So last Sunday we looked at an amazing miracle of Jesus.
He fed a crowd of 5,000 plus people with just a boy's lunch
out in the middle of nowhere on the eastern side of Galilee.
And the reaction of the people that day was striking.
Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.
Others, John tells us, had intentions of coming out to him
and making him king right here and right now.
And we read, this was in verse 15, that Jesus knew their intention
and so he withdrew up onto a mountain by himself.
So why was Jesus going to go up this mountain by himself?
What about the disciples?
Well, Matthew and Mark help us fill in some of the details.
We won't turn there, but I'll summarize it for you.
After the feeding of the 5,000 plus,
Jesus told his disciples to go get into the boat
and go back across the lake.
Meanwhile, he stayed by himself with the crowd.
And we don't know how long, but then he later dismissed the crowd.
And then afterwards, we find out from another gospel,
he went up the mountain to pray.
So John continues the story here from the perspective of the disciples.
And we pick it up in verse 16.
16.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
where they got into a boat, as Jesus had told them,
and set across the lake for Capernaum.
So let's get the picture here in our minds.
Evening has come.
Supper has been eaten.
Jesus made the meal.
And now Jesus tells you, one of his disciples,
to go get into the boat and set out across the lake.
You can imagine.
Well, how are you going to get across?
Oh, don't worry about me.
I'm going to stay a bit longer with the crowds
and dismiss the crowd.
I'll catch up with you later.
Okay.
Well, let's go.
By now, verse 17, it was dark.
Have you ever been out on a lake, in a boat, in the dark?
Anyone?
Rob has.
We generally try to avoid that, right?
I've only done it once myself,
and it was on a beautiful, calm evening in the Okanagan,
one of those fancy water sports boats
that had all kinds of big, powerful overhead lights
and interior lights,
and they called it the Starlight Cruise.
It was kind of a romance thing at family camp.
It was lovely.
We could see the lights of people's getaway cottages
and expensive houses all along the shore.
We could see the downtown skyline of Kelowna,
kind of a backdrop with its towers and lights.
This moment was not like that for the disciples.
There was no electricity back then.
Galilee was not surrounded with the lakeside cottages of millionaires,
and they were not in a luxury speedboat with powerful overhead lights.
No, this was more like another time that I was out in a boat.
Out on Last Mountain Lake, actually,
I participated in a fishing derby with my grandfather
that was held out at Strasburg Bible Camp there when I was a kid.
And we didn't have our own boat,
so we just borrowed the camp's small fishing boat.
I was just a kid back then,
and even then the boat felt small.
And the motor on that thing was absolutely gutless.
I remember being out on the water on the last day of the derby.
We had until 5 o'clock or something like that,
and we wanted to have every chance to get the big one and win,
at least I did as a kid.
And evening was getting close,
and the sun was starting to go down.
It was fall, and the wind was starting to come up,
and the waves were starting to get a little bigger,
a little bit of white cap stuff happening.
And in that little tin can,
it felt like we were having quite the ride
with this gutless motor just trying to get back to shore.
Even that experience of mine just doesn't compare
to what the disciples are facing and feeling right now.
They're out in the boat.
By now it was dark, says John,
so the sun has already gone down.
You can imagine them looking for those familiar spots along the shore,
but not really able to see them and get their bearings.
But then it gets even worse than that.
John tells us in verse 18,
a strong wind was blowing,
and the waters grew rough.
So we imagine the disciples are in their boat,
and they're having quite the time,
quite the ride out there in the dark.
In verse 19,
John tells us that they had already rowed about three to four miles.
So like five to six kilometers,
for those of you who are younger.
The Sea of Galilee is about 12 kilometers across
at its widest point.
So if you think about Last Mountain Lake,
that's about four times across the width of Last Mountain Lake
is the Sea of Galilee.
Or if you're at Elbow,
at the marina,
it's about six times from the marina to the point
just right across.
So they're in the middle of the lake.
They've rowed quite a long ways,
but there's still a ways to go.
In the dark,
with the wind,
and the waves are coming up,
and it's a long way to the other side.
Don't miss the detail that they had already rowed
about three or four miles.
They didn't have an outboard motor on this boat.
They probably,
if it was a typical Galilean fishing boat,
had four rowing oars
and 12 guys in the boat.
