John 14 Walking on Water

<p>John 6.10-21</p>
<p>“10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. 12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. 13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. 16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, 17 and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. 19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. 21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went” (John 6:10-21).</p>
<p>All Hail King Jesus</p>
<p>Jesus has just done something remarkable (again!). He has just miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. John 6:1-15 is about the sign, and John 6:26-71 is about the sign's meaning and the crowd's response.</p>
<p>Stuffed right in the middle, however, is this incredible moment where Jesus defies every human ability and expectation: he physically walks on water.</p>
<p>Feeding the 5,000 got people talking about Jesus. They said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14). As previously discussed, this is a likely reference to Deuteronomy 18:15-18, where God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses.</p>
<p>When Moses was leading the people, they had bread miraculously provided. When fleeing from Egypt, the Red Sea parted, and they crossed over on dry land; the sea was no longer an obstacle. When the disciples see Jesus as the Prophet like Moses, "they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king" (John 6:15).</p>
<p>It makes sense they would want a king like Moses. Moses was favored by God, performed mighty signs, destroyed the enemy Egyptians, and gave bread to the people. Again, it's no coincidence this is taking place near the time of Passover (John 6:4).</p>
<p>They believe Jesus can be this type of king. They know He is favored by God, He has already performed mighty signs, and He just gave bread to the people.</p>
<p>Perhaps He can also destroy the Romans and establish peace in the land? But as they come to make Jesus king, He does an embarrassingly unkinglike thing. He left His people behind, escaped, and ran off to the mountains alone (John 6:15).</p>
<p>Devastated Disciples</p>
<p>Were the disciples wrong? Is He not the Prophet like Moses? Is He too cowardly to lead a charge against the Romans? The timing is perfect. He just fed an entire army! A Roman centurion has authority over 100 men (a century). A Roman cohort was generally made up of five or six centuries, and a Roman legion was made up of 10 cohorts. That means a Roman legion was roughly 5,000 men.</p>
<p>Jesus has a legion at His disposal right now. He could destroy the Roman occupying forces and establish Himself as king right now!</p>
<p>The successful Jewish Maccabean revolt in the second century BC, which gained independence from their Greek oppressors and established the Hasmonean dynasty, was relatively recent history for these people. They could do it again.</p>
<p>But instead, their Hope, their Prophet, their Leader, Savior, and Messiah, just fled to the mountains and abandoned them.</p>
<p>The daylight began to wane, and evening came. His disciples were still alone, confused, and depressed. Darkness overcame them, and Jesus was still gone. What to do? Is He coming back? They can't just stay there forever. Without waiting any longer, they decide to get in the boat and go back home to Capernaum, leaving Jesus behind on the other side of the sea.</p>
<p>As it turns out, this will not be any ordinary seafaring journey. Soon, the winds pick up, and the waves begin to rise. A storm is brewing, and their lives are in peril.</p>
<p>They are too far from land to disembark. They must ride the storm and hope and pray for the best.</p>
<p>Then all of the sudden, while they are struggling with wind and the waves on the sea, crushed with disappointment and lost hope, something appears on the horizon. Something miles away from shore is coming towards them. It can't be another boat. It doesn't look like anything ever seen on the water before. It looks like a human. It is! It's Jesus! He's walking out towards them. And terror grips them.</p>
<p>He shouts to them in a comforting voice with words of assurance, "It is I; do not be afraid" (John 6:20). What a moment. After feeding the 5,000 they saw a connection between Jesus and Moses; Jesus can provide miraculous food just like Moses did! Jesus can be a king!</p>
<p>Now again, just as Moses couldn't be stopped by the Red Sea, Jesus makes His way through the Sea of Galilee.</p>
<p>Jesus has no need to split the sea because He has no need for dry land, He can walk for miles right on top of the water. He has that much control over the creation around Him, which is why Jesus is so much more than just a prophet like Moses. He controls even the winds and the seas (Ps 107:23-32).</p>
<p>I AM</p>
<p>When Jesus introduces Himself, it is translated as "It is I; do not be afraid" (John 6:20). That translation alters an important aspect of this declaration. The Greek does not say, "It is I," it says, "ego eimi me phobeisthe" literally, "I AM; do not be afraid."</p>
<p>This is the same phrase He utters in John 8:58, "Before Abraham was born, I AM." It's the same phrase he utters in the garden before His arrest: "I am" (John 18:5-8). It's a direct reference to the divine name of God from Exodus 3:14.</p>
<p>Jesus comes in an unprecedented way to His disciples, not only confirming to them He is like Moses, but so much more, He is the I AM who sent Moses. Jesus can be seen here as the revelation of God coming to His disciples in distress.</p>
<p>He is so much more than an earthly king who can defeat the Romans. He is so much more than they could have ever expected. He's not just Moses, and He's not just the bread from heaven. He is the God who controls heaven and earth.</p>
<p>The God who sent Moses to Pharaoh. The God of the Ten Plagues in Egypt. The God who split the Red Sea. The God who sent manna from Heaven. The God of Passover. The God who became flesh and dwelt among men.</p>
<p>So what do they do? "They were willing to receive Him into the boat" (John 6:21). We believe that little sentence may be at the heart of the meaning of this sign.</p>
<p>It's not just as simple and straightforward of a description as it seems. John likes to tell stories in a way that brings about theological truths in the story.</p>
<p>To "receive Him" is an important phrase and idea in John. From the prologue onward, men are called to receive Jesus and become sons of God: "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).</p>
<p>As the darkness does not receive the Light, many do not receive Jesus: "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me" (John 5:43). Jesus tells His disciples during their final night together: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me" (John 13:20).</p>
<p>The challenge of the Gospel of John is to receive Jesus for who He is.</p>
<p>Jesus was not what His disciples were expecting. He crushed their dreams of an earthly, violent, liberating king, but when He walked on the water, they received Him anyway. When they saw who He truly was, they received Him on those terms. Are we willing to do the same? Can we receive Jesus as He is rather than just what we want Him to be?</p>