is possible?

Here’s what I know. Jesus himself said in John 14:12, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”  Or this passage in Luke 17:6, “The Lord answered, "If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,' and it would obey you.” Or the similar one in Matthew 17:20, “You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."

I very likely will never see someone walk on water. I may never see a paralytic be instantly healed by a touch or see the dead walk again. I have a hard time with public healings and exorcism. I have an even harder time with living in the Spirit. But what I do know is that there is scriptural validity not only to each of these practices but also proof that they’ve worked. Maybe not backing for the specific ways we may practice them, but the passages above say without mincing words that we, who are not even 1% God, can do even greater things that Jesus who was 100%. I’m not planning to run over to my neighborhood pool anytime soon, but if He says I can move mountains, it’s time I start having the faith to discover what my life’s mountains look like.