If we flip over to Matthew's Gospel,
and we get a sense there that
they were even further away from
where they wanted to be at this point,
simply because of the wind
and the waves being against them.
Mark tells us that they were straining at the oars
in the dark,
three to four miles from shore,
riding these waves up and down,
fighting to get to where they want to go.
And can you imagine how they're feeling
right about now in this boat?
This is not the starlight cruise.
This probably feels tense.
Maybe a glimpse of the feeling
some of us have had.
Maybe you've traveled around Christmas time
and you know what it's like
to be traveling in the dark.
Then all of a sudden you come into a blizzard
and you can't see anything.
And all of a sudden the road starts to feel
a little more slick
and you feel some slipping around in the vehicle.
And then you look off to the right
and you see a guy who just freshly tracks
gone into the ditch.
You start slowing down.
That happy feeling of travel
turns into that tense feeling of,
oh boy,
your progress towards the destination
just kind of slows to a crawl.
Perhaps it's a little of what the disciples
felt like that night.
Their progress had slowed to a crawl.
Matthew tells us in his gospel
that they're still out there
in the middle of the lake
during the fourth watch of the night,
like three in the morning,
straining at the oars in the dark.
The wind is blowing.
The waves are surging.
And all of a sudden,
John tells us in verse 19,
when they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus approaching the boat,
walking on the water.
Like, what?
John tells us they were frightened.
Things were already tense.
They'd been fighting at this for hours
and suddenly out there
in the middle of nowhere on the lake,
they see a human figure
walking on the water,
approaching the boat.
And they were frightened.
Like, what is that?
Like, hey, do you see that?
Am I seeing things
or is there someone out there?
No, that can't be.
It's not possible.
What is that?
Quick, bring the torch.
They'd never seen anything like that before.
Mark tells us in his gospel
that they thought it was a ghost.
I mean, what else has the shape
of a human figure
in the middle of a lake,
in a storm?
Mark tells us also
that they were terrified.
Not just afraid,
but terrified.
So much so
that they began to cry out.
Like, out loud.
You can almost picture it.
Quick,
row!
He's gaining on us!
It's coming closer!
At some point,
Jesus gets close enough
that they can actually
hear him calling out to them
over the sound of the wind.
If you know the story,
it's right about here
in the Gospel of Matthew
that Peter has his little moment
where he steps out
and walks on the waves.
John leaves that out
of his account,
but he does tell us
what Jesus said
as he called out to them.
And we can imagine
he maybe said this
a few times to them
just to reassure them.
Verse 20,
It is I.
Don't be afraid.
Peter,
John,
James,
Matthew,
it's me.
Don't be afraid.
Can you imagine
the look on their faces?
How wide their eyes
must have been
as all of this
was unfolding
right in front of them?
As Jesus walks
right up to the boat
with Peter
like you imagine
them just looking
down at over
the side of the boat
at Jesus' feet
just standing
on water?
I can't even imagine
what this looked like,
especially with the waves,
you know.
Was it just that
the waves just kind of
went around him?
We don't know.
But needless to say,
they were probably
in shock
and in awe.
At some point,
they all accept
that it really is Jesus
and they take him
and Peter
into the boat.
And Matthew tells us
in his gospel
that as Jesus and Peter
climb into the boat,
like all of a sudden,
the wind died down.
Just like that.
Presumably,
the waves did
with it gradually.
Verse 21,
then they were
willing to take him
into the boat
and immediately
or at once
the boat came
to the shore
where they were heading.
Now,
it's difficult to know
just what John means
by this.
Many would highlight
the word immediately
and take this
as a second miracle
that somehow
the boat
was miraculously
transported
from where it was
to shore
by Jesus.
others would put
the highlight
on the word came.
In my Bible,
it says reached
but the word there
is more close to came
in that there,
you know,
there was still a process,
natural process,
but they were able
to do it at once
or immediately
now that things
had settled down
and make a beeline
for the shore.
Some others
have suggested
that they had already
rowed a good long while
and maybe they were
cutting more across
the corner of the lake
and they were not
that far from shore
and so they just
rowed a little more
and boom,
they were there
almost at once.
If it was a miracle,
we're kind of left
wondering,
well,
how did this happen?
