Wednesday Wonderment

Let's face it, there are times during our week when we could just use a miracle in our lives. We're in the middle of a hectic life, trying to maximize our talents and live up to the expectations set before us and all of a sudden the roof caves in. What do we do?

We find ourselves in John chapter 6. We've been poking around the Gospel of John, not examining everything in front of us but flying above the trees in search of wisdom and perspective that will help us in our week. Maybe we'll even find something worth lingering over. 

Text: John 6: 16-21

Theme: Jesus walks on the water

What we discover

With the completion of the Feeding of the 5000 ( and more), the Disciples send the crowd away and according to the other gospels, Jesus moves toward the mountain for a time of prayer and contemplation. In the meantime The Disciples board a boat to travel across the Sea of Galilee. The Lake itself is a source of beauty and provision, but it's location,  some 600 feet below sea level, makes it susceptible to fast approaching storms which can seem to come out of nowhere. It's likely that they had rowed most of the way across (some 3-4 miles), when in the midst of the storm, they see Jesus walking on the water. The term, "epi- tes thalasses" can be translated "on the water" or at times, "by the water". In fact the famed commentator, William Barclay could be given at times to embrace a more liberal position of the text (likely because of the times he lived), and took the position that the phrase should be translated, "by the water" and thus, Jesus is not walking "on" the water at all, but by the water's edge", and the disciples were "hugging" the shore in their boat, as it was, thereby reducing the need to believe in a miracle. 

What to consider--

But wait a minute. I'm not one to find a miracle behind every corner, but let's not rob the text of meaning or people who need to know that Jesus is God and can perform and does perform miracles throughout this gospel-- and at times, in our day.  So I'm arguing that the context must determine the meaning and I'm convinced that the Disciples would not be in fear if they were merely traveling along the shore. 

Their fear--

John is not interested in dissecting their fear as much as he is interested in describing the power that is necessary to remove it's strain on people.  And Jesus does this by identifying himself and doing so in a way that clearly indicates that his work is Divine. He says, "it is I", literally, "I am." Examine how this plays out in some other passages: (John 6:35; 10:14; 15:1; 8:24; and 8:58). While this might be nothing more that mere identification, I think there is something more here as John seeks to encourage his readers to plumb the deeper meaning of who Jesus really is. 

Another miracle here?

Ok, so I'm not a miracle miser either-- and I wonder if located in the subsequent verses (6:21) we have another miracle in view. The text says, "Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." Now that's interesting-- and more than that, I think trusting Jesus Christ for our future and our daily fears might just bring about great comfort to our troubled souls and, who knows, maybe a miracle to two. If nothing else, it's worth some time in contemplation as we ponder the greatness of the person of Christ. 

Why not wonder with me?

MJC