When God does His Own Thing

John 6:15–21 ESV

15 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 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 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 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Introduction

Do you really know God?

Most people don’t reject God. They reject the version of God they’ve invented.

As Blaise Pascal observed,

“God created man in His own image, and man has returned the favour.”

John 6 confronts us with a God who refuses to fit our expectations.

He will not be controlled. He will not be manipulated. He will not explain Himself. He does things in his own time. He leads us to storms. He lets us exhaust our strength But…if we pay attention,

He will always reveal Himself.

God will not be controlled

John 6:15 “15 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.”

Think about the irony.

They are trying to force the King to become king.

They believe Jesus is the Messiah; but they want a Messiah on their terms.

Isn’t that us?

We pray…We advise God…We tell Him what His kingdom should look like.

We don’t mind Jesus being King; as long as He rules according to our plans.

Jesus’ response is striking.

He withdraws.

God never submits to human manipulation.

He answers prayer, not according to our will, but according to His.

1 John 5:14 “14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”

One of the greatest causes of disappointment with God and often turns people from him is this:

We expect Him to become the God we want instead of worshipping the God He is.

God does not owe us an explanation

Jesus sends them away. He goes up the mountain…They go down to the sea.

He’s going one direction. They’re going another.

Can you imagine the questions?

“How is He getting across?” “When will He join us?” “Why isn’t He becoming king?”

None of those questions receive answers.

Because God is under no obligation to explain Himself.

Matthew and Mark both say Jesus made the disciples get into the boat.

Matthew 14:22 “22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.”

Mark 6:45 “45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.”

He compelled them.

It takes submission to say yes and do it anyway.

Obedience often comes before understanding.

Submission means trusting God when His instructions make less sense than your questions.

Walking with God is frustrating because he will not be controlled or told how to act or manipulated.

Many assume that if they are following God’s will, life should become easier.

Scripture repeatedly teaches the opposite.

Sometimes obedience places you directly into difficulty.

Israel obeyed Moses and found the Red Sea.

Daniel obeyed God and found the lions.

The apostles obeyed Christ and found persecution.

The Christian life is not the absence of storms. It is the presence of Christ within them.

God sometimes feels late

John 6:17 “17b …It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.”

Either he promised he would come meet them or they had expected that he would come down the mountain to them so they all go.

Those last seven words hurt.

”…Jesus had not yet come to them.”

Have you ever lived in those words?

The prayer hasn’t been answered.

The breakthrough hasn’t come.

Healing hasn’t come.

Direction hasn’t come.

Jesus is absent…or so it seems.

God’s apparent delays are never God’s absence.

God often leads us through storms

John 6:18 “18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.”

The storm wasn’t an accident.

Jesus knew it was coming. Yet He still sent them.

Notice this carefully.

They are in the centre of God’s will…

and in the middle of the storm.

We often think:

“If God led me here, surely it should be easy.”

The Bible says otherwise.

Israel obeyed…and found the Red Sea.

Daniel obeyed…and found lions.

Paul obeyed…and found prison.

The disciples obeyed…and found a storm.

You also obeyed…but I’m sure you also found something else.

Never mistake difficult circumstances for divine abandonment.

Sometimes the storm is exactly where God intends to reveal Himself.

God will exhaust your strength

John 6:19 “19 When they had rowed about three or four miles…

John says they had rowed three or four miles.

Mark says they were straining at the oars.

These aren’t amateurs. These are fishermen. They have experience. Strength. Skill. Teamwork.

Still…

they are getting nowhere.

God often lets us come to the end of ourselves.

Because self-sufficiency is the greatest obstacle to experiencing His sufficiency.

Sometimes God waits until we stop trusting our rowing before He shows us His power.

God will show up!

John 6:20–21 “20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”

This is the climax.

John seems to forget other things as he gets distracted by seeing Jesus:

Did you notice John does not speak about the storm stopping?

Did you notice there is another miracle that happens as well? They are immediately at the shore they were going to.

Did you notice Peter doesnt walk on water in this account?

Theodore of Mopsuestia notes an interesting difference in the miracle:

Commentary on the Gospel of John Book Three (John 6:1–8:59)

He records this in order to demonstrate that not only did they not take him into the boat, but while they were trying to bring him in, both the boat and the Lord reached land at an awesome speed.

Jesus says, “it is I” and John forgets everything…

The miracle is the revelation of Jesus

Jesus says:

ἐγώ εἰμι. μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

Literally,

“I AM. Stop being afraid.”

John could have simply written, “It is me.” He doesn’t.

Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus repeatedly uses the divine name.

“I am the Bread.”

“I am the Light.”

“I am the Door.”

“I am the Good Shepherd.”

“I am the Resurrection.”

“I am the Way.”

“I am the True Vine.”

Here there is no description. No predicate.

Just…

I AM.

Doesn’t this remind you of someone:

Exodus 3:14 “14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ””

The One speaking from the burning bush…is now walking on the water.

Notice what happens.

He doesn’t first calm the storm. He first reveals Himself.

Because the greatest need of frightened disciples isn’t calmer seas.

It is Christ.

Peace doesn’t come because we understand the storm.

Peace comes because we recognise the One standing in it.

Conclusion

The disciples thought they knew Jesus.

By the end of the night…they realised they barely knew Him.

They met:

The One who walks on what terrifies everyone else.

The One who speaks the divine Name.

The One who arrives exactly when He intends.

The One who brings His people safely home.

The question John leaves us with is not,

“Why was there a storm?” or “How does God stops storms?”

The question is,

“Who is this Man?”

John’s answer is unmistakable.

This is no mere miracle worker. No political Messiah. No religious teacher.

This is the great I AM: the God of Israel in human flesh.

And once you see Him for who He truly is…

you stop trying to control Him,

you stop demanding explanations,

you stop interpreting delays as abandonment,

and you discover that His presence is greater than the storm.

In fact, his presence has turned the storm into holy ground; it is appropriate in the storm to take off your sandals. You forget the waves, forget everything else and just look at him.

The disciples began the night believing they knew Jesus. By the end of the night they had seen something greater. They had seen the One who walks where no man can walk. The One who speaks the divine Name. The One before whom wind, waves, and distance surrender.

John invites every reader to ask the same question posed throughout his Gospel:

Who is Jesus?

His answer is clear.

The One walking on the water is not merely a miracle worker or a great teacher.

He is the great “I AM,” Yahweh in the flesh, who comes to His people in the darkness, dispels their fear by His presence, and faithfully brings them to the destination He has appointed.

Rightly did the church says about him:

The Lexham Bible Dictionary The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made;

Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; from thence he shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.