Walking on Water (John 6:14–21)

Series: “John: Life in Christ’s Name”Text: John 6:14–21

By: Shaun Marksbury Date: April 23, 2023

Venue: Living Water Baptist ChurchOccasion: AM Service

Introduction

I don’t do much flying, especially compared to some jetsetters out there. However, I’ve now been in and out of Denver International Airport a few times, and it has consistently given me a bumpier flight than other airports. There is something about the airport of the “mile-high city” factored with its position near the Rocky Mountains which creates turbulent atmospheric conditions, especially when thunderstorms brew. It’s difficult to say how turbulence at the airport compares to others in the United States, as there isn’t any data breaks down to that level, but Denver has a well-earned reputation for less-than-smooth flights. Considering that the nearby peaks of the Rockies are more than 14,000 feet while the airport is at 5,430 feet, the differential can contribute to the windy conditions.

As someone prone to motion sickness, I can say I do a bit of praying in such conditions. Of course, I also take usual steps ahead of time, such as taking anti-nausea medicine and locating the airsickness bag when I first take my seat. The worst time to be searching for the bag is when the choppy skies cause a sudden and immediate need for it. Yet, the Lord is ultimately the one who keeps our illnesses in check and the planes in our lives aloft.

This Lord Jesus proves His power over creation repeatedly in Scripture. Last time, we noted that, out of all the miracles Jesus performed, there were four signs that John chose to highlight to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God — the turning of water into wine, the healings of the royal official’s son and the lame man, and the multiplication of the loaves and fish. This morning, we are seeing the fifth of seven signs John highlights. Both this miracle and the previous one shows Jesus’s mastery over nature, with the previous one showing His creative power and this one, as one commentary notes, demonstrating “His sovereignty over the laws of nature.”

We also noted how the feeding miracle demonstrated that Jesus is the better Moses. In considering the imagery of Passover and Exodus, it is interesting to see how the Lord miraculously now delivers the disciples through the sea. In the past, the waters divided, but now Jesus shows mastery over the water in a different way.

This isn’t the only miracle like this in the Gospels, so don’t confuse what we’re reading today with something else. There’s another miracle where Jesus calms the storm (Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:36–41; and Luke 8:22–25). John doesn’t include that one, but it likely would have occurred before this, while Jesus is on the way to heal the demoniac. In that case, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples, but this is a different instance that displays even more mastery over nature than that miracle.

Before we get to the miracle, though, we left off last week with the aftermath of Jesus multiplying the loaves and the fish. The sign impressed the crowd, and they had an understandable though erroneous reaction to the miracle. Today, as we prepare to think about the miracle, we’ll see that it’s important to first recognize Jesus for who He is, and then we’ll see about recognizing Jesus in the storm.

First, Recognize Jesus for Who He Is (vv. 14–15)

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

The crowd had not only witnessed the sign of Jesus feeding the thousands — they all also enjoyed and participated in it! So, they were saying “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” This references Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses says, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him.” It’s a fascinating conclusion considering that the Jewish leadership were not believing Moses’s words.

Incidentally, if Jesus had performed something less than a miracle here, the people wouldn’t have had this reaction. They think what Christ as accomplished is so spectacular that He’s established a supernatural identity and they should take immediate action to crown Him as their king.

Notably, Jesus does not contradict the idea that He is the Prophet. However, as the next verse indicates, they desired to crown Him king — by force, if necessary. From our perspective, we might think that this is a win; after all, we sing “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” Yet, this is post cross, while the people we’re reading about do not understand even the most basic elements they need, salvation from sin, which He will call out later in this chapter. In fact, their declaration of Him as “the Prophet” doesn’t necessarily mean that they accept Him as the Messiah just yet; some erroneously thought that the Prophet and the Messiah would be separate people, and that the Prophet might only be a forerunner to the Messiah. They didn’t understand exactly who He was or why He was there.

Their focus was also only on the temporal, on their passing physical state. They want bread and their other needs met, and they see Jesus as the means to that end. As one study notes, “Their reaction typifies many who want a ‘Christ’ that makes no demands of them (cf. Matt. 10:34–39; 16:24–26), but of whom they can make their selfish personal requests.” That is the sad state of many so-called Christian churches today, calling upon Jesus for health and wealth or some social agenda while ignoring the one who calls people to personal holiness.

