Jesus just got some terrible news. His friend John the Baptist was beheaded by the tyrannical Herod the Tetrarch, and Jesus needed a place to escape the masses to grieve. However, upon taking a boat across the lake away from all the people, they simply chased Jesus and surrounded him on the far side of the lake.
Max Lucado wrote an entire book on this one chapter of the Bible, so if you'd really like to dig into the details of these events, it's a perfect book to read called, "In the Eye of the Storm." When I read it I was going through some tough times in my life, after getting some really bad news about my job. It looked like the company might go out of business due to some bad moves made by prior executives. I was under immense pressure to solve those issues and work with the bankers to find common ground that would keep our business alive.
Going through great pains alone is almost impossible for most human beings. We can withdraw and hide, trying to get away from the pain and responsibility of our grief. We often forget that in our solitude, God is with us. In fact, solitude and communing with God is often the best solution to massive problems. In my issue it was only when I gave my burden to God in prayer and quiet time that I became fully at peace with the outcomes of my business. Whatever happened, God was going to use it for good, even if that meant the business had to close. Fortunately for me, God chose to keep the business open and running.
Even Jesus chose to withdraw several times in this very chapter, choosing to commune with God rather than trying to deal with the day to day issues of the people. But on this day, Jesus could not escape the mob. They were desperate for healing and followed him as he tried to find solitude. Many of us would have simply turned them away, told them to go home, and used the excuse of our massive problems not to deal with their issues. Jesus didn't do that. Instead he showed them mercy. He healed them for hours, and then had the disciples feed them with a miracle of turning five loaves of bread and two fish into a meal that fed 5,000 souls.
I want to focus on the one set of verses near the end which describes what Jesus did after they fed the 5,000 people.
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
Notice that the first verse says "Immediately" right to start. Jesus was totally exhausted and done with crowds for the day. He was done. I'm sure you know the feeling when you're completely exhausted at a major party or event, and all you can think of is getting in the car and getting out of there as fast as possible. That was Jesus on this day. He was a man like all of us, and subject to the same frustrations and needs as we are.
Secondly, Jesus leaves them all to go to the mountains and pray. This is an important lesson for all of us after we get extremely bad news or have had extremely tough days. Jesus did what God wants us to do, and that's to retreat to his side and pray to God. When we remove ourselves from the earthly concerns of work, phones, TV, computers, and other people, we can find a clarity of purpose and refreshing in the presence of the Lord.
Thirdly, the boat has left Jesus behind because there's a storm brewing and they couldn't stay close to shore. Because Jesus is the son of God, he wanted to make a point to the disciples. He wanted to show them how God is not only master of the storm, he's in the storm, he can walk through the storm, and the storm has no effect on him. It's a perfect example of how Jesus emerged from his grief and time with God in a powerful image of refreshed glory.
And lastly, of course the disciples don't fully understand what they see. We're very used to being a people that observe the same things over and over again. We're familiar with routine. When something really outstanding happens, often we're skeptical and question the source. Even Peter questions Jesus and then later doubts as the storm rages.
After all, we've likely been burned before and hate to look stupid or scared. The disciples were no different. They didn't expect Jesus to walk on water, so instead of believing their eyes, they fell back on silly superstitions about ghosts. And then after that Peter fell back on his fears of the raging water. How often today do we hear or see a true miracle of God, but instead we fall back on our silly superstitions or "facts" that make us rationalize the miracle away to circumstance? Miracles are supposed to oppose facts or they wouldn't be miracles at all!
God still wants to be with us, commune with us, and work miracles with us today. The covenant that Jesus made with the disciples is the same covenant the holy spirit completes in us today when we invite Jesus into our hearts. God lives within us, and all the power of God is for us. How easy that is to forget when times are tough? And how easy should it be to remember that we can call upon a wonderful loving God to save us when we're in the middle of our storms?
Remember next time you face the storm to seek God in the quiet places of our life. And don't be surprised when he reaches his had out for you in return.
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