A Study of John's Gospel. Pt. 30

Good morning to all..

In John 6 we looked at some of "those things" that immediately preceded the feeding of the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee. Then, we studied the actual account of this miracle which was recorded in all 4 gospels. Today, we see how some people reacted to this miracle.

Jesus sought solitude while others wanted to make Him king.

John 6:14-15  Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. 15)  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 tells us about the 5,000 men reacting to the miracle of Christ feeding so many people at one time. Many of them made a connection to the writings of Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Moses said that God would send another prophet and that they would listen to Him.

The omniscience of Jesus Christ is also on display again. He knew what their thoughts were regarding Him. They wanted to make Jesus a king of the Jews so He could lead them into battle against Rome and free them from Roman oversight. 

This is not why Jesus came to earth in a human body. He came to die to accomplish man's redemption. He was the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, not a military Messiah fighting worldly battles.

What did Jesus do? He sought to be alone in communion with His Father. The text tells us He withdrew again. This indicates that prayer time with the Father in a quiet environment was a pattern in the life of Jesus. 

Solitude was needed for the disciples to be refreshed after hard work (Mark 6:30-32). Jesus sent the 12 disciples out to do ministry. When they returned He encouraged them to separate from the people who were following them to seek some much needed rest.

Jesus experienced grief at the death of John the Baptist, the forerunner (Matthew 14:1-13). After Jesus learned that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded, He went away by Himself.  

Jesus prayed seeking His Father's will before making important decisions (Luke 6:12-13). Early in His ministry Jesus spent a night alone in prayer and the next day He chose his 12 disciples.

In a time of distress (Luke 22:39-44). Hours before Jesus was arrested He traveled to the Mount of Olives and went a short distance apart from His disciples to pray. He was in great emotional agony knowing the death on the cross loomed ominously large that night.

Jesus sought to be alone in order to focus on prayer (Luke 5:16; 9:18).  

Early in the morning Jesus went to a desolate place to pray without distractions (Mark 1:35).

Another miracle on the Sea of Galilee.

John 6:16-21  And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, 17) And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. 18) And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. 19) So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20) But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. 21)  Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went. 

Jesus sent His disciples in a boat to go back to the other side of the sea of Galilee.  He was dismissing the crowds while the disciples left in a boat. Then, Jesus went to a solitary place to pray. 

The disciples were sailing against stiff headwinds and their ship was tossed around by the waves. This happened during the 4th watch which runs from 3 AM to 6 AM. It was dark out and they faced unpredictably strong winds and even though they were seasoned sailors, they were afraid. 

Yet, the Lord Jesus Christ never lost track of His disciples and was fully aware of their predicament. Mark's gospel (Mk 6:48) tells us that while Jesus was praying on shore, He saw them toiling because of the headwinds and He went to them. Jesus walked on the water all the way out to their boat. 

The disciples cried out in fear because they initially thought Jesus was a spirit. Remember, in terms of time, it has not been that long since they encountered the demon possessed men at Gadara. 

Jesus quickly puts their fears at ease and said to them "Be of good cheer." Impetuous Peter says "Lord, if it is really you, call me to come to you on the water." Jesus did grant permission and Peter also walked on the water like Jesus did.  

As soon as Peter saw the wild waves and winds he took his eyes off of Christ and began to sink. He immediately cried out for Jesus to save him from drowning. 

As soon as Jesus and Peter entered the ship, the winds ceased. John's gospel (John 6:21) adds this amazing detail, that as soon as the disciples received Christ into the ship, the ship was at land at the place they were trying to sail to! 

Thoughts to Ponder...

First, I think we need to study the pattern in the life of Christ. After feeding the multitude, Jesus could have had earthly fame and glory although it would be short lived. All believers must be on guard to make sure that when we have been given ministry opportunities,that we do not become puffed up or fall into conceit.

This also from the pattern of Christ's life is His prayer pattern. Many times it's difficult to pray without being surrounded by distractions and worldly concerns. Yet, this is what Jesus did. He made it a priority to spend time alone with His Father in prayer and communion. This is a real key to spiritual growth and being transformed into the image of Christ. 

We can be born again and feel alone at times. Perhaps this is a time to earnestly seek our heavenly Father in prayer. Perhaps He has led us to the point of feeling alone so that we seek Him in the quiet of our prayer closet. 

Second, I think we can learn much from the miracle of walking on the water. Notice that their trouble ended when they willingly received Christ into the boat. This is a great picture of a sinner being converted to Christ. He stands at the door of our heart knocking and He promises to come in and fellowship with us if we willingly receive Him. 

Also, Peter walked on the water to Jesus and he was in no danger as long as his eyes were on the Lord. However, the moment that he took his eyes off Christ and looked at the very adverse circumstances they were in, he began to sink. 

This is true for all believers. When we have a heart full of passion for Christ, and our zeal is hot, our spiritual life is very good indeed. When something happens that causes us to face an unexpected crisis or our life is plunged into turmoil it's at these events in our lives when we are most likely to take our eyes off Christ and look at how bad our situation is.

Jesus never loses track of His sheep. He knows all about us and all about our needs. Trust Him, be confident that He will walk through the valleys of life with you, for He truly does this for each of us. Take your circumstances no matter how daunting they may be, and cast those cares on our Loving Lord Jesus, because He cares for each one of us!

The final outcome of the believer is sure and is anchored in the saving work of Christ on the cross. He will walk through life's storms with us and He will carry us safely home when this life is over.

May the truths of this lesson penetrate deeply into our hearts and may we trust Him more and more.

Bob