Or, Every Disciple's Greatest Fear
Scripture: John 6:16-21
Date: April 29, 2012
Speaker: Sean Higgins
A high batting average has never helped anyone get a hit. It doesn’t matter how well a player hit yesterday or is hitting for the season. Every game and every at bat requires all of a hitter’s attention and skill. The same is true for many activities, including sermon preaching. A preacher who knocks the ball out of the park every week is no less susceptible to strike out any given Sunday. But the principle I’d like to point out is that believing today doesn’t guarantee your full trust in Jesus tomorrow, or even later today.
The disciples went from riding the wave of Christ’s miraculous feeding of five-thousand men to freaking out that they saw a phantom. In the afternoon they saw Jesus provide from five cheap bread loaves and a couple picked fish for the crowd in the wilderness and then panicked later that night when they saw Him walking on water. It was quite a day for the disciples and quite a display of their lack of faith.
In John 6:16-21 we come to another familiar story: Jesus walking on the water. This story happens on the same day, and into the next day, as the feeding in John 6:1-15. Both Matthew and Mark connect the two events as well. John bridges the two day seminar with his brief version of the movement to Capernaum and in verse 22 picks up “on the next day.” The thing that stands out in John’s record is what’s missing. His account skips over numerous details.
Because the apostle John usually doesn’t include the same material as the Synoptics, and because he includes a short sketch, I’m going to take a different approach in this message than normal. I usually prefer to stay with the author, let him make his point by himself, and only look elsewhere when it’s possible to make a good case that the writer himself was dependent on another passage, usually an Old Testament one. For example, we do a disservice to John if we run away (too quickly) to other accounts. Was John moved by the Holy Spirit to include and to omit certain details? Of course he was. So we should ask why he left certain things out.
We’ll do that. And then I’d still like to linger a bit in light of the other versions. Generally speaking, we do well to follow our assigned tour guide through the museum, but sometimes you want to stay a little longer with certain exhibits.
John moves us from the wilderness setting on the east side of the Sea of Galilee back to the northwestern side, to Capernaum, where Jesus will pick up His teaching (see verses 24, 59).
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (John 6:16–21, ESV)
Here is the original: “It was a dark and storm night” story. Jesus fed the multitude, they wanted to force Him to be king, and John describes that Jesus withdrew to the mountain (verse 15). His disciples left by boat without Him on their way to Capernaum (verse 16), approximately five to six miles away. It was now dark (verse 17), so it was evening, and they had rowed about three or four miles (five to six kilometers if you prefer)* (verse 19), so therefore it was at least a few hours later.
* The Greek New Testament says “twenty-five or thirty stadia,” and a stadion was 606.75 feet, so the distance would be 2.87 or 3.45 miles.
Then came Jesus walking on the water effortlessly. The disciples started to freak out (verse 19). Jesus told them to relax (verse 20). He got into the boat, and then they were immediately at their destination (verse 21). You know, normal stuff.
Wait a second, though. This is anything but normal. Imagine if you were reading this for the first time, if you hadn’t read Matthew or Mark. Wouldn’t you want to know more? What do you mean that Jesus was walking on the water? Who does that? How long did it take Him to get there? He walked three and a half miles in a storm? Was He wet? Why didn’t He go with His disciples in the first place? How did the boat get to the other side so quickly once He got in it? Why were the disciples so scared and how did they respond afterward? John, where’s the application? Where’s the call to believe?
John’s account is so nonchalant that I wonder why he even bothered to include it. Luke doesn’t. John barely gives any time for the drama of the sign to sink in, let alone the equally miraculous calming of the storm and the immediate arrival of the boat (or Peter walking on water, for a total of four miracles). So why mention it at all and, since he did, why tell such a short version?
First, John’s account provides geographical/historical context. The story explains how Jesus and His disciples moved from the wilderness setting back to civilization.
Second, John’s account connects with the Passover. “The Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand” (verse 4). God commanded Israel to eat the first Passover meal immediately before He parted the Red Sea for them. The memorial feast remembered God’s deliverance through miraculous power over the water and His miraculous provision through manna. The bread and water in John 6 are related to the bread and water of Passover.
Third, for those who already knew the other details, John’s account adds background for Peter’s answer in 6:66-69. I hope to remember to mention it again when we get there, but Peter would have drowned without the Lord, which we’ll see in a moment.
I don’t know for sure but it seems to me that John positively can’t wait for the second day of the seminar. He can’t wait to get from the loaves and fishes to the “bread of life” (verse 35), from food that perishes to “food that endures to eternal life” (verse 27). He can’t wait to get to Jesus’ confrontation of unbelieving Arminians, or so they might be called today.
I can’t blame him for being excited about those things and for hustling us through the exhibit on Medieval Art into the room of Renaissance Art. But because we are blessed to know the Curator who opens up the rest of the story, we’re going to stay back for a bit. We need the kick in the little-faith pants.
