Matthew 14:25
ESV
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
NIV
Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
NASB
And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea.
CSB
Jesus came toward them walking on the sea very early in the morning.
NLT
About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.
KJV
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
NKJV
Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.
What does Matthew 14:25 mean?
In the Roman world, night watches were divided into four periods, with the final one being between the hours we now call 3 and 6 a.m. This means the disciples have been in the boat, battling a strong wind, for most of the night. They are somewhere in the middle of the Sea of Galilee and likely exhausted. This condition is not their fault, in the sense that they've made some kind of mistake. They're here because Jesus explicitly ordered them to take the boat across the lake at that time (Matthew 14:22).Suddenly, Jesus approaches the disciples in the boat on foot. He is walking on top of the water. John's telling of this moment includes the detail that the disciples had rowed three or four miles by this point (John 6:19). That's a long way from shore. This incident was not an illusion or some easy trick. Jesus walked on water—standing on top of a liquid surface—for miles.
