Winter 1992

Walking on Impossibilities
Wade E Taylor

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me
in my throne, EVEN AS I ALSO OVERCAME, and am set down
with my Father in His Throne" Rev 3:21.

"But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed
with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the
sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea,
they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they
cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto
them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou,
bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come.
And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked
on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind
boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink,
he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus
stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto
him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased"
Matt 14:24-32.

The disciples, seeking to cross over to the other side, found themselves in the midst of a storm. The winds raged as they struggled to maneuver the ship to shore. Suddenly Jesus appeared, walking on the water.

In Rev 3:21, Jesus said "To him that overcometh ... EVEN AS I also overcame." Thus, we are to walk with Him as He walked, and overcome as He overcame. But, Jesus walked on water. Does this mean we also are to walk on water? How can we walk with Him in this? An understanding of this beautifully unfolds through the Word.

"Who, being in the FORM (Greek - morphe) of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, (emptied Himself of
Deity by laying aside equality) and took upon him the
FORM of a servant, (the same Greek word, morphe - He was
not God acting like a man, He fully became a man) and
was made in the likeness of men" Phil 2:6-7 (comments added).

Jesus, BEING (without beginning) in the form (morphe) of God, is equal to God. This Greek word "morphe" (form) speaks of "essence" and relates to His being fully "EQUAL" to God. "Morphe" signifies that which makes something what it is. Here, Jesus, in very essence, is clearly stated to be God.

But He emptied Himself of Deity, making Himself of no reputation(Greek - kenosis, which means self-emptying) and became known as Jesus of Nazareth. He became fully dependent upon the Word and the enabling power of God the Father for all that He did. He said, The Son can do nothing of Himself, John 5:19b. Therefore, all that He said and did was as a man, not through any aspect of His Deity.

Jesus is the last Adam. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit I Cor15:45. Jesus did not walk on water because he is Deity. Rather, He was able to walk on water because he was the last Adam. The first Adam had been given dominion over creation and had this ability.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have DOMINION over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth" Gen 1:26.

But through deception and rebellion, this dominion was forfeited. Eve was deceived, Adam rebelled because he knew better. When they lost this dominion, creation became an enemy to them.

"Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;
and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat
of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto
the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" Gen 3:18-19.

There was a "probationary" test, which Adam failed. As a result, he lost the dominion which he had been given. Then Jesus, the last Adam, came. There are two representative men: the first Adam, and the last Adam. We are, by birth, a part of one or the other. Through our parents, we are born into the Adamic race. Through the NEW BIRTH we are re-born a new creation, a member of HIS BODY.

Jesus, very Deity, became a man so he could identify with man and pay the full penalty for sin. The "sacrificial lamb" had to be without blemish. The blood within a man comes from his father. Adam's blood had become contaminated through sin. Jesus as the "Lamb of God" was anew Adam. Therefore, the blood within Jesus was without blemish.

"And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom
was born Jesus, who is called Christ" Matt 1:16.

Mary was the mother of Jesus, but Joseph was not His father.

"Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing
I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God" Luke 1:34-35.

Mary brought forth Jesus. The Scripture carefully says, "Mary the mother of Jesus," and "Joseph the husband of Mary," but never" Joseph, the father of Jesus." Mary had said, "Be it unto me according to thy purpose." Therefore, there was a new act of creation, and the "Last Adam" was conceived by Mary through the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the blood line in Jesus was of deity. The blood in Jesus was not Adamic, therefore He was not subject to the curse that had been placed upon Adam. The Adamic blood was contaminated by sin, but the blood in Jesus’ veins was without contamination.

Jesus faced a "probationary" test, just as Adam had faced one. But Jesus was fully victorious in this test, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. He entered the wilderness in the "fullness" of the Spirit and came out in the "power" of the Spirit (Luke 4:1,14). Now He is qualified to fulfill the purpose He had come to accomplish.

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new" II Cor 5:17.

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit" I Cor 15:45.

Jesus was a brand new beginning, a new Adam. Through regeneration (born again - John 3:7), we are born into this new family and become a member of His body.

Adam was tested in the garden of Eden. Jesus was tested in the wilderness, which was much more intense and difficult, but He came through victorious. Therefore, Jesus had authority to walk on water, not because he was God, but because he was "the last Adam." He reclaimed the dominion which Adam forfeited. He cursed the fig tree and it withered. Not because he was God, but because he was the last Adam. Now He fully submitted Himself to the will of His Father, saying, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" John 6:38.

Jesus came to his disciples, walking on the water. Peter called out to Him and said, "Lord if that is you, bid me come." Jesus answered and said, "C O M E." This word reached from where Jesus was, to the boat. Peter came DOWN out of the boat and (seemingly) begin to walk on water. However, Peter was not walking on water; rather, he was walking on a word that he had received from the Lord.

This is very important - Faith "cometh," and is "substance" (Rom 10:17and Heb 11:1). Peter received a word and he walked on this word. If Jesus had not said "COME," Peter would have swam, rather than walked. We cannot walk on water, but we can walk on "substance."

When Peter almost reached Jesus, he noticed that the waves were "boisterous" and forgot the "word of faith." Therefore, he began to sink. But Jesus reached out His hand and caught him up.

Our Lord is faithful. We can trust Him, and step out believing that He will see us all the way through. When we call to Him in a time of distress, He will answer and say "COME." He will enable us to walk through any circumstance, no matter how impossible, if we will but fully trust Him.