We all know what happens when a person is born again, right? The very instant that we’re born again, we’re automatically fully mature Christians, right? We’re able to handle anything the devil and the world has to throw at us, right? We have all of the wisdom, experience, knowledge that we need, right? Of course not. When a person is born again, they start off just like a little baby. They start off very helpless and completely dependent on the hovering, loving, nurturing protection of the One who gave him life. The disciples were really no different. They had a lot of growing up to do in just a short period of time. It wasn’t too long before our passage this morning, that they first began to follow Jesus. But all through the Gospels, Jesus grew them. He nurtured them. He encouraged them and taught them. He didn’t keep them as newborn babies. He purposely put them in situations that would test their faith. And as they passed those tests, their faith grew. Sometimes their faith even grew when they failed the test. Our passage this morning is the fifth sign that John records. Matthew and Mark also record it, but they add some details that John doesn’t include. We can combine the three accounts to come up with a fuller historical account, and we will do some of that. But John’s purpose wasn’t to give us a completely detailed historical account. As with all history in the Bible, it is completely accurate and true. But he doesn’t record every detail, because that’s not his purpose. John’s purpose in recording this sign is the same as his purpose for writing his Gospel. His purpose is to show us that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that we might believe in Him. And that when we believe in Him, we will have life through His name. That’s John’s purpose in writing his Gospel. And that’s his purpose in recording this sign. This sign shows that Jesus is God because He has complete control over the universe that He created. When we combine the accounts of this event in Matthew, Mark and John, we can see that there were actually four miracles that took place. First, Jesus walked on the water. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to do that, but if you have, you will quickly realize that it’s impossible. A man named William Barklay wrote a set of commentaries that was very popular in the ‘50s. The problem was, he didn’t believe in miracles. So he spent most of his commentaries explaining away the miracles. In his comments on this passage, he said that Jesus didn’t really walk on the water. The disciples were just rowing their boat really close to the shore. Jesus was walking on the shore, and because it was dark and stormy, they just thought He looked like He was walking on the water. That’s just plain silly. The fact is that Jesus defied the laws of gravity that He created in the first place. He defied the principles of buoyancy that He created in the first place. Jesus walked on water. But not only did Jesus walk on water, Matthew records that Jesus called Peter out of the boat to walk on the water too. And as long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus and not on the waves, he was able to miraculously walk on the water too. That was the second miracle that happened there. Matthew and Mark both record the third miracle. When Jesus and Peter got back into the boat, the wind immediately stopped. It was such a sudden change that Mark 6:51 says, “and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” This wasn’t just a slight change in the weather. It wasn’t like things just calmed down when the storm passed by. This was instantaneous. Immediately from gale force winds to glass. Have you ever been in the kind of storm that as soon as you go inside and shut the door, your ears are ringing from the noise? I imagine that happened to the disciples. If they were in mid-sentence shouting at the top of their lungs so they could hear each other—then they could instantly go to a whisper. There was no doubt in their mind that another miracle had happened. But one more happened too. John is the only one who records this one. We just read it in verse 21. Look at it again. “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” Remember how far verse 19 says that they had rowed? 25 or 30 furlongs. A furlong is an old English measurement that they used to translate the Greek measurement, “stadia”. It converts to about 3 ½ miles. The disciples had been rowing most of the night into a horrible headwind—probably about nine hours—and had only gotten that far. And that was not even halfway to where they were heading. And then as soon as Jesus got in the boat, the wind immediately stopped and they didn’t have to row anymore. They didn’t have to row anymore, because they immediately were where they were going. Not really, really, speedboat fast—immediately. Another obvious miracle. Four in a row. Unmistakable, unexplainable, unrequested miracles. The question is, why? Why did Jesus go through all of that? There wasn’t a crowd of people watching. The only unbeliever around was Judas. The other 11 were already believers. Jesus wasn’t trying to convince them to believe. So why would He perform this great sign? Because Jesus knew that His disciples were newborns. They were newborns who needed to grow in their faith. In Mark’s account, after he says that the disciples “were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered,” he says, “For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened.” Remember that they had just witnessed Jesus feed 15-20000 people with five loaves and two fish. But their faith was still small. Jesus knew that it still needed to be grown and encouraged. So Jesus encouraged their faith in the best way that it can be encouraged. He encouraged it in a test. And He does the same thing with us. How does Jesus encourage our faith? The same way He did with the disciples. He puts us in the right place. He prepares us for the right position. And He presents us with the right person.
