John 6:16-21 PODCAST
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. John 6:16-21
The Apostle John wrote his gospel some 30 years after the other gospels had been written, therefore he did not see the need to repeat many of the details that the other gospel writers had given. This is one reason why his gospel is different from Matthew, Mark and Luke.
In today's text, the disciples were on the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. In order to row back to the town of Capernaum, they had to parallel the shore all the way back. They rowed across the northern tip of the lake and were not very far from shore for they expected the Lord Jesus to meet them on the shore somewhere along the way.
It was so late (around 3:00 in the morning) and it was so dark the rowing disciples could not see the shore. To make matters worse, "a strong wind was blowing." To this day, in that area, the wind blows suddenly out of the north, from the mountains, down the valley and across the lake toward the south.
As darkness settled in, the disciples were rowing across to Capernaum, but the wind was driving them southward and they lost sight of the shore and all possibility of picking up the Lord Jesus. Matthew writes at three o'clock in the morning the disciples found themselves right in the middle of the lake, far south of their intended target.
The disciples were frightened for they thought the Lord Jesus was a ghost. The Lord Jesus immediately answers the disciples' fear with, "It is I; don’t be afraid" which is the most repeated command in the Bible, repeated 365 times in the Bible.
This trial in the lives of the disciples teaches us that the Lord Jesus is the One whom we should find peace in amid our turmoil. The disciples were glad that the Lord Jesus got into their boat. Their fear was immediately relieved when they realized it was He who was walking on the water, and was in control of the wind and the waves. The wind not only stopped, but also the waves which speaks more deeply to is power.
The Lord Jesus deliberately caused or allowed this trial in order to bring about the miracle in the lives of these disciples. He had sent them off into the dark night and deliberately delayed His coming so that they might learn what He can do in such a time of trouble. If our faith responds, as these disciples did, we will look for Him and welcome Him into our unique circumstances.
Jesus is always saying to His followers, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” In fact, He always accompanies these words with, "I am with you." That is why we should not fear, because He is with us and He is in control of all things and we can trust that He knows best. When the storms come, as best as we can, we place our eyes on Him and hold on to His truth. The strange thing about the truth is that it seems to leave its deepest imprint on us through the most turbulent moments of life. It is through the storms of life we learn it is the truth that is gaining an increasing hold of us. Such is the purpose of our trials.
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