The Lord remembers His people

So Jesus, knowing that they were going to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they began to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. And the sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

John 6:15-21

Introduction

We find ourselves reading one of the more well known miracles Christ performed. Even among unbelievers, they typically will know Jesus turned water into wine, walked on water, and rose from the dead. Perhaps that is because these are some of the more interesting, unusual, and important miracles recorded, respectively. Moses may have parted the water and walked through it, but Christ walked on top of it.

And He did this after leaving His disciples to return home on their own. The crowd, after having been fed miraculously by the hand of the Messiah, wanted to make Him their king. We could speculate as to their motives: to eat without labor, to throw off the yoke of Rome, or even to establish the New Earth under the Messianic Kingdom. Regardless of what their reasons were, Jesus had His own reason for coming in the flesh, and it did not align with their expectations. So He hid Himself, retreating into the mountain (most likely Mount Arbel, which is directly next to Tiberias) to pray.

When Christ is absent

This self-removal likely signaled the disciples that it was time to leave and return to Capernaum. And so they did; boarding a boat and setting off, they began a treacherous sea crossing after dark.

For a group who had dropped everything to follow Jesus, there must have been a strangeness in setting off entirely without Him. He was the One who offered them direction, hope, and security. And now they were taking off in a boat at night with a storm on its way. It must have been terrifying.

But all the while, Jesus was on the mountain. Presumably praying for them. He often retreated to be alone and pray, and it would be a surprise if this withdrawal did not also include prayer. Despite the dire circumstances all around them, they were protected by the providence of God. He would not allow the sea to consume them. And when He came to them, it was direct. He walked from where He was to where they were, no matter the obstacle.

How often do we think God is surely not present in whatever storm we are in? Because if God was present, the storm would be calm! Rather than reassurance when the disciples saw Jesus, however, this is where scripture records: “they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.” This is where they really got scared. When they saw power they could not explain or comprehend, their minds turned to fear.

The ways God accomplishes His will do not fit neatly into the prepared boxes we have formed in our minds. It is not always immediately soothing, reassuring, or comforting. Sometimes it is strange, unexpected, and terrifying. At least at first. And for the disciples, seeing something walking atop the waves caused instant dread. Not knowing who or what was approaching, the only thing they knew was that the One striding directly toward them possessed power greater than they had. But Jesus, again remembering their frame, calmed their nerves and commanded, “do not be afraid.” And thus, “they were willing to receive Him into the boat.”

Teleportation

Then a very strange thing happened. After Jesus entered into the boat, “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” At first glance, it might be easy to rationalize by thinking they were relatively close to the shore, and this whole ordeal happened over a bit of time, such that when Jesus boarded, they were already at their destination.

But the scripture says they had gone, “twenty-five or thirty stadia.” One stadium is approximately 600 feet, making thirty stadia about three and a half miles. A straight line from Tiberias to Capernaum, however is about six and a half miles. That means when Jesus approached them in the midst of the storm, they were only half way to their destination. They had at least another three miles to go.

Not only had Jesus comforted the disciples with His presence, but He brought them real and immediate deliverance from their predicament. He plucked them directly out of a dangerous situation where they were in the middle of the Sea of Galilee at night during a storm, bringing them safely to land in an instant. John even says, “immediately.” And while we cannot apply this immediacy to every storm and terrible situation we may find ourselves in, we absolutely can have faith that God will deliver us from our troubles. He does love and care for His people, and makes certain we have exactly what we need to enjoy His goodness and glorify Him forever.

May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.