John 6:16-21
In today’s message I want to continue on into John’s 6th chapter and look at the Apostle’s account of Jesus walking on the water:
16When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17where 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. 18A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
John recorded seven specific miracles which are described as signs.
- Changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana (Jn 2:1-11);
- Healing the royal official’s son (Jn 4:46-54);
- Healing the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda (Jn 5:1-15);
- Feeding the 5,000 (Jn 6:5-14);
- Walking on water (Jn 6:16-21);
- Healing the man born blind (Jn 9:1-7);
- Raising Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-45).
We’ve looked at four of them…in chapter 6 we see two of the seven…Jesus feeding the 5000 and the fifth sign… Jesus walking on water.
The miracle of Jesus walking on the water is given in three of the four Gospels [Matthew 14:22–36; Mark 6:45–56; John 6:16–21] …Luke does not record this event…the other three describe this occurrence with bits and pieces of information so you have to read all three in order to get an accurate description of the account.
Contained within this story are additional miracles that are mentioned in passing… there are two miracles associated with Jesus’ walking on water that are not even mentioned by John but are mentioned in Matthew and Mark.
Both [Matt. 14:32 / Mark 6:51] tell that when Jesus entered the boat the wind stopped…something not mentioned by John…and neither Mark or John mention Peter getting out of the boat and walking on water to meet Jesus [14:28-32].
Then there’s a miracle that only John records…the miracle that when Jesus got into the boat it immediately arrived at the place they were going [John 6:21] but even John does so with an almost ho-hum attitude…So to get a full revelation of what actually occurred you have to incorporate all three gospel accounts because none of the three contain all the elements.
This miracle seems to happen immediately following the feeding of the 5000…all three writers…Matthew, Mark, and John all show it following the feeding.
So the crowds seeing the miracle of the feeding are now heralding Jesus as King because they recognize [14]. This truly is the Prophet who is to come into the world.
They are responding to the miracle of the free handout of food…in addition to the prospect that Jesus will release them from the bondage of Roman occupation
[John 11:48 /18:31] …so because of this some of the people wanted to force Jesus to be king.
This is one of the most important statements in the 6th chapter of John regarding Jesus’ role as Savior of the World…He is unwilling to be made King.
Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come to take Him by force to make Him king withdrew again to the mountain…” [6:15]
That would serve no purpose…this could almost…even though there is no mention of it…almost serve as another temptation from Satan…being made an earthly King would have diverted Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth.
Jesus and the disciples had crossed over the Sea of Galilee early that morning….it had been a long day and it was now evening…seeing the miracle of feeding…the crowd wanted to make Jesus King…Jesus knew their motives were not spiritual and their purposes were out of God’s will.
Jesus had to die…He was not sent to earth to live in luxury…as tempting as this was to Jesus’ human side…He took a course of action to remove Himself from that distraction…He withdrew Himself from that temptation…whether it’s Jesus or us…Paul explains how this works: [1Corinthians10:13]
No temptation has overtaken you but such is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also provide the way to escape, so that you will be able to endure it.
Then it’s up to us to exert some willpower and remove ourselves from the temptation …possible why Jesus was persistent in having the disciples get in the boat and leave the area [John 6:16] so they would not be tempted to join in with the crowd’s demands to make Jesus king…John says;
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea [16] …getting into a boat [17].
Mathew and Mark’s account of this is a little different…they remember Jesus being a little more emphatic about it:
Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side. [Matt. 14:22 / Mark 6:45]
The word “made” could also be translated “compelled” or “urged” implying the disciples may not have wanted to go …they may have even argued with Jesus about it but ultimately, they were persuaded, even compelled by Jesus to go.
If the disciples had stayed, they would have possibly fallen in with the crowd’s temptation of making Jesus king…as a result… Jesus removed them from that temptation and deliberately sent them out onto the lake.
John says Jesus tells the disciples to go on ahead of Him to Capernaum [v. 16-17] …the disciples in obedience to Jesus were now returning without Him.
while he dismissed the crowds. [Matt. 14:22] and withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. [John 6:15]
So Jesus sent the disciples out on the lake…or sea…they’re attempting to cross… but they soon experienced some difficulty…a storm came up and the waves opposed them…the rowing was torture for them…so, here they are stuck in the middle of the sea [Mark 6:47] rowing as hard as they can…and making no progress.
(they) started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark [John 6:17] The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. [v. 18]
Need to understand that in ancient times people feared the sea…it was a place of chaos and death…certainly not a place to be on at night and certainty not in a storm which made Jesus’ ghostly appearance even more frightening.
