John 6:14-21 Jesus walks on water
This account is echoed in Matthew 14 and Mark 6.
Following the miraculous multiplying of food the crowd tried to make Jesus their king. Some said that Jesus was the promised prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15. He was and is that promised prophet. Moses led the people away from physical and temporal slavery but Jesus leads all who believe in him away from the slavery of sin and death toward a promised land of eternal righteousness.
Jesus is not only The Prophet he is also The King. Psalm 2 speaks about his kingdom and Isaiah prophesied his kingdom (ch.9:6-7). When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness the temptation to be king without the cross was the second temptation in Luke 4:5-8. Standing before Pilate Jesus claimed kingship over a kingdom not of this world, John 18:36. And in Revelations 19:11-16 Jesus is our coming king.
The crowd thought Jesus would be an ideal king. He would heal all their diseases and feed them. He would be their genie, granting wishes without asking questions. There are preachers who teach a Jesus v like this but they ignore the part where a king, if he is king, must be obeyed. The crowds then and the crowds today want a Jesus that does what they want. But they don’t want a Jesus that is King of kings and Lord of lords. They don’t want, Matthew 16:24, to take up the cross and follow Jesus.
Now Jesus sends the disciples across the sea in a boat while he goes up the mountain alone. There is a time to be with the people and a time to be alone with God.
While Jesus was up on the mountain the disciples were struggling to row against the wind. They had been rowing all night without getting to where they were going. When they were exhausted and despairing Jesus walks to them across the water and when he gets into the boat they are suddenly at the shore.
When they saw Jesus they were already at their wits end with exhaustion and such a strange sight completely unnerved them. Jesus had to tell them it was him and not to be afraid. The command “Do not be afraid” occurs many times in the Bible. (Genesis 15:1, Joshua 1:9, Psalm 3:6, 56:11, 91:5, Isaiah 12:2, Jeremiah 1:8, Ezekiel 2:6, John 14:27, 1 Peter 3:14, Revelation 1:7). And there are many similar scriptures which urge us to courage and to put aside fear (Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalm 118:6, Isaiah 41:10, Lamentations 3:57, Luke 12:32, 2 Timothy 1:7, Ephesians 6:10). Doesn’t life sometimes feel like rowing against the wind? It can be exhausting, terrifying, and frustrating feeling like you’re getting nowhere fast. We’ve all gone through storms in life but somehow instead of capsizing we’re here on the other side of them. Not due to our hard rowing or cleverness but the grace of God.
brotherpayne 