Of miracles and molecules

Matthew 14:26-31

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come”.

And when Peter had come out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, sayng “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

No doubt you have read this passage many times already, and marveled at the miracle of walking on water… but have you ever wondered just how Jesus performed the miracle? Our universe is a complex one; everything has a purpose and unique function. So how, exactly, did Jesus walk on water? What scientific fact did he overcome to do something humanly impossible?

Usually most of the terms and facts in my science book (Apologia: biology) go in one ear and out the other during school time, but the word “cohesion” sparked a thought and I probably won’t forget this one!

Cohesion- The phenomenon that occurs when individual molecules are so strongly attracted to each other that they tend to stay together, even when exposed to tension.

“Most animals, when they step onto the water, exert so much weight on the water that it counteracts the cohesion of the water molecules, and the animals sink. In order to make a difference, then, the strength of cohesion between the water molecules must be greater than whatever force is trying to pull them apart from one another.”

Now, I’m not a born scientist, nor do I pretend that I can fully comprehend all I’m supposed to take in from our science course… all I can say is that somehow Jesus might have affected the cohesion of the water molecules so that his weight would not cause them to pull away from each other.

In any case, it was another fascinating way for Christ to demonstrate God’s power over nature. What a wonderful world we live in; you can never stop learning about God’s Creation!

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