Jesus Walks On Water (John 6:16-21)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.759 It's here God's Word, beginning at Verse Sixteen, Sixteen Through Twenty one, 2 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:11.509 John Six sixteen through twenty one. When evening came, his disciples went down 3 00:00:11.509 --> 00:00:15.470 to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to Copernum. 4 00:00:16.390 --> 00:00:19.269 It was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. The 5 00:00:20.510 --> 00:00:25.179 Sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about 6 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:30.859 three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near 7 00:00:30.899 --> 00:00:36.369 the boat and they were frightened, but he said to them it is I, 8 00:00:37.490 --> 00:00:41.770 do not be afraid. Then they were glad to take him into the 9 00:00:41.850 --> 00:00:46.570 boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. 10 00:00:48.969 --> 00:00:55.039 He may be seated. One of the reasons that we sang psalms seven aside 11 00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:59.560 for Psalm one hundred and seven, aside from it being an excellent psalm to 12 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:07.950 reflect and and praise God for his goodness and grace in forgiving our sins, 13 00:01:08.870 --> 00:01:14.150 is that it also reminds us of some of these particular situations in which he 14 00:01:14.269 --> 00:01:19.859 does bring his people out of many different situations, one of them being on 15 00:01:19.060 --> 00:01:25.219 taking care of his people in desert places and dry places. We saw a 16 00:01:25.299 --> 00:01:30.180 little bit of that last time when we looked at John, when we when 17 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:34.290 we looked at John, when Jesus was the people came to him and he 18 00:01:34.450 --> 00:01:41.090 saw that they didn't have food and he provided for them this great miracle feeding 19 00:01:41.409 --> 00:01:46.090 of more than five thousand people out of a few loaves of bread and a 20 00:01:46.209 --> 00:01:51.799 couple fish. Well, in between that feeding of the five thousand and another 21 00:01:52.879 --> 00:01:57.640 and a speech or a sermon in which Jesus tolls them and speaks to them 22 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:01.430 about himself and describes himself as the bread of life, we have this story, 23 00:02:02.629 --> 00:02:08.469 this account and record of Jesus walking on the water, an amazing miracle, 24 00:02:08.509 --> 00:02:15.030 another of the many stunning miracles we've already heard about, and we're only 25 00:02:15.110 --> 00:02:20.939 in John Chapter six. This is an amazing thing that Jesus does and want 26 00:02:20.979 --> 00:02:24.699 to consider that with you this morning. It's something that also comes up in 27 00:02:25.219 --> 00:02:30.849 again psalm one hundred and seven, and we haven't sung this verse yet. 28 00:02:30.889 --> 00:02:34.930 We'll do it after the sermon, but in verse twenty three we read some 29 00:02:35.169 --> 00:02:38.689 went down to the sea and ships doing business on the great waters. They 30 00:02:38.729 --> 00:02:43.250 saw the deeds of the Lord, his work, wondrous works in the deep, 31 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:47.080 for he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves 32 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:52.120 of the sea. They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the 33 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:57.719 depths. Their courage melted away in their evil plight. They reeled and staggered 34 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:01.669 like drunken men and and we're at their wits end. Then they cried to 35 00:03:01.710 --> 00:03:07.110 the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress. He made 36 00:03:07.189 --> 00:03:10.789 the storm be still and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they 37 00:03:10.789 --> 00:03:15.900 were glad that the waters were quiet and he brought them to their desired haven. 38 00:03:16.659 --> 00:03:21.340 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works 39 00:03:21.379 --> 00:03:24.219 to the children of Man. Let them extol him in the congregation of the 40 00:03:24.300 --> 00:03:30.409 people and praise him in the assembly of the elders. Well, there's a 41 00:03:30.449 --> 00:03:36.689 whole sermon right there. Right God brings these things into our lives that try 42 00:03:36.770 --> 00:03:42.879 us. Up to the heavens, down to the depths, right writing. 