WWUTT 847 Jesus Walks On Water?

Jesus put his disciples in a boat and sent them to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. A great wind came upon them while they were in the boat. But this was so Jesus might show his glory to them when we understand the text.

Merry Christmas from your friends at When We Understand The Text, a daily study in the Word of Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Tell your friends about our ministry at www .wutt .com.

Here once again is Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky.

Merry Christmas to all. Hey, my latest book, 25 Christmas Myths and What the Bible Says, now available on Amazon. Hey, I got it out in time for Christmas. It is available today. When you go to Amazon .com and you type in the search bar 25, the number 25 Christmas myths, it'll take you right to the book, especially if you narrow down the search to books.

When I tried to do the search, it took me to Christmas lights first for some reason, and then it showed me the book. But if you narrow your search results to books, it'll get you straight to the book.

This is just the Kindle version right now. I'm still working on the formatting for the print version, which will be available later on this week. At least I'm getting it out by Epiphany, right, which is coming up on January the 6th.

So we're in the middle of the 12 days of Christmas. Well, not in the middle. We're right at the start of the 12 days of Christmas right now. December the 25th is day one of the 12 days of Christmas, and then it wraps up on January the 6th with Epiphany.

So I still have the book available during this 12 days of Christmas period. At least I get credit for that, right? And to think I used to be in marketing when I worked in Christian radio. I actually did marketing.

Couldn't get the book out by Christmas, which would have been the smart thing to do. Anyway, amazon .com. The number 25 Christmas myths is what you're typing in that search bar. Information is also on the Facebook page, facebook .com slash WWU TT videos.

And it's also at our website, WWU TT .com. 25 Christmas myths and what the Bible says. Well, today on the broadcast, we're not doing Christmas myths. We're looking at John chapter six. That's where our study has been.

Jesus Walking on the Water in John 6

And so we continue that today, even though it is Christmas. The emphasis is still on Christ either way. This is the story of Jesus walking on the water in John chapter six verses 16 through 21. When evening came, Jesus disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum.

It was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rode about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near to the boat and they were frightened.

But he said to them, it is I do not be afraid. Then they were glad to take him into the boat. And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. Now, this is the shortest account of Jesus walking on the water that we have in the Gospels.

The most detailed account is in Matthew chapter 14 verses 22 through 33. And it's in Matthew's account that we read about Peter asking Jesus if he can come out onto the water with him. And Jesus says, come.

So Peter gets out of the boat. He steps onto the sea to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind and the waves around him, he was terrified and he began to sink. He cried out, Lord, save me. And Jesus immediately reached out his hand, took hold of him, saying, oh, you of little faith, why did you doubt?

And he picks him up out of the sea and they both get into the boat. And then the wind ceased. And the rest of the disciples worshiped him, saying, truly, you are the son of God. That's the account that we have there in the Gospel of Matthew.

Mark does not include Peter walking on the water, but there is something similar between Mark's account and John's. I'm going to point out in just a moment. And Luke does not regard this story at all.

So the one miracle that we see consistently mentioned in all four Gospels, the one miracle that's talked about in all four Gospels is the feeding of the five thousand, which we've gotten through. But this story, Jesus walking on the water, is for some reason not included in Luke.

I'm not really sure why. But John, even though it's a shortened version of what we have in Matthew and Mark, he shows Christ's power over creation with not only walking on the water, but then also calming the storm when he gets into the boat.

And again, John has very specific reasons why he's chosen the seven miracles that he has and detailed them in the first 12 chapters of his gospel. This one is another proclamation of the divinity of Christ.

Those who are skeptics of the doctrine of Christ's divinity, who will say that Jesus never actually claimed to be God, which we know that's false. But anyway, when they when they try to say that Jesus never claimed that, they're also ignoring accounts like this, where Jesus displayed his power over creation because he is creator of all.

But even here in this story, Jesus does announce himself as the great I am. Let's look here at verse 16. When evening came, Jesus disciples went down to the sea. Again, this is right after the feeding of the 5000, which was on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

That's the sea that we're talking about. So if this happened on the eastern shore and they're going to Capernaum, it says they got into a boat and started across the sea to Capernaum. This would have been a journey of about five or six miles at the widest point.

The Sea of Galilee was about seven miles wide and it's 13 miles north and south. So that's the approximate size. And where it says later on in this account that they had wrote about three or four miles, that's showing that they got about halfway across the sea.

So they're right in the middle of the sea when Jesus comes walking to them on the water. This is John just kind of showing that there's no other way that Jesus could just come walking to them except that he's God.

