WALKING ON WATER

FO R SK E PT I C S, B O Y S O N T H E V E R G E O F M A N H O O D , A N D R E A L M E N

Before we begin let me say that I hope I am correct in assuming that

the audience is composed entirely of skeptics, boys on the verge of manhood
and real men. If you are not in any of those groups you are at possible (I say
possible) risk and a turn of the page (or a turn to the exit) might serve you.
On the other hand, if you are accomplished in the true faith, I have nothing
you require. It is the skeptic who must intellectually unravel the wonderful
and terrible paradox of walking on water who requires an explanation.
Miracles wonderful events from holy scripture, what would it be
like to witness one, to experience one in defiance of natural law? We all
have a personal decision to make regarding the miracles we find in the
Bible, dont we? We can choose to believe in miracles and the suspension of
natural law, or not. We choose one path or the other. Each has its own
obligations. A miracle by definition is a suspension of natural law and
cannot be purposefully duplicated except by God so chances are youve
never actually witnessed a miracle and must make a conscious decision to
believe that miracles actually occur.
That decision takes faith.
On the other hand, if you choose not to believe in miracles, you must
then wonder what they really mean and how they function when you come
across them in scripture.
Belief takes faith. No questions are asked.
Skepticism demands further inquiry.
Take the case of walking on water as Jesus does in the gospel of
Matthew:
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. Then they that were in

the ship came and worshipped him, saying, of a truth thou art the Son of
God. 1
Jesus has faith. He doesnt possess a shred of fear or doubt and walks
easily on the water. Peter wants to walk on the water, but he is afraid. Peter
has some faith, but Peter also has some doubt. Notice that Jesus must save
Peter from sinking beneath the waves because Peters faith is not absolute.
Sometime in 1994 I was driving up First Avenue in Manhattan and
had to stop for a red light at Sixteenth Street. I glanced to the left to see
police barricades at the main entrance of Beth Israel Hospital. A small group
of orthodox Jewish men, with their long side curls, black hats and black
coats stood within the barricades with their backs to the world rocking back
and forth staring down into their prayer books. I knew from the newspapers
that the highly regarded Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson was in
the hospital near death.
What might have been a few or many more weeks later, my eyes were
attracted by a full color brochure in a thrift shop on Third Avenue. I dug it
out from under some old paperbacks. The brochure had the now deceased
rebbes picture on the front cover. When I got it home I flipped through the
pages. The brochure declared the late rebbe King Moshiach. He had
fulfilled the Biblical prophecies regarding the messiah and he was a master
of the Law with a literary output in the hundreds of books. My attention
was drawn to a section titled Final Test which was entirely about faith in
God and the final redemption of the Jewish people. What drew my attention
particularly were two stories that had to do with some iteration of the
miracle of walking on water. I had never heard of these stories which
seemed to belong in the Bible but, when I looked for even a suggestion of
them in the passages where they would logically fit, they werent there.
The first story in the brochure contained additional information about
the patriarch Abraham, information I could not find in Genesis.
Abraham is on his way to Mount Moriah to sacrifice his son Isaac at
Gods command but Satan becomes a wide rushing river that blocks
Abrahams way. Upon reaching the river Abraham walks right into the water
and that might have been the end of the story except for one remarkable fact.
As soon as the water reaches Abrahams head, the river vanishes. It is
a miracle.
The second story is set in Exodus. Ben Nachshon Aminidov is
standing beneath Moses on the shore of the Red Sea when God commands

Matthew 14:22-33 (King James Version)

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Moses to raise his staff and part the water. Nachshon, like Abraham before
him, walks right into the water until it is over his head.
At that moment, Moses raises his staff and the water parts. It is
another miracle.
Nachshon son of Amminadab (the Biblical variant of the name) who
walks into the water until it is over his head is mentioned in the book of
Numbers 2 as the nasi (prince) of the tribe of Judah. He is an ancestor of
David in a genealogy of Perez in the book of Ruth. 3 The story about
Nachshon walking into the water until it is over his head is a midrash, 4 an
ancient rabbinical commentary on the book of Exodus. That is why I could
not find it in the Bible. The Exodus commentary portrays Nachshon as the
only one of the Israelites who has the faith to walk into the water, even
before Moses raises his staff. The story is well known among Jews to whom
a nachshon is a courageous individual. As an ancestor of David, Nachshon
also figures in the table of descent of Jesus Christ at the beginning of the
book of Matthew. 5
When I compared these midrashim on Genesis and Exodus with
the phenomenon of walking on water from the New Testament the stories
appeared to hold absolute faith in an embodied oral tradition as a mans
ultimate religious covenant with God.
Here is the comparison.
Abraham is a patriarch, a pastoral nomad, with the dual roles of king
and priest. He tithes to Melchizedek whose very name is king and priest. He
has faith. His faith causes the water to disappear. Since he is both king and
priest, he has no written law. The law is written on his heart.
Nachshon is the prince of the tribe of Judah. Jesus, like Nachshon, is
also of the tribe of Judah, a tribe to which Moses made no reference in
speaking of priests. 6 If Nachshons tribe does not know priests, then
Nachshon, like the patriarch Abraham, also has the dual roles of king and
priest. The midrash deliberately leads us to wonder. Did the waters part
because of Nachshons faith or Moses staff? Given his bold behavior,
Nachshons essence is his faith. According to the book of Hebrews,
Nachshons tribe does not know a priestly caste. Therefore, the law must
be written on his heart. Moses, unlike Nachshon, often hesitates because
2