43 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:46.479 Those waves, up and down, up and down. But he rescues us, 44 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:51.439 he brings us out of them. And what's the application that we praise 45 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:54.680 God, that we extol him in the congregation? Let them thank the Lord 46 00:03:54.789 --> 00:04:00.310 for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of Man, 47 00:04:00.469 --> 00:04:04.590 let them ex stole him in the congregation of the people and praise him in 48 00:04:04.629 --> 00:04:10.860 the assembly of the elders. These are the same applications, in the same 49 00:04:11.300 --> 00:04:16.060 things that we are now seeing centered in on this man, Jesus, this 50 00:04:16.300 --> 00:04:21.459 one who has come into the world and been born of a woman, who 51 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:28.410 is fully man and yet doing the works of God. A maze us. 52 00:04:29.009 --> 00:04:33.329 Here we have Jesus the Almighty, this one who walks on water, this 53 00:04:33.449 --> 00:04:39.519 one who calms the sea, this one who calms their hearts. It is 54 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:46.800 I, he says, do not be afraid, don't be terrified. Now 55 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:56.709 this happens because Jesus, as we read here in Verse Sixteen, had cut 56 00:04:56.829 --> 00:05:00.509 promised to meet or them in some way. Just as remind you of the 57 00:05:00.589 --> 00:05:03.189 scene. He had gone up onto a mountain. The other gospels tell us 58 00:05:03.189 --> 00:05:06.860 to pray. He's trying to get away from the crowds, maybe even away 59 00:05:06.860 --> 00:05:12.339 from his disciples, to be alone, to have some solitude, to be 60 00:05:12.379 --> 00:05:18.899 able to pray. He does that. Then it becomes evening time. They 61 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:27.970 arrange some sort of meeting. It's perhaps that Jesus isn't maybe Jesus doesn't tell 62 00:05:28.009 --> 00:05:30.490 them exactly that he how it's all going to happen, but he says they're 63 00:05:30.490 --> 00:05:34.759 going to meet and they leave. The disciples leave without him, planning to 64 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:40.439 meet up at another time, and that's what happens. Then they they go 65 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:45.360 out across the water. It's nighttime, but quickly it's no quiet evening. 66 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:50.949 They're glide that they see becomes rough. A strong wind blows, it's dark 67 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:56.670 and they're out there and says they've been rolling about three or four miles. 68 00:05:57.670 --> 00:06:02.550 It's a very tough situation and the other gospels tell us that they were afraid 69 00:06:02.670 --> 00:06:08.300 for their lives. Now John tells us this distance that they were out in 70 00:06:08.420 --> 00:06:13.500 the water, partly to help us understand the difficulty of their situation. It 71 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:19.329 also helps us from remind us of the miraculous nature of this story. I 72 00:06:19.449 --> 00:06:24.290 mentioned this because there are some people that think that Jesus does not walk on 73 00:06:24.449 --> 00:06:30.129 the water but instead is walking by the water. Now both are grammatically possible 74 00:06:30.250 --> 00:06:34.639 and the same words are going to be used later in the book to describe 75 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:41.480 Jesus Walking by the water, but here it's rightly translated on for several good 76 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:47.750 reasons. One is that Jesus refers to himself here. As the I am. 77 00:06:48.509 --> 00:06:53.389 This doesn't come out quite in our translation here. In the USV that 78 00:06:53.430 --> 00:06:57.230 I read this morning. In Verse Twenty Two, he says it is I, 79 00:06:57.709 --> 00:07:01.139 which you could also translate as I am, do not be afraid. 