This is not a case of the disciples saw something they weren't quite sure they saw. Maybe they were still pretty close to the shore and Jesus was walking on a little inlet or something like that. No, John is showing they were out in the middle of the sea.

There was no reason for Jesus to be out there or for the disciples to be frightened of him, except that men just don't walk out in the middle of the sea like that. So Jesus had them go ahead of him because he meant to show himself to them in this way.

They got into a boat, they started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark. And this part's interesting where John says, and Jesus had not yet come to them. Now, there's a couple of possible explanations for that phrase.

Jesus had not yet come to them. Either John is taking for granted that you, the reader, have already heard this story before, because remember, this is the last of the four gospels, even in chronological order.

Matthew, Mark and Luke have already been written. The gospel is already spread far and wide. So either Mark is taking for granted that you've already heard this story, and at least as far as the telling of this story goes, he's saying by this point, Jesus has not yet walked to them on the water.

Maybe that's what he's suggesting. The other possible explanation we get from the details that Mark gives in Mark 6, verse 45. It says immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side of Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd.

And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. So that's what Mark says. John doesn't include that. But but except with the statement, Jesus had not yet come to them. So Jesus sent them ahead of him and whether or not the disciples thought, maybe he's going to walk around the sea.

He's going to join us on the other side. I don't really know. But Jesus is the one that has sent them into the boat and has sent them over to Capernaum. So that's the two possible explanations. Either John is presupposing that you've already heard this story, and at least at this point, Jesus has not come walk to them on the water yet.

Or this is John's way of saying that Jesus sent them ahead of him, and then he's going to come to them later. Verse 18. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. Now, this is not like a thunderstorm, which might be the way that we picture it whenever we think of Jesus walking on the water.

And that's in film and stuff like that. That's always the way that this is portrayed to Jesus comes walking to them in the middle of of a massive thunderstorm. There was the the film called Son of God, which was it was it was the theatrical release of the Bible project, not the Bible project, the Bible miniseries that the History Channel did that was produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.

Do you remember this from a few years ago? Anyway, all of the things that they shot with the ministry of Jesus, they then put into a feature film called Son of God, which was then released in theaters.

And I went to theaters and I saw the movie because I was going to write a scathing review about it, which I did. Anyway, you can still find that on my blog. In the scene where Jesus comes walking to them on the water, it was a big thunderstorm.

But none of the three gospels tell the story that way. None of them say it was a thunderstorm. All of them say that the boat was having trouble getting across to the other side because a massive wind had come upon them.

So as far as we know, it was a clear night. There was not rain and lightning or any of these other things. And Jesus was clearly seen by his disciples when he came walking to them. So that would indicate that the sky was clear and the moon was shining enough.

They thought he was a ghost or a spirit that was coming to them. But then Jesus spoke to them and said, it is I do not be afraid. So when they it says here that when they had wrote about three or four miles and again, they're fighting against this wind, they're not able to get across to the other side.

Mark even says that Jesus saw that they were having trouble getting across the other side. So he came walking to them. But as they were about halfway across the sea, they saw Jesus walking and coming near the boat and they were frightened.

But he said to them, verse 20, it is I do not be afraid. And that statement that he makes to the disciples is the same in Greek as if Jesus was saying I am. It's the Greek phrase ego. Am I? That's the same phrase that's used for I am the same thing that God said to Moses through the burning bush.

I am Jesus proclaiming himself to be God, Yahweh, the God of Israel. And even here, it translates a little bit different because the because the way that the language appears is different. So in English, it would translate different than it would translate in Greek.

But it's still the same phrase. He said to them, it is I do not be afraid. He said to them, I am do not be afraid. That doesn't make as much sense in English. It's more difficult for us in English to, you know, form the sentence that we want to form.

So for whatever reason, translators will phrase it out as it is. I do not be afraid. But in Greek, it's the same phrase ego. Am I with Jesus saying I am I am Yahweh? That's what he's announcing to his disciples.

Same thing that God said to Moses through the burning bush. Same thing that God said to Moses up on Mount Sinai when he passed by him. Remember that Moses wanted to see the face of God. But the Lord said, you cannot see my face for man shall not see my face and live.

And the Lord said, behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock. And while my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will take away my hand. You shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen. Then in Exodus 34, verse six, it says the Lord passed before him and proclaim the Lord the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.

But who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation. This is what God proclaimed about himself while he passed by Moses, hiding him in the cleft of the rock until he had passed.