There are at least a dozen things missing by my count. Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52 provide a much longer script.
Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. (Matthew 14:22, also Mark 6:45)
The verb “made” could be translated “compelled” or “forced.” Jesus purposely sends them away by water.
And closely connected with that,
Though Jesus was avoiding being forced into kingship, a detail neither Matthew or Mark mention, though John does, Jesus could take care of Himself. He’s keeping the disciples from being swept up in the frenzy and He’s setting them up for something later. [Mark 6:45 says that they landed in Bethsaida, a small distance from Capernaum, but we know they didn’t stay there long.]
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. (Matthew 14:23a, see also Mark 6:46)
We don’t know what He asked for. He certainly loved to be alone with His Father. He was also giving His guys extra rowing time.
And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. (Mark 6:48a)
The phrase “making headway painfully” includes a verb about torment and harassment. So the NASB translates that Jesus saw them “straining at the oars” or, in the footnote, “harassed in rowing.” Jesus is waiting for the teachable moment. Actually, He’s creating one.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. (Matthew 14:25, see also Mark 6:48)
This part of the story took place in the pre-dawn hours between 3:00-6:00 AM. Remember, they went to the “other side of the Sea of Galilee” (John 6:1) to rest a while (Mark 6:31), which they didn’t get because of the following multitude. They were busy all day again and now they’ve been battling in a boat almost all night. No doubt the disciples were exhausted.
He meant to pass by them, (Mark 6:48b)
He was just doing His thing…walking across the lake. He could have walked around. He could have transported Himself to the other side; He transported the boat immediately, why not Himself? If He can suspend the normal rules of time and space on the water, He can suspend any rule that He created anyway. The point appears to be that He wasn’t coming to rescue them, He was coming to reveal Himself to them.
But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. (Matthew 14:26, see also Mark 6:50)
They weren’t expecting anyone to be walking by and they are surprised. Actually, they are terrified, thrown into confusion, freaking out. They supposed he was a φάντασμά, a spirit, a ghost.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27, see also Mark 6:50)
John includes the part about “It is I, don’t be afraid,” which Matthew and Mark have too. But Jesus started with “Take heart” (ESV) or “Take courage” (NASB). This is what Jesus aims to teach them (and us) to do at all times.
And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. (Matthew 14:28–29)
Mock Peter as much as we do, at least he got out of the boat. This is the second miracle and the only other man to walk on water in history.
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:30–31)
All these guys, Peter included, had NO REASON to doubt. It was not a lack of information that caused Peter to sink.
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:32–33)
Here is the third miracle: the storm ceased. God alone has this power, both to stir up and to calm down the waters. Perhaps Matthew remembered passages such as:
You rule the raging of the sea;
when its waves rise, you still them.
(Psalm 89:9, ESV)
For [the LORD] commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
(Psalm 107:24, 28-30, ESV)
This, I believe, is the most ironic absence in John’s gospel because his stated purpose in John 20:31 was to provide signs so that men might believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Here are the disciples confessing and worshipping, an unacceptable and blasphemous acceptance on Jesus’ part if He wasn’t actually the Son of God.
That’s a lot missing from John’s account. But, I said I counted twelve.
The “little faith” admonition hurts. But Mark makes it even more embarrassing (maybe because he wasn’t actually there but heard about it from Peter).
And [Jesus] got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:51–52)
This whole episode was aimed at changing that. Jesus drove them into the storm without Him because “they did not understand the loaves.” They saw the miraculous provision; they participated in it. The Lord led them into the wilderness, into a place where only He could provide, then He provided in a supernatural way AND THEY STILL MISSED THE POINT!
The point is: TRUST HIM! We tell our versions of the familiar story, of His taking care of us and our needs in almost unbelievable ways, and yet we still get stuck looking at seen things, the temporal things, the passing away things. He wants His disciples to want Him, to believe Him, to trust Him.
Here is every disciple’s greatest fear: a hard heart that keeps us from trusting Jesus. We have more than enough information. The truth is right before our eyes. We tell the stories and study the theology. But hard hearts keep us from trusting Him.
We have the same core struggle as the original Twelve disciples. There are differences, sure. We have the complete inspired Word but they had the Incarnate Word. We have the indwelling Spirit but, as the remainder of John 6 reveals, the Spirit was at work drawing them to Jesus. We have their stories. They lived their stories. So the struggles in dark, stormy weather with unwieldy oars are similar.
We know the tendency of our hearts to become hard. We know that trust is missing, that true, humble teachability is often missing. The hardhearted will not learn from the Lord, lean on Christ, or love Jesus. That also means, the hardhearted have no life.
What do we need? What helped the disciples? The presence of Jesus. “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Mark 6:50) We must meet Him, by His Spirit, in the Word, in worship, and in His Body. We can and must trust Him.