80 00:07:02.980 --> 00:07:08.420 One reason to think that he is saying I am is that every other place 81 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:14.220 in John when Jesus uses this phrase, it's in connection with him identifying himself 82 00:07:14.379 --> 00:07:19.529 with the I am. This is a name God gives himself, Yahweh when 83 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:25.649 he reveals himself to Moses. In John Eight hundred fifty eight, for example, 84 00:07:25.689 --> 00:07:29.009 Jesus says true, truly, truly, I say to you, before 85 00:07:29.129 --> 00:07:38.079 Abraham was I am, before Abraham was I am. So when Jesus speaks 86 00:07:38.120 --> 00:07:41.199 to them and he's not just saying hey, guys, it's me, it's 87 00:07:41.240 --> 00:07:48.310 not someone else, he is saying I am God, he is saying I 88 00:07:48.430 --> 00:07:57.550 am Yahway, he is saying I am, do not be afraid. When 89 00:07:57.629 --> 00:08:01.860 Matthew Records this event in fourteen thirty three, Matthew, fourteen three, we 90 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:07.779 read that those in the brochure in the boat worshiped him saying truly, you 91 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:11.899 are the son of God. This is another reason why it would be good 92 00:08:11.939 --> 00:08:16.850 to translate it this way. Also, John tells us that they see Jesus 93 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:22.089 about three to four miles out from the shore. They can see that he's 94 00:08:22.129 --> 00:08:24.170 walking on the water. They can hear him talk. It would be very 95 00:08:24.250 --> 00:08:28.240 difficult to hear and see someone at this distance in the dark and in the 96 00:08:28.279 --> 00:08:33.879 middle of a storm. Also, when Matthew Records these events, he tells 97 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:39.399 us that Peter got out and walked on the water and to make very clear 98 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:43.429 that he's not just by the water, it says he began to sink right 99 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:46.509 so you don't sink on the land. This would be impossible if Jesus and 100 00:08:46.549 --> 00:08:52.750 Peter were merely sort of meeting by the water. The last thing I'll mention 101 00:08:52.909 --> 00:08:56.940 is that Jesus is walking on the water. Seems to perhaps be connected with 102 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:03.059 another miracle that we might have missed. Not only does Jesus walk on the 103 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:07.419 water, as we know from the other Gospels, calm the storm, but 104 00:09:07.539 --> 00:09:13.169 he also seems to transport them instantly to the other side, or immediately, 105 00:09:13.330 --> 00:09:18.409 he says. Now you might be familiar with marks use of the word immediately. 106 00:09:18.610 --> 00:09:22.370 It's it's something that he is a way. He is uses to tell 107 00:09:22.450 --> 00:09:28.000 the story really fast like like, almost like a children do sometimes, and 108 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.600 then this happened, and then this happened and this happened, sort of like 109 00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:35.840 that. The other gospel writers don't tend to use immediately in this way, 110 00:09:35.919 --> 00:09:41.429 in this rhetorical way. In the other gospels, including John, this word 111 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:48.389 almost always refers to a sense of at once, like right now. John 112 00:09:48.509 --> 00:09:52.470 Uses this word three times in his Gospel. First to describe how the man 113 00:09:52.629 --> 00:09:56.659 we read about earlier who was healed from his paralysis, immediately picked up his 114 00:09:56.820 --> 00:10:03.700 bed and walked. It's used later in the Gospel to describe Peter When the 115 00:10:03.740 --> 00:10:13.090 Rooster Crows, at once or immediately after his denial of Jesus. And so 116 00:10:15.570 --> 00:10:20.809 it's very likely here that we have actually two miracles going on. Not only 117 00:10:20.889 --> 00:10:22.919 does Jesus walk on the water, not only do we know from the other 118 00:10:24.039 --> 00:10:28.399 gospels that he had caused is Peter to walk on the water, but here 119 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:31.879 as well we read in Verse Twenty One that after they take him in, 120 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:39.149 immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. All of 121 00:10:39.350 --> 00:10:43.470 this, and you might be terrified too. You might be afraid as well. 122 00:10:45.590 --> 00:10:52.299 Here is the all mighty doing mighty things, things that only the Almighty 123 00:10:52.460 --> 00:11:01.779 God can do right before their eyes. The storm itself was terrifying enough, 124 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:07.730 and then there is this one who is more powerful than the storm. Sometimes, 125 00:11:07.769 --> 00:11:11.049 I think we get confused. We say, why would you be afraid? 