That's the language that's used there in Exodus 33 and 34. Mark uses that same language in his account of Jesus walking on the water. Jesus comes walking out to them on the sea. And it says in Mark 6, 48, he meant to pass by them.

But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and they cried out for they all saw him and were terrified. Few more details in there than what we get in John. But Jesus immediately spoke to them and said, take heart.

It is I. Same phrase there that Jesus says to the disciples in John six, do not be afraid. And he got boat. He got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. So Mark Mark's account has Jesus walking to pass by them.

It is Mark showing that this is the same God who passed by Moses and proclaimed himself as I am. And so, John, likewise, it's no different, even though he doesn't include that same language that marks a clue that that Mark includes in Exodus.

I get excited about this. I stumble all over my words, even though John doesn't include that same phrase that Mark used. Nevertheless, Jesus proclaims himself as I am. He said to them, I am. Do not be afraid.

It is I. And they were glad to take him into the boat. And immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. So one of the things that's conveyed here in John's gospel that's not in Mark's and not in Matthew's, is that when Jesus got into the boat, immediately they were on the other side.

Not only did the storm calm, but Jesus transported them right to safety. It is his power over creation not only to defy physics and stand on the water itself, to command nature to be still and the wind ceased, but also to bend time and space that he could transfer the disciples from the middle of the lake immediately to the other side.

This is a fulfillment of what we read in Psalm 107, beginning in verse 23. Some went down to the sea in ships doing business on the great waters. They saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep, for he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.

They mounted up to heaven and they went down to the depths. Their courage melted away in their evil plight. They reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them from their distress.

He made the storm be still and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man.

Let them extol him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders. So that is why Jesus did this. That is why he put the disciples in the boat and told them to go to the other side ahead of him was so that he might show his glory to them in this way and proclaim himself as he did to Moses.

I am who I am and then getting in the boat with them. He transported them to their desired haven just as it says in Psalm 107 30. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet and he brought them to their desired haven.

This is the Lord Jesus Christ who does this that the psalmist was singing about in Psalm 107. Jesus does this very thing and John is showing that this is the same God that was talked about there in that particular Psalm.

They were glad to take him into the boat and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. We have no reason to be afraid of anything that might happen to us in this life because we are in the hand of God who will deliver us.

He will deliver us from the worst trials of this life. The storms of life that come upon us and he will bring us into his kingdom as Jesus will say later in John chapter 10 that my sheep know my voice and they follow me and no one is able to snatch them out of my hand.

My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one's able to snatch them out of my father's hand. I am the father are one. So if we are in the hand of Christ, we know that he will deliver us though.

We will have to go through the storm and remember Jesus sent the disciples ahead of him. He put them in the boat and said go ahead of me so that he might use this to show his glory to them and they would worship God because of the supreme goodness of Christ.

And so the Lord who is sovereign is using even whatever trial you might go through to show himself to you that you would rejoice and praise him even in the midst of this. Remember when the apostle Paul in second Corinthians 12 asked the Lord to take away the tormentor of Satan from him three times he pleaded with God to take it away from him and yet Jesus response to him was my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in your weakness.

So we know no matter what happens that we have the grace of God. It is the greatest thing that we can have whatever happens at the end of this life. Death will not overtake us and the Lord will deliver us safely through it.

If Jesus Christ can deliver his disciples from this storm, if Jesus Christ can raise Lazarus from the dead, raise himself from the dead, don't you know that he will deliver us from the dead as well? All those who believe in Jesus Christ, we inherit his eternal life.

So there is no reason for us to fear or be afraid. The Lord our God is with us. Put your faith and your trust in him. Let us conclude with prayer. Our wonderful God, we thank you for the salvation that we've been given in Christ Jesus.

Our Lord, you have already saved us from so much. We have been saved from the bonds of sin, the tyranny of death, and we have this promise that whoever believes in you will not perish, but we will inherit the kingdom of God.

Knowing that that is our promise, that is the promise that we've received in Christ Jesus, that when we die, we will not perish in the grave, but we will live forever with you in glory. What do we have to fear of this life?

What do we have to fear of judgment when we know that our sins are forgiven in Christ? So help us to trust in you in the midst of all things, knowing that you are God and you are good and you care for us and no one and no thing will ever take us from your hand, the hand that has lifted us up and delivered us from the storm.

In Jesus name we pray, amen.

This is When We Understand the Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. There are lots of great Bible teaching programs on the web, and we thank you for selecting ours. But this is no replacement for regular fellowship with a church family.

Find a good, gospel-teaching, Christ-centered church to worship with this weekend, and join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study When We Understand the Text.