There are several significant points to recognize about this miracle…First, Matthew tells us that
The boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; because the wind was against it [Matthew 14:24]
Their intention was they were to only travel a short distance but the storm was so violent that despite all their efforts to control the boat the storm had actually driven them nearly four miles out into middle of the lake.
The disciples had been out there literally for hours…it was the fourth watch of the night [Matt. 24:24] making it somewhere between 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM in the morning…Jesus had initially sent them out on the sea the previous evening [16] these guys had been rowing for at least nine hours.
When you add in the time they were with Jesus for all day preaching…healing and feeding… and now add an additional 8 hours or more of rowing some boat…they had been up for almost 20 hours that day…needless to say they were exhausted.
Here’s another miracle that’s just brushed over…Mark tells us that Jesus could see the disciples from where He was seated praying on the mountainside…being at least 3 to 4 miles away…and in the dark. [Mark 6:48].
When they had rowed about three or four miles [John 6:18] (Jesus) seeing them straining at the oars [Mark6:48]
Several Old Testament prophets parted the water…Moses, Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha…but, this is the only record of anyone ever walking on water.
As they’re straining to make some type of headway…they begin to see something…or someone approaching the boat;
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened [v. 19]
Many have suggested that Jesus didn’t actually walk on water but that He was walking along the shore next to the water…so it gave the impression He was walking on water.
The disciples did begin their trip along the coastline…but Matthew says: ‘the boat was already a long distance from the land’ [14:24] which doesn’t sound like they were near the coastline.
As Jesus approached the boat…He could have just shouted out… ‘Dudes it’s Me’ or ‘Hey, looks like you boys could use some help’ just something to calm their fears BUT what He said would have instantly revealed who He was.
he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid. [v. 20]
That’s close…but that’s not the literal translation from the Greek…instead of… ‘It is I,’ … Jesus said: this is ‘I Am, do not be afraid.’
This is the second most important statement in the 6th chapter of John regarding Jesus’ role as Savior of the World…the importance of this statement to identify who He is, is monumental.
I AM is the name of God…these were Jewish men…they would have all immediately recognized that name…it’s the name of God…it’s the name He uses in Exodus to tell Moses who He is.
God states His own name for the first time in Exodus 3:14…“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you’”.
We know that God has many names throughout the Bible, all of which have significant meaning or highlight certain attributes of God…but He only has one personal name.
The spelling in Hebrew uses only four letters יהוה – which are YHVH…Yod / Hey / Vav / Hey….in English it’s spelled YHWH…don’t know why in English it’s YHWH because there is no letter ‘W’ in the Hebrew alphabet.
This name has also been written as JHWH…which is also completely wrong… and leads to the incorrect pronunciation in the English of JeHoVaH …Jehovah is not God’s name…Jehovah is a Latinization of the Hebrew letters YHVH.
Here’s what’s really amazing about these four Hebrew letters…no one knows the exact pronunciation…the pronunciation of other biblical words was meticulously preserved by an unbroken chain of tradition passed down orally from generation to generation… but when it came to God’s name…the true pronunciation of how to pronounce YHVH is lost.
Why would the Jews preserve the pronunciation of all other words in the Bible but neglect to preserve the pronunciation of the most important name that appears in the Bible some 6600 times – the name of God himself?
The reason is that during the early 5th century the Jews decided that God’s name was too holy to be spoken aloud…based on the interpretation of the third commandment, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
A commandment that was intended, at its origin, to prohibit the inappropriate use of God’s name when swearing or making an oath…the Jews expanded that idea until it was prohibited to even utter the name at all except in solemn circumstances.
Even today…the name pronounced Yahweh as best we know…is not spoken outside the Temple or read aloud…instead the replacement name of ‘adonai’ is used…meaning “my lord” so we’ll never know the exact pronunciation of God’s name.
The name that God identified Himself is I AM… אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה implies…God exists as nothing else does…I AM implies:
- an existence different from all others in existence…there is none beside Him;
- an existence that is outside of time;
- an existence, from which all others are dependent on.
BUT it goes further than that…in the Hebrew there is a word that goes between the two “I AM” statements.
It’s the Hebrew word ăšer or asher—[[according to Strong’s Concordance of the Bible–]] here’s what’s important about this word ăšer… It can be translated as: who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that…that little word between the two I AM’s means all that.
So translators translate it in a number of different ways…I AM that I AM…I AM who I AM…I AM which I AM…see the difficulty in trying to define who God is…and why the Jews refused to speak His name.
