John 6: 21a
” Then they were willing to take him into the boat…”
In this verse, two important things happen: First, we see a change in the disciple’s attitude toward the appearance of Jesus on the water. Secondly, we see something amazing happen. Today we look at the first thing.
It is really quite hard to fathom what it must have been like to be Jesus’ disciple. Even the casual here-today-gone-tomorrow type disciples would have seen some amazing stuff. But the Twelve who were chosen to be with Jesus for his entire ministry saw some seriously amazing stuff.
Having just seen Jesus feed the 5,000 plus crowd of people, I suppose nothing should have amazed the disciples, but here comes Jesus walking towards them on the water of a very stormy sea and they are terrified. It is only when they hear his voice that they are put at ease enough to allow Jesus to come into the boat.
In theological circles, there is a lot of discussion about how we come to know Jesus and what the role of Grace is in that process of knowing Jesus. Theology aside, what we have here is a real-life story of people saying “Yes” to Jesus. At first, they are afraid, then they hear his voice. In verse 20 Jesus says, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” The disciples are immediately comforted as they recognize their Lord, and their fears must have been eased, too, for they indeed allow Jesus into the boat.
Q: Have you been comforted by Jesus in some way which allowed you to allow him into your life?
Yes, but it is a really long story. I find it comforting that God is a God who comforts. Indeed, He is the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1: 3 – 7). We see Jesus weeping with Martha and Mary due to the death of Lazarus, even though He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. The Holy Spirit is our “Paraclete.” This refers to many attributes, one of which is Comforter. We should emulate this characteristic of our Lord’s.
Yes! My walk with God requires I call to Him daily, often more than once. I am encouraged to see Christ growing as Ronnie Toole dies to this world, but I know this battle is to be fought until the moment I kneel before Christ and receive my final cleansing.
My advice to all would be “Live in the armor of God.”, focus on the miracles God puts on display everyday, be mindful of His presence, His word in every situation, and walk in service to “THE KING”, through this chaotic, insane world, in the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Yes! Like with Rich, this is a long story. In short I set something else as my source of security, value, comfort, and success. This is something I built up as a child unawares and then continued the trajectory as a young man. As with life and all earthly foundations it failed – I failed – it took a process of a year of letting go of my self established ‘idols’ and looking to Christ for all these things. It was a really rough year and it changed my life trajectory, but I wouldn’t change it because through it I found a comfort and closeness to my savior that is worth more than the success and riches of the world. Years after this, I still have to remind myself to look to him for comfort and value. The struggle against worry and fear is one I must still face, but I know where to turn.
That’s the brief rendition. Let me know if you ever want to grab a coffee and hear the long version. 🙂