Was it a miracle
of teleportation?
Like just,
the whole boat
goes to shore.
Was it a miracle
in which,
you know,
Jesus sat in the boat
and all of a sudden
the boat just starts
to go real fast
right towards the shore.
We don't know.
We'll have to ask
the Lord
just what happened
that night
someday
after he returns.
But whatever the case,
what is crystal clear
from all accounts
of this
is that Jesus
walked miles
on the water
of the lake.
It was an amazing miracle.
An astounding sign.
And if it hasn't
hit home yet,
I want to give you
a simple challenge.
This weekend,
with a friend
or family member,
head on out
to Lake Diefenbaker
or Last Mountain Lake,
have your friend
or family member
hit the record button
on the phone,
and I challenge you
to walk
on the water
and see how far
you get.
If you can give me
a legitimate recording
recording
of you
making it
even halfway
across the lake,
I'll give you
my whole life savings.
I still remember
back when I was
a young kid,
me and a friend
just thought
this was the
coolest story ever.
Jesus walked
on the water
and he enabled
Peter to walk
on the water too
in Matthew.
It seemed that
the only reason
Peter sank
was that he doubted,
that he didn't
have enough faith.
And so,
in our young,
immature way
of reading the Bible,
we kind of figured,
well, maybe the lesson
here is simply
that if we have
enough faith,
we too can walk
on water.
So we tried it.
I can't remember
if it was at a pool
or if it was at a lake.
I think it was
at a lake.
We tried it
and we laughed
our heads off
as we watched
each other
taking a run for it
so we could get
as far as possible
and then within
three steps
just disappearing
out of sight
into the water.
This was an amazing sign,
an astounding miracle.
Mark and John
at this point
move on to tell
other parts
of the story here
but Matthew
thankfully lingers
a little bit
on the reaction
of the disciples
and we want to capture
that this morning.
This is what Matthew
records.
He says,
Then those who were
in the boat
worshipped him
saying,
Truly,
you are
the Son
of God.
These words
seem to fit well
with what we've been
looking at
back in John chapter 5.
Jesus has been
talking about
his special
relationship
with the Father.
father.
It's like the disciples
have the quarter drop
all of a sudden.
Like,
We've heard what
you've been saying,
Jesus,
and we've believed it,
yeah,
but now we really,
truly believe it.
Like,
those lingering doubts,
those wonderings,
they just melted away
for us.
If all the miracles
that Jesus has done
up until now
hadn't been enough,
in fact,
Mark actually tells us
that the feeding
of the 5,000,
the disciples
didn't get it.
They didn't fully
understand what
it was pointing to
because of the
hardness of their
hearts,
says Mark.
But it seems as
though now,
right after this,
when they see
Jesus walking
on the water,
for the first time,
they are really
starting to get it.
More than just
a prophet.
More than the
prophet.
More than just
the Messiah,
the promised king.
More than just
a man.
For the first time
in all the gospels,
Matthew tells us
that they worshipped
Jesus.
Like,
the bow down
in front of him
kind of worship.
you truly are
the divine
son of God.
What a moment
that must have been.
Let's go back
to John.
Finally,
John tells us
about some details
that help confirm
that this story
is true.
Verse 22,
John chapter 6.
The next day,
the crowd that had
stayed on the
opposite shore
of the lake
realized that
only one boat
had been there.
and that Jesus
had not entered
the boat
with his disciples,
but that the
disciples had
gone away alone.
Then,
some boats
from Tiberias
landed near the
place where the
people had eaten
the bread
after the Lord
had given thanks.
Once the crowd
realized that
neither Jesus
nor his disciples
were there,
they got into
the boats
and went to
Capernaum
in search
of Jesus.
When they
found him
on the other
side of the
lake,
they asked him,
Rabbi,
when did you
get here?
John wants
us to see
the confirming
testimony
of the masses.
5,000 or more
people were there
on the eastern
side of the lake.
They had eaten
their fill
of the bread
that Jesus
had made
miraculously
out of thin
air.
Many of that
crowd had
actually followed
Jesus to the
eastern shore
from back on
the western
side.
We see that
in chapter 6
verse 1.
Whether they
walked or hitched
a ride,
we don't know.