Numbers 1:7
Ruth 4:18-22
4
The Midrash on Genesis is from the Medrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22.2 The Midrash on
Exodus is from the Mechilta, BShalach 14:22
5
Matthew 1:4
6
Hebrews 7:14
3

he lacks faith. God does not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land;
perhaps because Moses is a priest who offers a written law that is not
written on his heart.
In the gospel of Mark, Jesus walks on water. In the gospel of
Matthew, Jesus walks on water and Peter sinks. Then Jesus says to Peter,
Why did you hesitate? How little faith you have.
The law is not written on Peters heart.
Now, consider again the men who do have the law written on their
hearts. Abraham and Nachshon sink into the water until it is over their heads
and the water miraculously parts.
Jesus walks on the water. He doesnt sink at all. His faith is assumed
to be absolute. He is of the tribe of Judah, a tribe to which Moses made
no reference in speaking of priests. He is of the order of Melchizedek and
like Melchizedek whose name means king and priest, Jesus fulfills both
roles. He does not need a written law. The law is written on his heart.
Lets take a closer look at these core characteristics of Abraham,
Moses, Nachshon and Jesus. Theyre important enough to mention again
because these characteristics are the building blocks of the systematic
theology of the Torahs principal redactor.
Abraham is a patriarch with dual roles. He has faith.
Without priests, he has no written law.
The law is written on his heart.
Moses is a priest. He doubts, like Peter. His faith is not absolute.
He has a written law.
The law is not written on his heart.
Nachshon, prince of the tribe of Judah which does not know priests
Has faith. Without priests, he has no written law.
The law is written on his heart.
Jesus, of the order of Melchizedek, has faith.
He is a priest and a king with no written law.
The law is written on his heart.
The stated purpose of the brochure which introduced me to the
midrashim on Genesis and Exodus was to present evidence that the late
rebbe was the messiah King Moshiach and now after having compared
these stories we can see what a messiah is and how Gods kingdom is
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psychologically and socially structured. Our comparison reveals that, by

definition, the messiah has the laws of God written on his heart. With the
law written on your heart (it logically follows that) you no longer need a
written law, a priest to teach you, or a warrior to protect you. In a world in
which all men are modeled on the messiah, every man is both priest and
warrior.
Therefore, the Kingdom of God is a kingdom of faith-full men on
equal footing without caste subordination and its demeaning consequences.
Like the priest/kings in the Torah: Melchizedek, Abraham, and
Nachshon, Jesus does not need a written law.
The law is written on his heart.
His will is certain.
His faith in the Law is intuitive and absolute.
His is the paradox at the heart of the parable; the self sacrifice at the
core of all personal religion from the Vedic hymns to Zen, captured for us in
the miracle of walking on water.
Cant you see it?
If I have lost you, it is not because I have muddled the lines. You
might be a member of one of the risk groups who failed to turn the page (or
turn to the exit) when I made the suggestion. Youre here now. Steel
yourself. Here it is again, for skeptics, boys on the verge of manhood, and
real men.
In a state of absolute faith all considerations of immortality,
redemption, even miracles, are absent.
If immortality, redemption, and whether or not you can walk on water
are overriding considerations for you; that is a sure sign that the laws of God
are not written on your heart and the fathomless faith of Jesus Christ is not in
you!
The religiously illiterate skeptic who persistently argues that there is
no God, no redemption, and no miracles (because he has never actually seen
Jesus or anyone else walking on water), considers and critiques a common
notion of God; the very notion deeply religious men such as Abraham,
Nachshon, Jesus, Menachem, and you assuming you are a real man
never consider at all.

Richard Faussette 2013

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