Ernie Carrasco
[Originally published as Jesus’ Seven Signs in John (5)]
After feeding the five thousand, a group of those who had experienced that miracle thought it would be a great idea to have a king who could provide them with a free lunch:
When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. (John 6:15)
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I pointed out in the previous article that throngs of people sought after Jesus, “but one senses that they sought Him out for selfish motives.” They came either to see what He could do or to seek a remedy for their maladies. The kingdom of God did not even register as a priority with them. Jesus saw that, but He “was moved with compassion toward them” (Matthew 14:14) anyway. He saw them as “sheep not having a shepherd” (Mark 6:34).
It comes as no surprise that they would make Him — who could heal diseases and produce endless supplies of food — their king, but He would have no part of that. Jesus did not come to be an earthly king, at least not at this time. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). So, before they could carry out their plan, Jesus secreted Himself away into the higher elevations of the mountain.
The different perspectives of the Gospel writers often lend themselves to criticism from the unlearned skeptics who purposefully strive to find error in Scripture. Such is the case in this account.
- Matthew and Mark say that “Jesus constrained [made] his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away” (Matthew 14:22; Mark 6:45).
- John indicates that this was a unilateral decision by the disciples. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea” (John 6:15–15).
- Matthew and Mark say nothing about some of the men wanting to make Jesus king; only John records that bit of information.
Because of John’s close relationship with Jesus, his proximity afforded him a closer perspective the others did not have. When Jesus instructed the disciples to get into the boat and go to the other side of the lake, they followed His instructions without question, but John knew the reason. Since John recorded the reason for Jesus’ separation from the crowd, the fact that He had given instructions to the disciples to leave was of no consequence. Therefore, he merely mentions that they “entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum” (John 6:17).
Off the disciples headed across the open waters of the Sea of Galilee.
Because of the lake’s geographic location, cradled between two mountain ranges, winds funneling between the mountains frequently produce fierce storms. Without our modern weather forecasting technology, these storms were unpredictable to the sailors who ventured out on the lake. Thus, the disciples were caught up in a terrible windstorm.
John records that “they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs” (John 6:19), only about three or four miles as they fought the wind all night. Matthew and Mark report that the wind was against them (Matthew 14:24; Mark 6:48). It was now about the “fourth watch” (by Roman standards) of the night, making it between three and six o’clock in the morning. Fearful for their lives, and weary from battling the relentless wind, “they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid” (John 6:19).
Mark remarks that “he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them” (Mark 6:48). Perhaps not apparent to the harried crew on the battered boat, Jesus was on more solid footing than they were. He could have just kept on walking. The sight frightened the already exhausted disciples. These men were not rocket scientists, but experience instructed them that men do not walk on water. Therefore, this apparition must be a ghost (Greek: phantasma)!
Perceiving their terror, Jesus called out to assuage their fears: “I, I AM. Do not be afraid” (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50; John 6:20). Even though it is not included as one of the seven I AM statements, all three Gospels record the same Greek phrase, asserting His deity.
Unique to Matthew’s account is Peter’s request. “And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Considering the circumstances, Peter made a bold request. He demonstrated even more chutzpah when he got out of the boat and started walking toward Jesus! “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30). The lesson there is “never take your eyes off Jesus!”
John seems to have been more impressed by their instant arrival on land as soon as Jesus entered the boat. “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went” (John 6:21).
Two aspects of this sign stand out as demonstrations of Jesus’ deity:
The first is Jesus’ power over the physical laws of nature. Humans cannot walk on water. Peter proved that when he focused on the natural elements rather than on the God-Man, Jesus. Second, Jesus demonstrated power over time and space. The disciples had struggled all night and had only covered about a fourth of the distance to their destination. However, as soon as Jesus came on board, the storm ceased, and they arrived instantly at their destination.
Another point must be made if we are to take the connection between this Gospel and the Torah of Moses seriously, as we should. One of the key stories in the Torah is Noah’s ark. It glides over the waters of judgment, saving people. Jesus does the same. The parallels are clear yet can be easily missed.
No man can walk on water, but Jesus can, and, even for a moment, Peter did.
How was that possible?
Consider the fact that Jesus is the Creator. He established the laws of physics. He initiated the laws of physics; therefore, He has power over them. No created thing is greater than its creator. God-Jesus exercises power over the physical laws He put into place and can suspend them at will. When He does, it is a supernatural act. We call that a miracle.
Humans cannot teleport themselves from one location to another. It makes for good science fiction, but otherwise it is impossible. God is not confined to time and space. Matthew and Peter were so overwhelmed by Jesus’ walk on the water that they completely overlooked what John keenly observed: that they then covered the remainder of the distance in no time at all. Only God can span time and space instantaneously. Jesus performed an “act of God,” demonstrating once again that He is indeed God.
There are no storms in your life that He cannot calm, and when you feel that you are drowning at sea, simply cry out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). His hand will be there to pull you up. When the winds of life blow contrary, invite Jesus into your boat, and He will get you to your destination, safe and sound.
