Question about the walking on water miracle

[carmelitenovice]

Hi:
I am trying to spend my prayer time in reading and reflecting on Scripture. Today I read Matthew’s account of the loaves and fishes miracle followed by Jesus’ walking on water. In the edition of the Bible I had, there was a footnote cross-referencing to Mark’s account of the same events and noted the differences in the endings between the two episodes. In one, the disciples call Jesus the Son of God while in the other it says their minds were completely closed etc. (Sorry I don’t have the Bible in front of me so I can’t quote it directly.)

Why the difference? I can only assume this is the same episode.

While I am asking, here’s another one that’s always puzzled me: Why is there no mention of the Eucharist in the creeds?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[mary1173]

Ask the priests on this board. Fr. Serpa can explain this better for you than any of us.

Your Sister in Christ,
mary1173

 

[NotWorthy]

Hi:
While I am asking, here’s another one that’s always puzzled me: Why is there no mention of the Eucharist in the creeds?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Nor is there the mention of Baptism. Does that trouble you?

It seems to me that the Creed was designed to combat and prevent the repeat of numerous heresies. That’s why, in my opinion, you don’t see baptism and the Eucharist in them.

 

[NotWorthy]

Hi:
I am trying to spend my prayer time in reading and reflecting on Scripture. Today I read Matthew’s account of the loaves and fishes miracle followed by Jesus’ walking on water. In the edition of the Bible I had, there was a footnote cross-referencing to Mark’s account of the same events and noted the differences in the endings between the two episodes. In one, the disciples call Jesus the Son of God while in the other it says their minds were completely closed etc. (Sorry I don’t have the Bible in front of me so I can’t quote it directly.)

Why the difference? I can only assume this is the same episode.

In both incidences, they are astounded by the fact that Jesus can walk on water. But Mark goes on to tell of their close-mindedness specifically to the feeding of the 5,000, not to the walking on the water. (Look at Mark 6:51 and 52). This close-mindedness would prevent them from understanding the Bread of Life Discourse from John chapter 6, which seems to immediately follow this incident.

 

[Peter_Dawson]

Hi:
I am trying to spend my prayer time in reading and reflecting on Scripture. Today I read Matthew’s account of the loaves and fishes miracle followed by Jesus’ walking on water. In the edition of the Bible I had, there was a footnote cross-referencing to Mark’s account of the same events and noted the differences in the endings between the two episodes. In one, the disciples call Jesus the Son of God while in the other it says their minds were completely closed etc. (Sorry I don’t have the Bible in front of me so I can’t quote it directly.)

Why the difference? I can only assume this is the same episode.

While I am asking, here’s another one that’s always puzzled me: Why is there no mention of the Eucharist in the creeds?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Thank you for being a Carmelite Novice. God bless you, God bless you!!!

Your question compelled me to re-read the two accounts. It is interesting. I had not noticed before that the thing the Apostles were afraid of wasn’t the storm, but rather Jesus! Which sheds some light on your question, by informing us about their perspectives.

One of the things which gets me in trouble in this website is that I maintain that the Bible is not perfect history, because the Holy Spirit did not inspire it to be perfect history. I think that the writers, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, “tweaked” the facts, here and there, to teach different things to different people with different needs. (Otherwise, who needs four gospels?)

In this particular case, I don’t think that the facts you focus on are true differences.

**33 Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:33.

51 They were (completely) astounded.
52 They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened. Mark 6:51-52.**

I think that what happened is something like this: The Apostles were just fishermen, from a fishing town. They haven’t quite “tuned-into” the amazing man who has fallen into their laps. When they see Him walking across the water to them, their reaction is like the reactions of grass-clothed South Pacific islanders, with no prior contacts at all with civilization, seeing goods on parachutes dropping down on their islands from the sky. It was unbounded astonishment. Just as the Pacific islanders frequently formed “cargo cults” in response (making the American flag their symbol of God!!!), the Apostles, without comprehending and without true faith, while their hearts were still unconverted, bowed down to this miracle worker, by their words, “You are the Son of God!!!” It wasn’t Christian faith. It was fear of an astonishing ghost. Something like that.