126 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:15.809 The storm is gone. If Jesus Calms the storm, why would you 127 00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:24.840 be afraid of him? Because he's more powerful than the storm? Jesus, 128 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:28.840 however, doesn't want them to be afraid. That's not his goal, though 129 00:11:28.960 --> 00:11:33.429 they in a way are. It's a reasonable thing to be afraid. He 130 00:11:33.629 --> 00:11:39.549 wants them to know who he is so that they might not fear, so 131 00:11:39.710 --> 00:11:46.139 they might hear the name of I am, they might recognize Jesus as divine, 132 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:52.539 as God himself, as and and put their trust in him. Jesus 133 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:58.100 is the Great God of the Old Testament. He is the one who met 134 00:11:58.179 --> 00:12:01.690 Moses at the burning Bush. He is the one who has revealed in the 135 00:12:01.809 --> 00:12:07.769 divine name. He is the one who conquered pharaoh and brought the people out 136 00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:11.690 of slavery. He is the one who took them on through the Red Sea 137 00:12:11.529 --> 00:12:16.559 and then later through the Jordan into the promised land. Jesus is the God 138 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:24.840 who demonstrated his power over Pharaoh and all the Pharaoh's Gods, God over the 139 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:31.070 locusts and the frogs and the flies and the rivers and the water and man. 140 00:12:33.029 --> 00:12:39.070 And here he proves all of that again as he as Jesus, the 141 00:12:39.230 --> 00:12:48.220 incarnate son of God, walks on the water. Moses walked through the water, 142 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:56.100 Jesus walks on top of it. Amazing Picture, amazing reminder of the 143 00:12:56.299 --> 00:13:01.370 marvelous deeds of the Lord is mighty works which cause us to praise him. 144 00:13:05.250 --> 00:13:15.000 Why did God do this? Why did the son of God take on human 145 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:20.360 nature to come into this world, to walk on water, to meet with 146 00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:26.879 these particular men to and tell them it is I do not be afraid. 147 00:13:28.029 --> 00:13:33.230 Hadn't God done marvelous, mighty works before? Didn't they have the Old Testament? 148 00:13:33.309 --> 00:13:37.470 Couldn't they read about the I am and who he was and what he 149 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:43.379 did and all of his promises? Why this? Why? No, well, 150 00:13:43.379 --> 00:13:46.860 it's because all of those plans and all of those promises that were laid 151 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:52.539 down in the Old Testament were pointing forward to this moment and even a moment 152 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:58.570 yet ahead, when Jesus, in his human flesh, would die on the 153 00:13:58.730 --> 00:14:03.769 cross, he would go through the judgment of God. The waters of Wrath, 154 00:14:05.929 --> 00:14:11.039 he would go through the curse of God to land safely on the other 155 00:14:11.120 --> 00:14:22.039 side again. We must remember, not for himself but for us, Jesus 156 00:14:22.159 --> 00:14:26.990 comes into this world to reveal himself in a way in which we might not 157 00:14:26.350 --> 00:14:31.269 have terror at God any more, that our relationship with him might be one 158 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:35.870 of peace, knowing that he is the one who brings us through safety, 159 00:14:37.509 --> 00:14:41.419 and not just through the trials and difficulties of this life, but through death 160 00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:52.169 itself. One of the ways Jesus shows us this is in this miracle. 161 00:14:54.929 --> 00:15:01.450 It's possible, too, that Jesus is also preparing us for his sacraments, 162 00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:07.240 the Lord's supper and for Baptism, which also are reminders of these signs and 163 00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:16.399 of his work on the Cross. This might be perhaps why Jesus places this 164 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:20.909 particular Miracle John and does this miracle between the feeding of the five thousand and 165 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:26.230 his explanation of the feeding of the five thousand. In this chapter. Jesus 166 00:15:26.230 --> 00:15:33.629 is preparing us for sacraments, or more particularly, for his death, which 167 00:15:33.629 --> 00:15:37.659 is to