Jesus walks on water, John 6:14-21

 

John 6:14-21, Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52

They were singing,

Blue skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see—

Miracles. Manna. Majesty.

—bluebirds singing a song, nothing but bluebirds all day long—

They felt Him, flow through them, with signs and wonders.

—never saw the sun shining so bright, never saw things going so right—

They fed thousands from one poor boy.

—blue skies smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see—

Now, they’re calling for Jesus to be king.

Nothing but smooth sailing from now on.

Well, except for those storm clouds on the horizon.

 

John 6:14, Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

The sign…

This sign, (feeding them) was the crowning jewel in the minds of the multitude.

They saw, His healing, feeding, teaching, and thought, free medical, free food, free education… Make Him king!

They (and US) totally miss the message with that welfare mentality. They just want to be fixed and fed. Jesus wants so much more. He wants us to be what we were called to be in the beginning, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, have dominion, and subdue it…be fixers and feeders. Genesis 1:28. Not the other way around.

Like the doves outside our window. The parents are feeding the young. Teaching them to live, to eat, to build their own nest, to be fruitful and multiply…to fly.

Jesus says, Follow Me, and I’ll make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19.

The Prophet…

They were correct by calling Him, the Prophet. They were quoting from Deuteronomy 18:18, when over 1,400 years earlier, God said to Moses:

I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him. Deuteronomy 18:18-19.

During Jesus’ time there was an anticipation, an expectation, for the Messiah to arrive. It had been predicted repeately throughout Scripture, and exactly in Daniel 9:25-26. Even if they didn’t know it in their head, they felt it in their heart (like you do right now, as you see the signs of the times).

So, they had the timing and the Person correct.

But they didn’t understand the mission of the Prophet, (the Messiah, the Christ).

The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10.

The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, I’ve come having life, abundantly. John 10:10.

 

¹⁵Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

They pictured the Prophet as One who would overthrow the oppressive Roman government, and MIGA; Make Israel Great Again.  

Jesus didn’t come to be king (small k) He was already King with a Capital K. His first coming wasn’t to kill Romans, or anybody. He didn’t come to kill…but to die. His second coming will be to kill. Revelation 19:19-21.

He clearly told Pilate:

My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight... John 18:36.

Nevertheless, they wanted to make Him king, by force. If you have to force it, under your own power, it’s not of God. You cannot force the will of God. It’s not God’s will that anyone perish, yet, you cannot force anyone to be saved, or, to not be saved.

Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the LORD… Zechariah 4:6.

How many throw away their heavenly crown by yielding to the cheers of the crowd?

What do you do when offered the crown? When the world dangles a carrot, whatever that might be. A new job, position, promotion, a new location, a better deal, relationship, acquisition…what do you do?

Jesus ran to the hills, to speak with His Father. His prayer and petition, “Not My will, but Thine.”

Is that our prayer too? Or, do we think it’s God’s job to tickle our fancy? Do we seek first our kingdom and our own righteousness, hopping from one lust of the flesh to another, claiming it’s God’s will, when actually it’s ours?

They wanted the Prophet, for their own profit.

 

¹⁶ Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, ¹⁷ got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

This sounds a bit unorganized. But God is not the author of confusion. He desires everything be done decently and in order.

However, it looks like, as soon as the folks were fed, and Jesus knew they wanted to make Him king, He headed to the hills; while the disciples stood around until dark and then jumped in the boat, and rowed toward home, without Jesus.

But there’s more to the story we need to know. It’s always important to look at the whole context of the Word of God.

Matthew and Mark tell us that immediately after feeding the multitude, Jesus made, (strongly compelled with urgency), His disciples get into the boat (the is definite article; they must’ve had a certain boat designated for them to use) and cross to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. Matthew 14:22, Mark 6:45.

Why?

Well, perhaps a couple reasons.

Storm’s a brewin’. Jesus knew a storm was coming and wanted the boys to get home before it hit.

But if that’s true, then why do they get caught in the storm?

Good question. Matthew and Mark say He “made” them get in the boat, but that English word doesn’t articulate the full meaning of the original text which is that He strongly compelled with urgency.

Then, there’s our text here in John which says, “Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went…” We don’t know for sure, it doesn’t say, but the disciples may have argued about leaving Him alone with that crowd. Perhaps that’s why He had to strongly compel them with urgency.

While Jesus went to dismiss the crowd, they may have stood around debating if they should stay or go. And then, when the crowd had scattered and Jesus disappeared into the hills to pray, maybe then, when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea got into the boat, and went over…

So, we know two things for sure. One: Jesus strongly urged the disciples to get into the boat and go over. Two: they did; we’re just not sure if they obeyed right away, or delayed.

Another reason Jesus strongly compelled His disciples get into the boat just might be because a more dangerous storm was a brewin’.

