PETER's WALK
Who was the disciple got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus?
Peter
What was the weather like when the disciples were out on the water? Name one detail.
Answer: The sea arose / wind was blowing / it was dark and stormy
What does the memory verse Hebrews 12:2 say to look unto Jesus as?
Answer: The author and finisher of our faith
Why were the disciples out on the boat in the first place? Who sent them?
Answer: Jesus — He made them get in while He sent the multitudes away
What did Peter ask Jesus before stepping out of the boat?
Answer: "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water"
How far had the disciples rowed before they saw Jesus?
Answer: About 25 or 30 furlongs (roughly 3 to 4 miles out)
Jesus spoke three words to the disciples before Peter stepped out. What were they?
Answer: "Be not afraid" — or in Mark's version "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid"
What had Jesus been doing before He came to them walking on the water?
Answer: Praying — He had gone up a mountain alone to pray
Peter started sinking when he saw the wind. What two things does the Bible say happened inside Peter at that moment?
Answer: He saw the wind AND he was afraid
What time of day had it already been when Jesus finally came to the disciples?
Answer: The fourth watch of the night — between 3am and 6am
Jesus says "Be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid." What do those words tell you about what Jesus wanted their focus on before anything else happened?
Answer: His identity — "It is I" — He wanted them to see HIM clearly before they did anything else. Focus on who He is before you focus on what you need.
What did the disciples in the boat do after Jesus and Peter got back in and the wind stopped?
Answer: They worshipped Jesus and said "Of a truth thou art the Son of God"
After Peter started to sink, Jesus immediately did two things. Name both.
Answer: He stretched forth His hand and caught Peter — then He questioned Peter's doubt
What was Jesus doing when He saw the disciples struggling in the storm?
Answer: He saw them toiling in rowing and came to them walking on the sea
Peter walked on water successfully for a period of time. What was the one and only thing that changed between when he was walking and when he started sinking?
Answer: His focus — the wind did not change, the storm did not get worse, Jesus did not move. Only what Peter was looking at changed.
Jesus sent the disciples to go to the other side. What does this tell you about what Jesus had planned for them even before the storm hit?
Answer: Jesus already had a destination planned for them — the storm was on the route He had already chosen. The difficulty was not a detour from God's plan. It was part of it.
What is significant about what Jesus questioned Peter about? He did NOT ask Peter why he got out of the boat. What exactly did He ask and why does that difference matter?
Answer: Jesus asked "Wherefore didst thou doubt?" — He questioned the shift in focus, not the act of faith. Getting out was right. Doubting was the problem. The lesson is that starting in faith is not enough — staying focused is the whole game.
What did Jesus appear to intend to do as He walked toward them, and what does that reveal about His purpose?
Answer: He would have passed by them — He was not rushing to rescue them automatically. He was testing whether they would call out to Him. The miracle was available but they had to reach toward it.
Connect the lesson to real life. Using the Stop, Swap and Lock method, walk through what Peter should have done the moment he felt afraid. Give all three steps specifically using what is in the text.
Answer: STOP — recognize the fear and the shift in focus when he saw the wind. SWAP — deliberately turn his eyes back away from the wind and waves. LOCK — fix his gaze back on Jesus who was standing right there in front of him. The answer was already visible — he just had to look at it again.
We don't see mention of disciples praying, crying out, or asking for help at all. What does the sequence suggest about what receiving Jesus into the boat required of them, and how does that connect to the theme of focus?
Answer: John shows that the miracle came the moment they were willing to receive Him — "they willingly received him." No dramatic cry or long prayer. The disciples simply had to be willing to let Him in. The focus required was not complicated — it was just an openness and willingness to receive. The miracle of arrival was on the other side of one willing decision. That is what focus on Jesus looks like practically — not a perfect prayer but a willing heart.