come, and then those sacraments that point to that. Let me 168 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:41.220 explain what I mean. In the beginning of the book, Jesus are beginning 169 00:15:41.259 --> 00:15:46.580 of this chapter. Jesus gives to the people this bread and he explains to 170 00:15:46.620 --> 00:15:50.169 them this is the bread of life. And, as we'll see when we 171 00:15:50.289 --> 00:15:56.210 come to the supper, these things are preparing us for our understanding of him, 172 00:15:56.210 --> 00:16:00.450 our understanding of the way in which he feeds us on himself in this 173 00:16:00.649 --> 00:16:03.840 life. And then here, in this scene of Jesus walking on the water, 174 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:08.679 of him bringing them through these waters and trials of judgment so that they 175 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:14.799 might land safely on the other side, this place to which they are going, 176 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:19.509 it is perhaps our reminder of this other water work that Jesus does in 177 00:16:19.710 --> 00:16:25.110 our lives as well, which he takes us through the waters of baptism and 178 00:16:25.190 --> 00:16:29.750 he purifies us and he makes us holy, not by the waters themselves, 179 00:16:29.909 --> 00:16:36.139 but him working his work on the cross for us. These are pictures, 180 00:16:36.179 --> 00:16:40.740 in other words, that remind us of Jesus's work for us. They're pictures 181 00:16:40.779 --> 00:16:44.860 that remind us of what he accomplishes for us on the Cross. And just 182 00:16:45.100 --> 00:16:48.610 as these things point forward to Jesus is death, so do the sacraments point 183 00:16:48.970 --> 00:16:53.730 back to Jesus's death. So when we observe the Lord Supper this morning, 184 00:16:55.210 --> 00:16:57.490 the next time we have a baptism here. These are the things that he 185 00:16:57.690 --> 00:17:03.480 wants us to bring to our minds. Him Feeding us as he does does 186 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:08.759 with the five thousand, him bringing these disciples through these waters, just as 187 00:17:08.799 --> 00:17:15.630 he brought the Israelites through the waters long ago. And because of this all 188 00:17:15.670 --> 00:17:21.829 again, we are to what not be afraid. They are reminders to us 189 00:17:21.869 --> 00:17:23.829 that when God comes to in this us, in this way, he is 190 00:17:25.269 --> 00:17:29.710 our God and he is, for us, though, Almighty, the one 191 00:17:29.750 --> 00:17:33.579 who can walk on the water or split the water or cause the water to 192 00:17:33.619 --> 00:17:41.059 come up out of nothing. He does these things for us, he exercises 193 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:48.009 this power for us. He went to the cross, endured the wrath that 194 00:17:48.210 --> 00:17:53.890 was owed to us for our sins, and he did it for us. 195 00:17:56.730 --> 00:18:00.960 And so that's why I read Psalm one hundred and seven, and that's why 196 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:07.160 we'll return to it again. It's a perfect commentary on this. He does 197 00:18:07.279 --> 00:18:14.509 these things so that we might thank the Lord for his steadfast love that began 198 00:18:14.670 --> 00:18:18.230 as soon as man fell. And he promised man, and he promised Adam 199 00:18:18.269 --> 00:18:22.829 and Eve, that he would give them a son who would make all things 200 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:26.990 right, who would crush the head of the serpent, who would bring about 201 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:32.099 life in the world, promises made to Abraham, promises made to Moses and 202 00:18:32.180 --> 00:18:37.299 to David, promises that are now being fulfilled and have been fulfilled in Jesus. 203 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:42.289 That's why we worship Jesus, that's why we look to him as the 204 00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:47.609 Almighty, because we know these events. We'd look at the record of these 205 00:18:47.650 --> 00:18:51.250 events and the things that he did and we praise him, just as God's 206 00:18:51.289 --> 00:18:57.480 people have always praised him. Psalm one hundred and seven says, let them 207 00:18:57.680 --> 00:19:06.799 thank I am, let them thank Yah Way, let them thank Jesus for 208 00:19:06.960 --> 00:19:11.430 his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of Man. Let 209 00:19:11.509 --> 00:19:18.829 them extol him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly. 210 00:19:18.910 --> 00:19:21.710 Let us pray