In short, they were not accepting Jesus for who He was or why He was there. He later said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36). This is a difference of origins; Jesus says His kingdom comes from God rather than man. If He allowed them to take Him at this juncture, His kingdom would be from man of earth.

So, we read that He “withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” Maybe He did this because of the temptation present in this moment. Such moments often follow times of success, even for our Lord. Satan doesn’t just come in to tempt during our weak points, and he can come at moments of success and even work through people who think they have good motives. In this case, Jesus is facing something very like the wilderness temptation after His baptism, where Satan offered Him “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” (Matt. 4:8).

While Jesus might not be bowing down to the devil at this moment of temptation, He would be giving into the temptation to bypass His sacrificial death and self-glorify. That leads us to another reason He departed. We read elsewhere that He will be praying on the mountain. Prayer is vital both during successes and during a temptations. If our impeccable, sinless Lord relied on the Father’s grace in prayer, how much more do we need it?

Still, don’t think that Jesus is running from the crowd; He never lost control of the situation. According to Matthew 14:22–23, He personally dismissed the crowd. He also sent His disciples away at this moment, perhaps not wanting them swept away with the fervor of the crowd and get the wrong idea about Jesus.

It’s important to settle early in your hearts who Jesus really is, and to do so now, while you are in your seats. Jesus’s disciples were also learning who He was, but their dismissal would lead the disciples into a moment of doubt. They were unknowingly about to enter turbulent waters, as we see next.

Second, Recognize Jesus During the Storm (vv. 16–21)

As we move on into the miracle of this section, we notice two distinct moments for the disciples. They seem to be without Jesus, struggling for most of the night — though they were never truly alone. After that, Jesus comes and speaks, a moment that changes everything for them. Let’s consider the first of these:

Storms Only Appear to be Without Jesus (vv. 16–19a)

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles,

As they left the mountain and the area where Jesus fed the multitude, it was already growing dark. Sometimes, we see people in spiritual distress at night in John, as though it colors and darkens the moment. For instance, Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. Here, we read of a time of doubt for them punctuated with an incredible sight.

Verse seventeen says that, “after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea.” The verb is translated there only “started to cross,” with some indefiniteness. As one commentary notes, this verb is a picturesque imperfect. They started, but they weren’t getting far.

This is highlighted in how the accounts vary regarding their destination. Here, we read that they started to cross toward Capernaum. In Mark 6:45, they were heading to Bethsaida; both cities were basically in the same northerly direction. In Matthew 14:34, we read that when “they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret,” which is also on the northern shore of the sea, a few miles off. As we bring these together, it’s obvious that they were losing their bearings and were continually being thrown off course, heading more and more westward until finally landing.

Consider the fact that it says that it became night. This means that they were in the boat for several hours. In Matthew 14:25, we read that it wasn’t until the fourth watch of the night that Jesus came to them, sometime between 3–6 am. To put this another way, from evening to the time Jesus was with them was about eight hours.

That means that Jesus wasn’t bodily present as the storms arose and wouldn’t be for hours to come. We read that a great wind began to stir the water up, causing their delays. And unlike in the account where He calmed the storm, they couldn’t get Him to ask for help.

While the text doesn’t say, Mount Arbel is the possible mountain Jesus withdraws to after feeding the 5,000 in John 6:15. Arbel is more than 1,200ft. over sea level, and other mountains in the region rise higher than that, around 2,000 ft. It’s not as populated with mountains as say, the Rockies are, but the highest peak is Mount Hermon, 30 miles away, well over 9,000 feet above sea level. Considering that the Sea of Galilee is almost 700ft. below sea-level and the higher mountains surrounding it, one can understand how winds whipping down mountainsides might make for turbulence on the waters.

And the next verse gives us the sense of how choppy the waters were. The original text says that they rowed “twenty-five or thirty stadia,” which only amounts from about three to almost three and a half miles. In the words of Mark 6:47, they were “in the middle of the sea,” nowhere near land. They were “straining at the oars” (Mark 6:48) as they were “battered by the waves” (Matt. 14:24). And again, they were out there for about eight hours of exhausting battle.

We’re not told everything they were feeling at the moment, but we can imagine how we’d feel in that boat. However, regardless of however alone they felt in the moment, Jesus knew their situation. Mark 6:46 notes that He was in the mountain praying, and v. 48 there says that He was seeing them in their struggle. We are in a very similar situation today, as our Lord is exalted to the right hand of God, out of our sight, but He’s interceding to the Father for us, knowing our plight. The disciples were never outside of the watchful, preserving eye of Jesus, and neither are we.

