Focal Passage: John 6:16-21
If people say a person “walks on water,” you know they consider that person to be a Godlike miracle-worker. You also know that the phrase walking on water originated with something our Lord Jesus Christ did during His life on earth. We see Him working that miracle in today’s study passage, John 6:16-21. It’s the fifth of seven sign-miracles the Apostle John recorded in his Gospel. The title of this lesson is The Sign of His PRESENCE, and it’s from our series called All Signs Point to Jesus.
This “sign” occurred the evening of the same day Jesus fed the five thousand — the event in last week’s study (called The Sign of His PROVISION). That was when a boy offered his lunch of five loaves and two fish to Jesus — who took them and miraculously fed 5,000 men plus women and children (John 6:1-15). The story ended with the well-fed multitude excitedly trying to push Jesus into becoming their political “king,” and with Jesus quietly slipping away from them — up into a mountain alone.
And that’s where He is as today’s study text begins. Five things happen next:
Mike Dawson
The disciples have a plan. (verses 16-17a)
John describes the disciples getting into a boat as darkness falls and starting across the sea to the other side, heading to Capernaum. How often “we disciples” have plans. They seem simple enough; we’ll just do this and this and that! We expect everything to fall into place.
The plan suddenly changes. (verse 18)
Surrounded by hillsides, the Sea of Galilee is so situated that mighty winds can very quickly create churning waters and strong waves; that night was one of those times. Into our plans the unexpected storms can erupt, and we find ourselves struggling.
A Person is needed to perfect the plan. (Verse 17b)
John adds some words almost matter-of-factly: “… but Jesus had not yet come to them.” Those words, however, provide one of the main points of this incident. He had not yet come aboard; HE WAS COMING, but He hadn’t arrived “yet!” How many times in our lives have we wondered why the Lord seemingly didn’t ‘show up’ when we were desperate? Some of those times might have been our own fault; we might have planned without seeking His presence. But at other times, He may have chosen to delay. (He certainly did this later with close friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus.) Either way, we eventually realize how lost we were without Him!
The Person with the plan is Jesus Himself, but He may not be perceived. (Verse 19)
Rowing against the storm, the disciples were about halfway across the Sea when Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. Now some of these men were experienced fishermen/sailors. They’d been in storms like this before. And they were no doubt expecting Jesus to come. But FEAR can do strange things to the best of men! At times when Jesus comes to us, our fears keep us from accepting that it’s Him.
With The Person ‘onboard,’ the plan works — sooner than planned! (Verses 20-21)
When we RECEIVE Jesus into our lives, and RECOGNIZE Him for who He is, we’ll be REWARDED, and we’ll REDEEM the time.
The original plan now happened — “at once!” B&R