Why Understanding Exodus 3:14 Is Important Today
Understanding the power of the name “I AM WHO I AM” is important to understand in order to comprehend the complexity of who God is.
He is all-encompassing and self-sufficient…His name is above all names…it’s a reminder that God is in control…that He sees all…and is in all…God is infinite… He is sovereign over our lives…He Is Who He Is…it affirms the identity of Jesus as the Son of God.
Unfortunately, people have lost sight of the majesty and holiness of God…could be because less than 15% of those who identify themselves as Christians are in church on any given Sunday.
What this equates to is there’s a whole generation of people that haven’t gone into a church building for anything other than a funeral or wedding…as a result…these people have little understanding of even who God is…or the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the Cross.
As a result, the church has begun to change its message to accommodate a whole generation of people that have missed out on church.
There are many people today who are still interested in church…but realizing they have a limited knowledge of the Bible has caused some difficulty in the church.
The Church has had to come up with new ways to minister…it requires preachers and teachers to go back to the very basics of Christianity in order to make it relevant for this growing group.
But in the process, they are dumbing down their preaching and teaching by offering only emotional, feel-good theology…replacing Biblical truth with emotionalism.
Bypassing the real issues…and replacing them with “not much else you need to know” because everything has been reduced down to “God loves everyone.”
NOW…nothing wrong with realizing God loves you…and that is great for bringing in outsiders through the doors…however, emotionalism and feel-good theology doesn’t provide the substance needed for growing believers into mature Christians who need to have a deep understanding of God.
They don’t bother to learn any more than ‘God loves you’ because the church isn’t giving them any avenues to know more…if you ask most Christians today even the most basic theological questions about the Bible their response will probably be …that question is only for pastors or church leaders…because they have no Bible knowledge.
It’s one thing to not know much about who Jesus is and why His death was the single most important event in the history of the world…but it’s another to have no desire to grow.
Nowadays anyone can start a church…anyone can be a preacher…you can go online and get an ordination…seminary’s not a requirement…having Bible knowledge is not needed…as long as it’s engaging and entertaining people will show up.
Dumbing down Christianity is causing Christians to be unable to grow in their faith.
Hence the importance of knowing God’s name…the name Jesus used when He approached the boat… “I AM” …is the name Jesus calls himself…the reason the Jews sought to kill Him.
If we just look at this miracle as Jesus walking on the water, we’ve missed what John is trying to convey here…here’s the significance of this story…it’s John’s use of God’s name…I AM …it is Jesus who bears Gods’ Divine name.
That’s why when Jesus approached them walking on the water, He didn’t just shout out… “Hey dudes it’s Me’ …He used the name He told Moses… “I AM.” That was all the identification He needed.
This is where Pastors use this miracle to teach the deeper spiritual realities of life… and there are a number of them…referred to as the storms of life…if you’ve been in church very long you’ve probably heard countless sermons preached on that.
Some examples of the ways Preachers react to the ‘storms’ which are represented by… trials…troubles …and difficulties in our lives.
1. The Lord often sends storms as a result of our disobedience [Jonah 1:17]
Jonah is the example…Jonah decides not to obey God and winds up in the belly of a big fish.
2. Some storms occur because others disobey God [Acts 27]
Paul warned the captain not to sail but he does anyway and the ship runs aground and everyone is swimming for their lives…them leaving port and running into a storm was not Paul’s fault but he still suffered.
3. Some storms occur in life because we do obey God [John 6:15-21].
We’re looking at one instance here…does anyone think the storm was a surprise to Jesus when He sent the disciples out on that lake? You can be in the center of God’s will, and still be in a storm…being a Christian does not mean being trouble free.
I’ve talked about the favor of God in our lives…but…you’re going to have some frustration in your life…God uses storms even when we are obedient to strengthen us and bring us close together and to Him.
4. During the storms of life keep your eyes on Jesus [Matthew 14:30-32].
Sometimes, God sends the storms to educate us and to teach us to trust… His purpose is not to hurt us, but to grow us.
Peter says… ‘Hey, I want to try that walking on water thing too’…when Peter kepthis eyes on Jesus He was able to walk on water…but when he focused on the storm around him he began to sink.…Jesus reached out His hand and grabbed Peter to keep him safe…despite the difficulties in life…you have to stay focused on Jesus.
NOW…those are all great points…and they’re all relevant…anyone of them would make for a great sermon or sermon series…but that’s all I’m going to say about the ways God uses difficulties in life to strengthen us because I want to focus on something even more relevant.