First, Jesus encourages our faith by putting us in the right place. Think about where Jesus and the disciples had just been. They had just been on a hillside next to the Sea of Galilee. Thousands of people were as full and happy as they could possibly be. They were ready to make Jesus their king because He had fed them. Now, think about it from the disciples’ perspective. They were full. They were happy. And they were superstars. They were Jesus’ inner group and Jesus was a hit. They could all puff out their chest a little bit and say, “I’m with Him.” And then what did Jesus do? He ran them all off. Mark says that Jesus “sent away the people.” Matthew says that Jesus “sent the multitudes away.” Jesus ran off their fan club. And then He ran the disciples off! Matthew and Mark use the identical words, “And straightway He constrained His disciples to get into a ship.” That word constrained is every bit as harsh as it sounds. It carries the idea of compelling or even forcing someone to do something that they don’t really want to do. Jesus ran off the fan club. He forced the disciples to get into a boat and head to the other side. And He made them go by themselves. As a matter of fact, that’s probably the main reason why they were so adamant about not wanting to go. The text doesn’t explicitly say, but I’m sure that they were not wanting to leave without taking Jesus with them. But that just shows how much their faith needed to grow. Because Jesus was putting them exactly where He wanted them. He was deliberately putting them in the exact right place at the exact right time. Do you think for a minute that the omniscient creator of the universe didn’t know that a storm was brewing? After the disciples rowed away out of sight and the storm came up—do you think for a minute that Jesus stood there wringing His hands wondering how to help them? Of course not. Jesus put the disciples in the exact right place at the exact right time where they needed to be in order to encourage and grow their faith. He put them alone—away from the glare of popularity—to grow their faith. He put them in a fragile boat on horribly stormy seas to grow their faith. Notice that Jesus put them on the stormy sea instead of up on the peaceful mountaintop to grow their faith. Jesus put the disciples exactly where they needed to be just like He’s put you exactly where you need to be to grow your faith. No matter what you are going through, you are in the exact right place where Jesus wants to grow your faith. Just like He did with the disciples, Jesus will encourage your faith by putting you in the right place. He will also prepare you for the right position.
Jesus encourages our faith by preparing us for the right position. Now, just a minute ago when I said that Jesus compelled the disciples to get in the boat… I want us to get the right picture of that. Make no mistake about it, they didn’t want to go. But as I said, I think that it was mainly because they didn’t want to leave Jesus. But Jesus compelled them, so they went. In other words, Jesus commanded and they obeyed His command. And what was His command? Matthew tells us that Jesus told them to “go before Him unto the other side.” Mark fills Jesus’ command out a little more. He records that Jesus said, “get into the ship and go to the other side before unto Bethsaida.” Jesus gave them very clear instructions. Not only did He tell them to get into the boat, He told them exactly what He wanted them to do once they got in it. He told them to make their way across the Sea to Bethsaida, which is toward Capernaum. His instructions were clear, concise and to the point. There was no misunderstanding what Jesus wanted them to do. As their Master, Jesus gave the disciples a command. And they obeyed. When did they obey? When they got into the boat, even when they didn’t want to. They obeyed, even when Jesus didn’t fully explain where and when and how He was going to meet up with them again. They obeyed, even when the future wasn’t clear—at all. And do you know what else? They obeyed, even when it got really difficult. They obeyed, even when it would have been a whole lot easier to turn back. They obeyed even when it seemed like they were getting nowhere. They obeyed even when every fiber of their beings ached with pain and frustration. They obeyed and kept rowing. They rowed nearly all night long against a terrible headwind, and all the further they got was about 3 ½ miles. All night long and they weren’t even halfway. But Jesus told them to go. And Jesus was their Lord and Master. So they kept rowing. The present made no sense. The future was completely unclear. But Jesus gave a command and they were going to obey His command—whatever it cost. Wherever you are, Jesus is encouraging your faith by putting you in the right place. But He is also encouraging your faith by preparing you for the right position. And that position is the place where you recognize Him as your Lord and Master. He commands, you obey. Whatever the cost. “But what if He calls me to be a foreign missionary? What if He calls me to full-time Christian service? What if He calls me to start a new ministry in the church? What if He calls me to start a Bible study for my neighbors in my home? What if He calls me to increase my financial giving? What if He calls me to… you fill in the blank. Jesus will encourage your faith by preparing you for the right position. Why is it called faith? Because when He calls you to a position of obedience, it won’t always make sense. You will rarely be prepared for it. And you definitely won’t be able to see how it’s all going to turn out. But that’s how your faith will grow. That’s how Jesus will encourage your faith. He will put you in the right place and prepare you for the right position. He will also present you with the right person.