And, when He determined the time was right, He came down the mountain and delivered His saints from harm. With that, we come to our next point.

Jesus Calms Storms and Fears (vv. 19b–21)

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.

I must imagine one emotion they experienced before Jesus came to them was fear. However, it’s when they see Jesus coming, when they behold Him, that they experience deep and abiding fear. The other Gospels record the source of their fear — they thought at first that Jesus was a ghost or spirit (Matt. 14:26; Mark 6:49). I’ve read some say that there was a belief that the seafarers sighting of such a spirit would interpret it as a sign of their impending deaths. Whatever the event, they are more frightened now then they have been all night.

They didn’t expect Jesus to be walking on the water, of course, and many rationalists today doubt it ever happened. Some think that the “upon the sea” might be translated “near the seaside,” i.e., on the beach or shore. However, that doesn’t make sense; how could they see Him so clearly from the middle of the lake walking along the shore, through rough waves, and fear He might be a ghost? Moreover, how did He “come near the boat” and enter it from the shore? And what is the point of John saying the wind suddenly stopped? It takes more faith to believe that John is not implying a miracle here than it does to read it as one!

He was walking on the water, and that’s what caused them fear. Now, from our perspective, we get to observe two implications of His miraculous stroll. First, as we’ve already noted, this proves His deity. He wields power over creation because He was there, in the beginning, creating the waters.

Second, we see Him as man taking dominion over creation. This was something given to Adam and Eve at the beginning. This is something we were noting on Wednesday night; in Genesis 1:28, we read, “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ ” The word “subdue” can mean “to tread with the feet, to trample under feet,” which is what Jesus is literally doing at this point! He elsewhere even rebukes a storm on the waters (Matt. 8:23–27), is able to direct the fish of the sea (Matt. 17:27; Luke 5:4–7), and rides upon an unbroken beast of the earth (Mark 11:2). Jesus exercises a dominion over creation that no man ever could, fulfilling part of His mandate as the Second Adam.

And it’s this one who comes to them and says, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Some have pointed out that the first part of Jesus’s statement could be translated simply as “I am.” If you’re unfamiliar with the significance of that, remember that when God revealed Himself to Moses as the “I AM” in Exodus 3. We can’t put too much emphasis on this designation here, because it was also a brief statement of identification, but it’s possible that the designation is a hint that the Apostle John puts here.

Either way, it is the incarnate deity who speaks to them from atop the water. And He speaks a word of comfort — “do not be afraid.” Another way of translating this would be, “Stop being frightened.” He relieves their fears with His good command!

This wouldn’t be the only miracle they see this night. As MacArthur notes in his commentary, “The story of Christ’s walking on the water actually includes not one miracle, but four.” The Apostle doesn’t repeat what happened next in the other Gospels — Peter asked that he, too, walk on water (though only initially successful!), and when they got back into the boat, the wind stopped.

Instead, John simply records the fourth and final miracle of the night in v. 21: “So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” In the words of Psalm 107:29–30, “He caused the storm to be still, so that the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad because they were quiet, so He guided them to their desired haven.” Jesus brought them through the storm, and they were safe on the other side.

He removed the chaos and created peace for them. One point omitted is that they worshipped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matt. 14:32–33). We should similarly recognize that Jesus comes during the storms of life in unexpected ways and offer Him praise once those storms cease.

Conclusion

Our appropriate response to the Lord is always worship, and we do better to recognize this while times are easier. This is because we will all go through storms in life. Some of you are already in one, while others have already came out of one. Still others are about to enter one and may not even know it, and everyone else knows more storms always exist on the horizon. That’s why it is important now to know the Lord Jesus Christ and recognize Him for who He is. It’s much easier to work out your theology about the Lord when fear isn’t gripping your heart, when the wind and waves aren’t battering you. If you don’t know Jesus as the Lord and Savior in your life, please let us know.

If you are in a storm now, then know that you are not alone. The Lord sees you even now and is interceding for you, if you trust in Him. You may not see Him in this moment, and you may have been struggling against the oars for a long time, but He knows and understands your plight. He even offers you help through various means, including His people. Let us know if you need help so we can also see and try to help, by His grace. Know this, though — the Lord can walk next to you as confidently in the storm as He can out of it, so continue to trust in Him through it all.