Jesus walks on water
John 6:1-16-24
Ever have a day that makes you go, Heh? What was that all about? A day that seems to have a whole week of events, amazing moments, strange comments, weird stuff? The Twelve, Jesus’ closest associates, had such a day, captured in John chapter six.
It began with the Twelve thinking they were going to be having some private time with Jesus – just He and them – which they always loved.
But then a crowd of people had followed them (or at least, Jesus). First, tens, then hundreds, eventually thousands. They had heard about Jesus and wanted to see and hear for themselves. At first, the Twelve were probably frustrated by the presence of the multitude, but when Jesus sat down on the mountainside and began to speak to the people – and seeing how the crowd were so hungry for His teaching – it reminded them of Moses – like Jesus was the new Moses. 
They were so hungry for His teaching, they stayed for hours. Then, with just five loaves and two fish (just enough to feed Jesus and the Twelve), Jesus supernaturally fed all five thousand or more, so that everyone had sufficient – and still with twelve baskets leftover.
Then it all got a bit weird. The crowd wanted to make Jesus King, to lead a revolution, an armed uprising, to kick out the Imperial Invaders, the Roman Army. They were volunteering to fight, if Jesus would be their General, their Messiah. By now, the Twelve were loving it. At last, Jesus was gaining momentum. It must have felt, it was all about to take off. And the Twelve were at the centre of it all.
Instead, Jesus just withdrew, further up the mountain - alone. 
Come on, Jesus, what are you playing at? You’ve finally got the crowds and a willing army. Seize power, seize the day. Carpe diem, and all that.
The Twelve waited and waited for Jesus, but still He stayed up the mountain. Awkward conversations with the crowd? The Twelve must have been disappointed with Jesus, frustrated by Him. Have you ever felt that? Disappointed or frustrated when Jesus didn’t conform to what you thought He should do or be?
So, the Twelve left Him behind – they walked away from Jesus. They went back to their boat and pushed out, to row back across, what they still called, the Sea of Galilee – but which the Imperial Invaders had renamed Sea of Tiberius (John refers to it in v. 1 and v.23) Empires have a habit of colonising spaces and then trying to air-brush away their history by giving them new Empire names. It’s what the British Empire has done. For example, renaming Mumbai, ‘Bombay’, and Derry, ‘Londonderry’. Remember, unlike the other Beatles Matthew and Mark, John wrote His account, His Gospel, probably 60+ years after Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, when the Romans were still very much in control.

The ‘Sea’ was in fact an inland lake twelve miles long, seven miles wide, prone to strong winds and waves due to the high temperatures and surrounding mountains.
The distance rowing across to Capernaum was probably four, maybe five miles.  The current World Record for 5,000 metres rowing is just 15 minutes.  But they were professional fishermen, not professional athletes, their boat was basic – and they were in a mood – so it would have taken longer – maybe an hour or 90 minutes.
But a big storm had built up. Being experienced, professional fishermen, this should have been fairly standard. And yet, this felt different.
By verse 17 it was NIGHT time – darkness. Why is it that, things w an rationalise in the daytime, seem so much more intense or worrying in the middle of the night? That lump or ache, that debt, argument, anxious thought… 
By verse 19 they had only rowed 3 or 3.5 miles. They were almost home and, yet the wind and waves were preventing them from reaching shore? Despite all their efforts, rowing against the wind and waves, they weren’t going anywhere. It’s as if they were.. stuck. Have you ever felt stuck: stuck in your health, relationships, finances, faith life? The Twelve were discovering that it can be exhausting going away from Jesus. They weren’t just drifting in life; they were rowing away from Jesus.
But then they saw Jesus approaching the boat – walking on the water. In the Old Testament, the sea often symbolised ‘chaos’. Remember in the Exodus, the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, or Jonah descending into the depths of the sea? Jesus was walking into their chaos, just as Christ comes into your chaos – and the things you can’t control - too.
You might imagine the Twelve were relieved to see Jesus, but instead it says, they were TERRIFIED. The disciples had never been out of Jesus mind or sight - even though He had been out of theirs. But why so afraid, unnerved? Could it be that they were familiar, even comfortable, with the ‘Jesus on land’ they follow, who does good things, tells inspirational stories, and builds inclusive community. What they weren’t prepared for was ‘Jesus on water’, who follows them into their workplace (on water), social lives, homes… We’re familiar with, and expect, Jesus on Sundays, within our church services, even small groups. But what happens when Jesus follows us into at our workplaces and demands ‘all of us’, total whole-life access-all-areas discipleship? 
In verse 20, Jesus said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” What is probably translated in your Bible as “It is I”, in the original Greek is simply “I am”. Sound familiar? Seven times in John’s Gospel, Jesus declares, He is the “I AM”:
1.	The Bread of Life
2.	The Light of the World
3.	The Gate
4.	The Good Shepherd
5.	The Way, truth and the Life
6.	The Resurrection and the Life
7.	The True Vine
Jesus was declaring, He is the fullness of God. When the Israelites were plagued by frogs, gnats…  and Moses was plagued by doubt and insecurities, Moses had asked God for His Name. Who shall I say you are? Yahweh (God) replied, “I AM”. In other words, God says, ‘I am what I am, I will be what I will be’. Whatever name or description you come up with, will be inadequate. I AM the fulness, the totality of God. When Jesus said, I AM the Bread of Life, the Light of the World.. He was saying HE is the fulness of God.  It’s not that there is God, and then separate, there is Jesus. Jesus IS God – they are One and the same.
Jesus is Lord of the wind and waves, as in the Exodus miraculous crossing of the Red Sea (backdrop of the Passover). He is not just a charismatic and popular revolutionary. There is no need to fear; I AM – the fulness of God – is with you, In the middle of the night, in the middle of the storm. The fulness of God is with you. Jesus is here. Do you feel like you’re in the middle of a storm, pushed around by the wind and waves of ill health, situations beyond your control? When you’re least expecting it – even when you’ve rowed away from Jesus, like the Twelve, Jesus comes walking out to you – the fullness of God is with you.
Only once the Twelve grasped this, did they accept Jesus into their boat. Up until then, they had been resisting Jesus. Was there a time when you did the same? What changed your mind about Jesus? Jesus doesn’t force His way onto the boat, into your life.  Jesus waits for your invitation. Are you ready to let him in – to yield to Christ?
By now, you may be waiting eagerly for the ‘best bit’. The bit were Peter gets out of the boat and walks on the water (before sinking!) Yes, Matthew and Mark include that Jesus challenged Peter to step out of the boat, to join Him walking on the water. Jesus doesn’t just keep the supernatural for Himself – He calls us to be supernatural with Him. But John, looking back many years later, keeps the focus on Jesus.
The incident ends with the vast crowd following after Jesus. Verse 24 says, the crowd went in search of Jesus. People all around us are searching: for purpose, meaning, hope, healing, forgiveness… If you know ‘I AM’, then join Jesus in helping your friends, family, neighbours, work colleagues, to find what they are looking for in Jesus.

07840 046020   DannyBrierley@ChesterRoadBaptist.org.uk