But many of
them,
they stayed
on that eastern
side where
they had had
the meal with
the big crowd
because it
seemed to them
that Jesus
himself was
staying on
that side
that night.
They saw
John tells
us the
disciples get
into the
boat,
the one
boat that
was there
without Jesus
and leave
hours before.
And probably
they saw
Jesus kind
of,
after dismissing
the crowd,
heading off
up towards
the mountain.
So it
seemed pretty
clear to
them that
Jesus was
still somewhere
on their
side,
so we're
going to
stay too.
And the
expectation is
that tomorrow
we can all
come back
out and we
can see
him,
we can
hear more
of his
teachings,
we can
seek healing
or whatever
they were
there for.
But on the
next day
they could
not find
Jesus on
the eastern
side.
In fact,
some boats,
John tells us,
from the western
side,
from Tiberias,
a town on the
western side,
were now landing
in the place
where Jesus
had fed the
multitude.
And we're
not really sure
what the deal
with the boats
from Tiberias
is.
Were they
full of people
that had also
come to find
Jesus after
hearing about
him being
over there?
Were they
just fishermen
who had been
blown in by
the waves
and the wind
in the night?
Or were they
family members
who'd come to
join loved
ones or bring
supplies from
back home on
the western
side?
We don't really
know, but at
some point the
crowd that had
been there with
Jesus realizes
that he's not
here, his
disciples are not
here, he sent
the disciples to
go to Capernaum,
so let's go,
let's see if we
can find him.
So a bunch of
them jump into
the boats from
Tiberias and
ride across to
Capernaum to
search for Jesus
there.
And eventually we
read that they
catch up with him
and the big
question is,
when did you
get here?
The point of
all this is to
confirm the
miracle of
Jesus walking
on the lake.
Like, how did
you get here,
Jesus?
Jesus, by the
time you left
us late in the
evening, I mean,
we saw you go up
the mountain.
You couldn't have
walked all the
way around the
lake to here by
now through the
night.
It's too far.
And then there
was the storm that
came up last
night.
You couldn't have
gone across the
lake in a boat.
There were no
other boats.
There was only one
boat there.
How did you get
here?
When did you get
here?
They were
mystified.
And what
would have
really baked
their noodles
even more is
if they'd
already talked
to some of
the people on
the western
side who saw
Jesus get out
of one boat
with his
disciples.
Mark 6,
verse 54.
As soon as
they got out
of the boat,
this is on the
western side,
people recognized
Jesus.
They saw it.
And
how is this
possible?
people.
It's as if
John is
saying,
you think
this sounds
crazy,
walking on
the water
across the
lake?
Go ask the
various parts
of the story.
Ask the
crowd that
saw him
send the
disciples away
and go up
the mountain
side.
Ask the
guys on
the other
side of
the shore
who saw
him get
out of
the one
boat with
his
disciples.
We're
telling the
truth.
At the time
John is
writing this,
many of these
people are
likely still
alive.
ask the
fishermen in
the boats
from Tiberias
about the
storm that
night.
Matthew tells
us that as
soon as
Jesus and
his disciples
landed on
the western
side,
they immediately
recognized
Jesus and
then right
away they
sent word
to all the
surrounding
country.
You can
almost picture
it.
Oh, you're
traveling tomorrow?
Well,
wherever you're
going, tell
them that
Jesus is
here.
And so
people are
coming from
all over the
region to
see Jesus for
one reason or
another, to
hear Jesus.
It was a
really exciting
time.
If people
didn't come,
you have to
know that at
the very least
they're hearing
the news about
all that Jesus
is doing.
It's an
exciting time in
the story of
Jesus.
There's a lot
happening.
And we're
going to
continue the
conversation that
he has with
those who
found him
next Sunday.
But let's
stop for a
moment and
just reflect on
this amazing
sign.
Walking
miles on
water, on
a lake.
It's one of
the most
impressive
miracles Jesus
ever did.
Most of
them are
impressive, but
this just
stands out with
some of the
big ones.
skepticism.
How does
it hit you?
What's your
reaction?
One possible
reaction is
skepticism.
I don't know
that it'll be
well represented
in this room,
but if this
just sounds too
amazing to
true, I want
to just give
you some
thoughts.
The
alternative to
believing that
this truly
happened is
that Jesus
walked on
the water,
is that the
disciples just
made this
up.
