At first glance, it may seem that today’s scripture reading is about how Jesus walked on the stormy water of the sea. A second review of today’s scripture reading, however, reveals that Jesus was walking upon a different kind of stormy water – the stormy water of the crowd who wanted to coronate him as a king following the feeding of the 5,000.
Dr. Ralph F. Wilson offers this reason why the crowd wanted to coronate Jesus after the multiplication of the loaves and fish.
“We sometimes imagine that a cheap, non-polluting energy source would be the ultimate achievement for humankind. But in Jesus’ day, where most people were subsistence farmers, finding a labor-free, inexhaustible food supply would be considered the prize. And that’s the drawing power of Jesus’ miracle of the loaves and fishes, feeding 5,000 men, plus women and children. Perhaps that’s why it’s Jesus only miracle that appears in all four gospels.”
John tells us that the impact of this miracle was like a tidal wave washing over the multitude as they correctly identified Jesus by stating, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” No doubt, they were recalling Deuteronomy 18:15 where Moses is recorded as saying, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”
The stormy water upon which Jesus was walking was not caused by the multitude identifying him as the prophet whom Moses said God would raise up. The crowd made a connection between Moses who brought manna (food from heaven) and Jesus who multiplied the loaves and fish. While they were correct in identifying Jesus as the prophet God had raised up from among their own brothers, they did not follow Moses’ advice about listening to Jesus. Instead, they desired to take Jesus by force and make him a king whom they could use for their own purposes as first-century Jews often associated prophetic signs with the hope of a king who would lead a rebellion against Rome.
John provides a forecast about the stormy water Jesus would be walking upon with this report found in the 14th and 15th verses of the sixth chapter:
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Jesus could tell that stormy water was ahead. He understood that the people he had fed were not so much interested in who he was as they were interested in what he could do for them by feeding them or leading a rebellion against Rome.
Jesus knew his identity as God’s Messiah would be revealed through God’s kingdom rather than the kingdoms of this world. This is the reason John reports that Jesus:
Withdrew from the crowd to the mountain because he knew he could not be the earthly king they sought and, and at the same time, the Messiah God was raising up and the Messiah who would be raised up on the cross.
Walked on the stormy water created by the crowd to his disciples who were being blown about by the storm on the sea
Identified himself to his disciples as he walked toward them on stormy water and said, “It is I, do not be afraid.”
It is through these actions of Jesus that his disciples follow the advice of Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15 and listen to Jesus as they found themselves in stormy water.
In her blog, Where Is Hope in an Unstable World, Amanda Stephens writes:
We’re never more than a click away from seeing the latest headline. We read first-person accounts of social injustice and loss from natural disasters. Our heads spin from the dramas playing out on the political stage.
With social media and live video feeds at our fingertips, we can now access the experiences of others — even those we don’t know — in a way that makes us feel as if we’ve lived it out ourselves. In those moments, it’s my faith that offers the most hope when everything else seems to be unraveling. I’ve experienced sudden loss and understand that no one is immune to the pain and suffering of a broken world. However, as a Christian, I have a lifeboat to reach for when I begin to sink.
I can have hope because I believe that God is still in control. Things might not make sense to me, but I can trust that God isn’t shaken. He is my anchor, tethering me to a new perspective and hope in things that I can’t see but that I can trust.
I trust that He is present in whatever I’m going through. He promises to never leave me or forsake me. I might not have control over what happens in this world, but I do have control over where I go for help and hope.”
Have you ever encountered stormy water in your life? Those times when you understand what John meant when he wrote, “It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.”
I find it interesting that John’s account of Jesus walking on stormy water has a different outcome than the accounts found in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In those accounts, the outcome of Jesus walking on stormy water is Jesus calming the stormy water in which the disciples find themselves. Remember, in the Gospel of John, Jesus was walking upon a different kind of stormy water as he tells his disciples, “It is I; do not be afraid. Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.”
The next time your encounter stormy water, remember that Jesus continued to walk on stormy water even after the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next time you encounter stormy water listen to Jesus telling you, “It is I, do not be afraid.”
Stormy Water
by Pastor Marc Brown
July 28, 2024
Accompanying Scriptures: John 6:1-21
Fort Hill United Methodist Church
Order of Worship for July 28, 2024
Scripture Lesson John 6:1-21
The Good News “Stormy Water
Prayer
Blessing
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