seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
John 6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
I'm so happy I post my Bible Studies on this forum. It keeps me honest. How many times have you be reading along and when you come to a story you heard over and over, you just skip over it and go to the next."Good Christians" [whoever they are] are taught about Jesus' walking on water when they are children in Sunday School and Summer Bible Schools. BUT, maybe this morning we'll see a new angle. Sure, Matthew reported it, and Mark did too.... but John tells it a little different.
Matthew reports Peter got out of the boat and walked too. Mark reported the horror of the storm and how afraid the disciples were. Both reported the disciples were shaken when they saw Jesus walking out in the middle of the lake. John tells it a little different... and he's giving us a firsthand version. John was in the boat.
Check out verse 21. There are two parts to the verse.
They "were willing" to take him into the boat. These were fishermen. These were professionals. They were "willing" to take him into the boat!
"Immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."
If the fog was really heavy in the storm, maybe they thought He was a sea creature bent on getting at them as they fought the storm. Although these were professionals, we're talking 2,000 ignorant years ago. We humans just figured out that the earth revolves around the sun, and the earth is round not flat, they didn't have that information. They thought about sea monsters and falling off the edges of the earth.
Who walks on water anyway????
When they realized it was Jesus, they were probably very relieved, right?
Now the second miracle, they were immediately at shore.
If Jesus had been an ordinary human, who ran a really good political campaign, and He refused to take the seat after He won the popular vote, that would be one thing. The disciples would just have to find someone else to follow. The letdown would be devastating, but understandable, after all, they wanted Him to take on Rome!
Jesus was not an ordinary human. Those humans had been rowing against the tide their whole lives. They just didn't get it until Jesus showed them another way. Jesus was kind, not threatening. Jesus was understanding, not demanding. Jesus could get them where they are going.
Now... the crowd.... they didn't give up. They wanted Jesus to take on Rome and they were settling for nothing less. They followed Him to Capernaum. They brought their sick and tired and hungry. They brought their horror stories of Rome and how they wanted someone to run Rome out of town. They brought their fever.
No one saw Jesus get on the boat. They figured He stayed behind to lead them. When they realized He was no longer with them, they jumped in boats or picked up their mats and ran along the shore. I wonder, were they an angry crowd? Were they angry at Jesus?
Did they want Jesus or did the want Jesus to rid them of Rome? If Jesus had turned the story and run Rome back to Italy, would they have grown to despise Him as they did the other "kings" they elected? Jesus wasn't here for the reign yet. First, He had to bring eternal life back into the picture. Then He'll come back to set up His "kingdom".
If Jesus wanted to... He could have destroyed Rome and any others who might have been in the way. He wasn't there to fight political wars. He was on a different Mission.
Here's my question... Who's steering the boat?
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