Right out
of thin air.
And if they
did just make
this up,
along with all
the other
miracles that
Jesus did,
why did
almost all
of them
still choose
to die
for Jesus
if they knew
that he was
a fraud?
that this
was all
a fabrication,
that there
was no
walking on
the water
and getting
into the
boat?
Why would
they die
for him?
Why would
they choose
to suffer
as they
did?
I mean,
you might
say that
people die
for religious
zeal all
the time.
Look at
suicide bombers.
But the
big difference
is that they
die for what
they believe
to be true,
for the
reward that
they believe
that they
will receive
for doing
it.
But if
this story
and all
the miracles
of Jesus,
his resurrection
from the
dead,
if all of
that was
just fabricated
by the
twelve
disciples,
then they
knew it
wasn't
true.
Why would
they willingly
choose to
be executed
for what
they knew
was a lie?
Hashem,
give me a
reason.
I haven't
heard a good
one yet.
if it's
for any
earthly
profit or
gain,
even for
their
families.
I mean,
they could
have had
plenty of
that,
probably,
just by
putting up
their hand
and saying,
I'm willing
to testify
that Jesus
was a
fraud,
and that
we made
it all
up.
And yet,
none of
them did
that.
Not one
of them.
The only
other possibility
to consider,
briefly,
is that
Jesus was a
masterful
deceiver.
that somehow
he hoodwinked,
he tricked
his twelve
disciples along
with all the
crowds,
but even that
doesn't stand
to reason.
I mean,
they traveled
with him
constantly.
How do you
feed five
thousand people
with a
boy's lunch
in the
middle of
nowhere,
and not
have your
disciples in
on the
trick?
It just
doesn't add
up.
How do you
convince twelve
grown men,
some of whom
are fishermen,
and familiar
with the
sea,
how do you
convince them
that you
are walking
on a
lake,
out to
them,
and then
get into
the boat?
You
can't.
Peter gives
the greatest
test of all
to Jesus
right in the
middle of
that moment.
He almost
essentially just
asks him to
prove that
it's you
by calling
me to
come out
to you.
And maybe
he was
asking for
Jesus to
call him by
name,
just as a
test,
you know,
do you
know who
I am?
And Jesus
does.
And Peter
himself walked
on the
water,
and the
other
disciples
saw it
for a bit
before Jesus
pulled him
up and
hauled him
the rest
of the
way back
into the
boat.
There's
just no
way that
any mere
man could
fool twelve
guys in
a boat
in the
middle of
a lake
like that.
There's
only one
reasonable
explanation
for this
eyewitness
account of
the disciples,
and that's
that it
truly
happened,
just like
they say
it did,
which means
that Jesus
is who
he has
been claiming
to be.
The disciples
came to
the right
conclusion for
the first
time that
night.
Jesus is
no ordinary
man.
He's not
just the
prophet who
speaks for
God.
He's not
just the
Messiah,
God's chosen
king.
He is
the divine
son of
God,
the father
who he
has been
claiming to
be back
in John
chapter 5.
He is
the one,
as he
said,
who has
been given
authority
by God
to judge
the world
and to
grant
eternal
life to
those who
believe.
He's the
one who
will someday
call all
people,
the righteous
and the
wicked,
out of
their
graves to
that moment
of final
judgment.
Those are
the things
Jesus said
back in
John
chapter 5.
This is
the sign
that confirms
that yes,
he is
that son
of God.
They
worshipped
him in
the boat
that night.
They
confessed
that they
believe him
to be
the son
of God.
What's
your reaction?
what's
your
response?
There's
a reason
why I
gather,
why I
come here,
why I
serve here
every Sunday
morning.
I come
to worship
Jesus,
the son
of God,
because he
alone does
things like
this,
walking on
the water.
Great
signs that
show that
he is
the light
and the
life
and the
hope
of the
world
sent from
the
Father.
Do you
believe that?
Father in
heaven,
please press
the reality
of these
moments into
our hearts
again.
Fill us
with wonder.
Lord Jesus,
may we
worship you
as you
deserve.
Not just
here in
church with
our songs,
but also
throughout
the day,
throughout
the week
with our
whole lives.
You are
worthy of
it.
Amen.