Steering the boat

Ephesians 3:14-21 & John 6:1-21

When Jesus miraculously fed 5000 men plus women and children…the Jews wanted to make him king…realising their intentions…He immediately withdrew to a nearby mountain to spend time alone…after having sent his disciples…by boat…to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Later Jesus joined the disciples by walking on the water to overtake their boat…the multitude had boats too…and before long also reached the other side…and began questioning Jesus saying, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" (v25).

They liked the bread Jesus had provided… wanted a Saviour who met their material needs…our Lord's response is a penetrating indictment of religion without personal faith in Christ…"I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled" (v26).

We need to think carefully about what kind of Saviour we want…who will be in the boat with us.

Are you with Peter who said "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (v68).

What made a difference in Peter…well the previous night when the 12 were struggling to sail across the lake and our Lord came to them walking on the water…met with the discouraged disciples…and ministered to them…that made the difference in Peter.

Jesus intended for this miracle to teach the disciples deeper spiritual realities…it can do the same for us if our hearts and heads are connected and open to Him.

John doesn't talk so much about miracles as about signs…whenever he does so…he is pointing us to deeper spiritual truths…do you want to be in tune/in sync…John says slow down…stop your frantic searching…avoid speed reading…slow down and listen…for we have the words of eternal life.

A storm at sea is a terrifying time…the darkness had already set in…Jesus was nowhere in sight…in John chapter 1:5 the apostle of poetry and prophecy also talks of darkness…the light shines in the darkness… the darkness has not overcome it…the light would be Jesus…‘not yet come’…we are between the times…will the darkness then overwhelm…thankfully not.

Jesus is the light of the world…we do not have to walk in darkness…when the hour comes for Jesus to turn towards his death…it will be a last opportunity to tell us…that we walk in light instead.

Then as night closes in…Judas breaks bread with him…takes his bread…slips away…John says…‘And it was night’ (John 13:30).

The darkness in John’s gospel does not just mean that the sun has gone down…HE MEANS THAT HOPE IS FIGHTING FOR ITS LIFE!

The darkness has already come…but…not Jesus…that night of struggle on the stormy sea of Galilee is a picture of those who follow Christ through the storms of life…there is a sense that Jesus compelled his disciples to get into the boat…a deliberate act…perhaps…He even shoved the boat off.

Well on their way when the storm came buffeting the boat…terrifying…Peter takes command…holding the tiller with his strong arm…they were in trouble…time to lower the sails…take to the oars."

But why were the disciples in trouble…it was because they pointed their boat in the direction the Lord had told them to take… being obedient to Christ put them seriously in danger…but how can this be?

The disciples were in trouble…they had steered their boat into contrary winds…did the opposite of what was expected… sometimes you and I do the same…don't we…our Lord is saying "Those of you who have decided to follow 3 me as your Saviour are going to be sailing your vessel into the winds of life…you are going to have trouble…but obey anyway."

There are two ways to get into storms…one is to flee God's will…Jonah did this…and ended up in a fish's belly…now that is different from the disciples' situation…they were in the midst of a storm because they were obedient to God.

Those who decide to follow Christ and give their allegiance will face contrary winds…no doubt about it. Just think of how much persecution Paul would have avoided if he had just stayed in Tarsus…on his first missionary journey…he was stoned.

If you follow Christ…it will take you through some fierce storms…but the rewards are even greater.

Must've been rough at sea…these were experienced fishermen…disciples… wondering whether they would make it to shore…as spray lashed the ship…masts began to crack…water sloshing the dark hold of their beleaguered boat…they probably wondered… "Has the Lord forgotten us?"

But Jesus had not forsaken them…even though it looked as if he had…Mark's account tells us that Jesus "saw" them (Mark 6:48).

The darkness had already come…now…light in the darkness five or six km out…there in the midst of the storm…Jesus walking on the sea…terrified…they are…Jesus says “It is I”…meaning “I Am” …it’s just a bit ungrammatical…but for those with ears to hear…who remember the God of Moses “I AM Who I AM “(Exodus 3:14) it is incredibly comforting…Jesus comes on board… immediately they are at the shore.

Just what happened here…picture this elderly man John with tears in his eyes…yes…he says… “Jesus is the great I AM” the one who comes to us in the darkness…and leads us across the sea to our own promised land… catches us it does…lump in the throat stuff…in the boat of our own turmoil…on the high seas of our own despair…amidst the darkness that never ever wins in the end. Friends…in this dark age we live in…things can be so obscured by the secular winds of life…and its problems…that it looks as if Jesus has forgotten us…but He Has Not…He knows …He cares…He will come to our aid.

When we are going through dark storms…it's easy to think He has forgotten us…but He knows where we are…knows when a sparrow falls to the ground…certainly knows the difficulties we are going through at this present moment.

Christ saw the disciples toiling…rowing helplessly…yet delayed coming to them… knew their thoughts…knew they were wondering where He was…and yet…He chose to let that storm batter them for a while.

Why the delay…verse 25 tells us Christ came to the disciples, "during the fourth watch of the night" between 3-6am…the deepest darkest part of the night…when the disciples were wrecked with exhaustion…wondering would they survive…only then did the Lord come.

Have you experienced fourth watch timing in your life…I know I have…you may know Christ…but you will never know him deeply until He comes to you in the midst of the storms of life.

Job 42:5 said… "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you."

Unfortunately, we also see the perverseness (obstinacy) of the human heart…Matthew 14:26 says, "When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It is a ghost' they said and cried out for fear."

It was dark…the wind howling around the bones of their faces…barely hanging on to their lives…they were terrified…what had they seen on the water…an apparition…a water demon…striding like an ancient mariner across the tips of the waves.

Ready to dive overboard…terrified by the help coming to them in Christ…perversity… you know when we choose to behave unreasonably…it causes us to push God away when he comes to us in the storm.

Perhaps partly because He often comes to us in the storm…partly because they often come in ways we don't expect…so we react and reject the God of surprises.
Friends we must guard against rejecting what the Lord is trying to do for us…whether through fear…pride or ignorance…He is trying to help us in the storm…why are we pushing him away?

On the boat some quaked with fear…some almost paralysed…others falling over themselves…as a voice pierced the storm.
"It is I. Don't be afraid!"…I AM who I AM (Matthew 14:27)…when we focus upon Jesus…we begin to find and receive his help…Peter walked on the water because of his faith…and sank only when he began to take his eyes off Jesus…fortunately…Peter had been around the Lord long enough to know what to pray in such a moment…"Lord, save me!"…Peter had the grace to say… "Lord…to whom shall we go…you have the words of eternal life." "To whom shall we go?"
This is the question for all of us…only Christ has the words of life.

Following Christ will certainly bring us into contrary winds…It is inevitable…but comforting to know that Jesus sees all…He understands and cares.

The world is broken…you and I cannot fix it…our hearts will be broken…perhaps they already are…we cannot fix them either.

This would be an impossible burden for us to bear…were it not that there is someone who bears it for us…the ONE who does not sink beneath the waves…we are afraid…and with good reason but Jesus says to us ‘It Is I…I AM…do not be afraid.’

Lord…the darkness seems to overwhelm us…’by no means’…says he…‘the light shines in the darkness…and the darkness will not overcome it’…Lord…truly…even in the face of death…the final enemy…but He says… ‘I AM the resurrection and the life…all who believe shall be gathered together on that far shore …in the land to which we are going…where I have prepared a place for you…So as often as you remember this…eat the bread…drink the wine…in remembrance…emblems given for the healing of the world.

Let us pray. Lord Jesus…we invite you into the boat with us.