The Good Shepherd might’ve been protecting His sheep from a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

You see, there were whispers floating through the crowd. He’s the One, the Prophet, the Messiah, let’s take Him and make Him, our king.

You see, those men, the ones who wanted to make Jesus, king, weren’t the only ones. The disciples felt the same way too. Even after His resurrection they were still thinking that way. They asked, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Acts 1:6.  

 They still hadn’t come to the full realization of Who Jesus really is. Mark 6:52 tells us they had not understood about the loaves. The original text articulates that they didn’t put it together on the basis of the loaves.

They just didn’t get it, yet.

But they’re about to.

So, they get into the boat and go…

 

¹⁸ Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

Now we could wag our finger and say, “If they would’ve left when Jesus told them to, they wouldn’t be in this mess, they’d have missed the storm—serves ‘em right.”

But we won’t.  

We will say, that even smack-dab in the middle of God’s will, we will encounter storms.

Either way, inside His will, we can safely say there’s no storm He can’t handle. We can never be blown too far off course where He can’t reach us.

But you may say, I’m not in His will, I’m more like Jonah, running away. Well, Jonah suffered severe consequences for his actions. He was thrown overboard, swallowed by a big fish. What a terrifying experience, what a terrible way to die…but Jonah repented and prayed and even in the belly of a fish, or beast, or prison, God hears, and delivers.

If you’re still breathing, there’s still Hope, unless your heart’s so hard, you don’t even try.

 

¹⁹So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

Matthew and Mark tell us they were in “the middle of the sea.” Which means they were blown off course.

They started on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee and were headed toward the northwest side, near Capernaum. The trip across was only about four miles. All they had to do was follow along the north shoreline. But now they’ve rowed about three or four miles and are in the middle of the sea.

The Sea of Galilee, is really a fresh water lake, shaped like a harp; about fourteen miles north to south and almost seven miles east to west at widest location. It’s where Israel gets much of its’ fresh water supply. It is the lowest freshwater lake on earth and the second-lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake).

Jesus was alone on the land, yet Mark tells us that He saw them straining at rowing. Mark 6:48. He sees you, straining. He sees the waves beating, the wind blowing. You are not out of His sight. Ever. He’s coming for you.

Matthew and Mark tell us it’s the fourth watch of the night. They probably left shore on the first watch, at evening, somewhere between six to nine p.m. The second watch is nine to twelve; the third watch is twelve to three, and the fourth watch is three to six. Normally they should’ve been able to row across the four miles in less than two hours. But these seasoned fishermen have been rowing several hours; maybe, seven or eight, or more.

It’s the fourth watch. You’re tired. Don’t give up. He sees you. He’s coming for you.  

Now when they see Jesus, walking toward them, Matthew and Mark record that they scream like girls (well, the original text doesn’t say, girls, it uses a term like the shriek of a raven). They were freaked out.  

 

²⁰ But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

He calms their fears by telling them, take courage, I AM.

Now Matthew tells us that Peter said, “Lord, if it’s you, command me to come to You.” Matthew 14:28-31.

Peter may have been speaking before thinking. Or, he may have been showing God given faith and courage. They were in a predicament. There was a myth about spirits of destruction, and there was one way to know for sure. Peter says, Okay, if You’re who You say You are, command me to come to You. If it wasn’t Jesus, Peter would sacrifice himself, but the rest of the disciples would know, and perhaps find a way of escape.

If it was Jesus, Peter would be safer (and calmer) with Him, on the raging sea, than in, a boat full of grown men screaming like girls (or, shrieking like ravens).

Jesus said, “Come.”

We are not to put the Lord God to a test. But, if you know you’re in the middle of God’s will, (Jesus told them to get in the boat), and if a question comes, you don’t know if it’s God or not, it’s okay to say, “Lord, is this You? I’m going to step out in faith. If it’s You, confirm the decision by firming the water. My eyes are on You, not the circumstances, not the waves, not the wind, not the shrieking in the boat, You. Only You.

Peter got out of the boat and walked. on. water. wow.

But when he took his eyes off Jesus. He sank. Faith floats. Fear swims, like a rock.

Peter, like Jonah, or maybe like a girl, or a raven, cried out to Jesus, and the Greatest Life Guard of all, saved him.

 

²¹ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

Jesus and Peter got into the boat, and suddenly, they were all at the land where they were going. The time they thought was wasted was restored. They were where they were supposed to be, and Jesus was with them.

More importantly, they came out of this storm with something they didn’t have before. Something that all the teaching didn’t give them. 

Soon, Jesus will say some very hard things, and many will leave Him. Jesus will ask the twelve, “Will you leave Me as well?”

Peter will respond with powerful words that can only be learned by facing a storm, with just you and Jesus, alone.

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:69.

Lord Jesus, we will praise You in the storm. Rain or shine, with You, we’ll always be singing; 

Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see…