Jesus encourages faith by presenting you with the right person. I want you to picture the scene in your mind. Straining on the oars against that awful headwind all night long. Matthew says that the wind was contrary, which means it was in their face the whole time. Their muscles were throbbing and their bodies aching from the physical exertion. Tears and everything else running down their face from the sea spray and rain biting into their skin. And then, off in the distance, one of them notices something. They couldn’t exactly tell what it was but it was coming on them very quickly. In their exhaustion and borderline delirium, Matthew and Mark say that they thought they were seeing a ghost. They panicked and cried out in fear, but notice what Jesus did. As they were panicking, Jesus spoke to them. The text doesn’t say, but I don’t believe that He had to shout to them. The disciples were His sheep. And in John 10:27 Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” And do you know what Jesus told them in a voice that they could hear? He said, “I’m God.” In verse 20, Jesus says, “It is I, be not afraid.” It is I, comes from only two Greek words—ego ami. We’re going to see those two words used over and over and over again in the next few chapters of John. Do you know what they literally mean? Ego ami literally means, “I AM.” Does that sound familiar? It should. Do you remember way back in the Old Testament when God was speaking to Moses out of the burning bush? When God told Moses to tell Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses asked God, “Who shall I tell them sent me?” Do you remember what God said? He said, “Tell them that I AM sent you.” In Hebrew, I AM translates to YHWH, sometimes pronounced Jehovah. If Jesus was speaking Hebrew, which He probably was… when He spoke to the disciples that day, He said, “YHWH, be not afraid.” Don’t be afraid, because I am God. I am the One who created this wind and water. I am the One who created you. And as your creator and sustainer, I am telling you—fear not. And notice what the disciples did in verse 21. They willingly received Jesus into the boat. As James 4:8 says, They drew near to God and He drew near to them. Jesus grew their faith by presenting them with the right person. And they invited their creator, sustainer, Lord and Master to be with them. And when they were in the presence of Jesus, they were no longer afraid. They were no longer in turmoil. They were no longer pointlessly straining at the oars. After willingly receiving their Savior and Lord and Master, they were at peace.
So, how is your faith this morning? Have you willingly received Jesus into your life as your Savior this morning? It really doesn’t matter what kind of storm you might be going through today. You can search and search and you will never find peace outside of Him. You can chase and pursue and earn and buy and play all you want to. But none of those things will speak to you in your storm and say, “Be not afraid.” Only Jesus can do that. And He will if you’ll willingly receive Him. Maybe you have already received Jesus as your Savior, but for some reason, you’re failing to obey Him in something. His commands aren’t very complicated. His Word is very clear about what Jesus commands. He commands obedience. For the disciples, it was going across the Sea of Galilee—no matter what it took, or how it didn’t make sense, or what the outcome might be. I don’t know what it is for you. It might be a commitment to service. It might be a commitment to giving. It might be a commitment to ministry or teaching. I don’t know—but you do. Jesus has prepared that position for you and all He’s asking is simple obedience. He’s put you in the right place this morning. He’s presented you with the right Person this morning. And He’s prepared you for the right position this morning. Will you just follow Him in simple obedience this morning?
