Divine Identity

Gospel Reflection for January 8, 2025

Christ Walking on Water, Julius Von Klever

The gospel for today records one of Christ's miracles that is fittingly called an Epiphany Miracle. These miracles are called this because they are revelations of Christ's Divine Identity. For today, we have St. Mark’s account of the Walking on Water. There are two aspects to this Gospel passage that I want to comment on for this week following Epiphany.

The first is the miracle itself. We find the Apostles in a boat far out at sea very late at night.¹

“When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea.” Mark 4:47-48

The miracle that is being done here is the walking on water. This is what classifies this miracle as an Epiphany Miracle since it is an action that a normal human could not do. Clearly, this man is different than other men. But it goes deeper than that. Walking on Water is something that the Old Testament specifically says that only God can do:

“[God] alone stretched out the sky and walks on the sea as on dry ground…” Job 9:8 LXX

The Book of Job reveals that only God, who is the creator of all things, can bend the laws that He put into place and walk on the waves as if they were dry ground. Our Lord does not just do this for a short time either, while Mark tells us that they were “far out on the sea,” the Gospel of John gives a distance of about three miles from shore.² Christ began on the shore and then walked for about three miles to the boat where the Apostles were. This cannot be explained by any natural means. Christ is doing something that only God can do.

The second aspect of importance is the response that Christ gives to the Apostles when they see Him:

“But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” Mark 6:49-50.

The response of Jesus is telling. The English translation does not give the full context of the statement of Our Lord. Most readers would see this statement It is I, and read that Jesus is merely identifying Himself to show that it is not the ghost that is referenced in the text. Instead, this phrase when seen in the Greek shows a much deeper and self-revelatory truth. While He is certainly saying to the Apostles that it is Him there is a much deeper identity as God Himself. The Greek that is recorded is Egō eimi. This is the Divine I AM. Going back to the Book of Exodus, God reveals His name to Moses as I AM who AM, in the Greek, Egō eimi ho ōn. In Exodus as well as in the Gospels, God is revealing Himself as Being Itself.

Here, we have a twofold revelation. Christ is doing an action that only God can do according to the Old Testament and in doing this action, He also reveals Himself as the Divine I AM. He is acting and speaking as God, specifically revealing His Divine nature.

This is one of many instances in the Gospels, both in the Synoptic and the Johannine, that Christ intentionally reveals His divine identity. It is fitting that we have this Gospel in the week following Epiphany, the feast that celebrates the revelation of the Incarnate God to the nations. Our Divine Lord has come to us, let us adore Him.

1. St. Mark records that it was the fourth watch of the night. This equates to between 3 am and 6 am.

2. Cf. John 6:19.