Day 904: Walking on water - John 6 vs 14 - 25

14-15 When the people saw the sign that Jesus had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16-19 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. 20-21 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.

22-24 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” John 6:14-25 English Standard Version

In the first part of this chapter Jesus had multiplied five barley loaves and two fish so as to feed a huge crowd of people. It led to the people saying among themselves “this is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” That miracle is one of the most well known incidents in the life of Jesus that even many who are not Christians have heard of. Today we see an incident that has led to an expression which even hardened atheistic journalists will sometimes use to describe some personality who has mesmerized the masses. They speak of someone who can 'walk on water'.

But, much like the crowd in vs 22-24 of today's reading, journalists who lightly use the phrase 'walk on water' are missing the whole point which the apostle John was making. In those few verses John explains the bewilderment of the people who'd seen the disciples set off without Jesus in the only boat available at the time, only to find him on the other side of the sea when they got there via some boats which had arrived later. There confusion is summed up in their question to Jesus in vs 25.

Which brings us to the incident itself. As with the feeding of the five thousand, some like to look for extra meaning in the dark and potentially dangerous situation the disciples found themselves in, their fear when they thought they were seeing some sort of phantom, and the comfort of Jesus' words when He said “It is I; don't be afraid.” And, yes, such sentiments can surely be applied to our journey through life. This is beautifully expressed in the hymn written by William Cowper in the 1700's which says: “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. You fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds you so much dread, are big with mercy and shall break In blessings on your head.”

But the essential point John makes here is surely that the disciples, once again, were being shown that Jesus was much more than a prophet! We read that “they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” That could be a figure of speech to imply that the rest of the journey sped by. But the implication is that they were transported to their destination. And all of this would add to the conclusion that the apostle Peter would reach by the end of this chapter when he said of Jesus: “You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

To 'walk on water' isn't just a figure of speech for a fellow human being who does something extraordinary. It was a real event that the disciples witnessed, and which convinced them that Jesus was the unique Holy One of God. Have we come to know and believe that too?