Here’s the lesson…Jesus sees us through the storm…He’s watching…He sees you …He’s aware of your situation…here’s the problem…we’re just like the disciples … we’re just like the people on Resurrection Sunday…we don’t believe it…and therefore we’re not looking for Him.
Jesus waited a long time before He came to them—those guys had been out there all night long rowing that boat and going nowhere…they had been experiencing… darkness…anxiety…danger…and fear…ever feel like that…ever felt like you’re drowning in some problem and no one cares…I’m sure the disciples were seriously thinking they were all going to die.
It began to be daylight before Jesus came to them…they had been on the water all night…feeling the Lord had deserted them…ever felt that way…the Lord has deserted me.
I don’t know where you are today…there are all kinds of circumstances in our lives that make us feel like we’re sinking;
This coronavirus thing…maybe you’re in a hard spot in your life right now with… your job…your marriage…your children…you may be facing temptations or problems that are almost too great to bear.
You’re sitting alone…you feel like the disciples… rowing all night long and going nowhere…you find yourself on a stormy sea and feel as if your boat is going down.
Here’s the KEY…price of admission…Jesus always comes to us in the storms of life…BUT…He may not come at the time we think He should come…these disciples were probably all writing out their wills…this is the end… BUT…they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat [6:19].
Here’s how God works…I can preach this because I’ve experienced it…just like I can tell you God extends His favor into people’s lives because I’ve experienced it.
Often times the Lord waits until all human hope is gone [Phil.3:13] …He wants to test our faith …once OUR strength…OUR skill…OUR personal efforts to accomplish something is exhausted…after everybody’s gone home…when we’re left alone…Jesus says…mind if I take a look at the problem…because delivery from our problems should go to God and not to man.
Scripture records another time the disciples were in a storm on the Sea of Galilee [Mark 4:35-41] …and even though this time Jesus is with them…they were still afraid…even accusing Him of not caring about what they were facing.
It’s easy to get down on the disciples…but we’ve been there ourselves…when the storms of life are raging, we question whether God cares for us…might even have said it out loud “Lord don’t you care what’s happening to me?”
At that point…it’s easy to doubt God’s concern for us…to accuse the Lord of not caring about us.
Watch this…remember it was Jesus who sent the disciples out into the storm in the first place…and if you’re serious about following Jesus there’s going to be storms in your life that He’ll send you into.
Often time we begin to doubt God’s presence because we’re looking at the situation and become afraid…forgetting who sent us there in the first place…we begin to look at the problem rather than looking at the Savior.
When Jesus calmed the sea, they were amazed and said, “What manner of man is this?” they hadn’t learned He is the One Who is in control of everything…every situation …every circumstance…even angry waves.
The Perrys – When He Comes Walking on the Water
The waves began to crash against their weak and helpless boat
The disciples feared and wondered just how long they’d stay afloat
Just when it appeared this was where it all would end
they saw their blessed savior as he came to rescue them!
Let me just say something about that…there’s going to be storms that come as a result of being on this earth…BUT that doesn’t mean everything’s going to turn out all right…because sometimes it doesn’t.
There are times in life when we are overruled…when we’ve prayed for whatever needs to be prayed for…when I’ve prayed and said seemingly all the right things… when we’ve fasted…when we’ve anointed them in oil…read all the books on encouragement…when we’ve told others they’re going to be healed…we’ve told the doctors they’re going to live…but we’re overruled and they die.
For countless numbers of people, the Christian faith is just a way to get into heaven when they die…but for countless more…the Christian faith teaches us how to live in the here and now…especially when life gets stormy.
Earlier I gave you four examples concerning how Jesus reacts to the storms that happen in our life… here’s the fifth one:
5. Jesus is always with us, even in the storms of life [Matthew 8:23-27]. Jesus waited until the boat was as far from land as possible, when all their hope was gone…then He comes walking on the water to rescue them.
Jesus knew the disciples would encounter this storm…and I can promise you He knows the storm you’re currently in and what will be the outcome …BUT …whatever the situation …circumstance or difficulty you’re in …Jesus is in the boat with you.
I’m not going to stand up here and tell you that in every situation Jesus will rescue you in some miraculous way and everything’s going to be all right…because for some of us we’re way too old to believe that.
BUT I can promise you…that whatever the result…if you’ve put your trust in Jesus…you can with assurance and conviction know that the outcome will be according to His will.
We live in a world that encourages us to believe in ourselves…that’s what separates Christians from unbelievers…we can with confidence know that whatever the situation…God knows what we’re experiencing…and despite the severity of what we’re encountering…even when we’re overruled in what we want …God is not insensitive to our request…He will never leave you nor forsake you [Heb. 13:5].