Miracles: Let Him Be Known
“Walking on Water”
Pastor Rollan Fisher
Notes prepared by Paul Barker
We believe that God works miracles today by the power of the Holy Spirit to bless people and advance his kingdom. In 2023, we are believing God for miracles that will testify to his power and create new opportunities for the gospel to advance. The sermon series will focus on the 7 miracles John recounts as signs pointing people to faith in Jesus as the Son of God.
Focus: Jesus is sovereign and performs miracles to bring his disciples through the chaos of the current corrupted creation in order that they might fulfill his mission and eventually inherit the new creation.
John 6:16-21
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Historical Context of John:
Author: John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 21:20)
Date: Late-first century (likely between 85–95)
Purpose: The purpose of John’s Gospel is clearly stated in John 20:30–31
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
“. . . this brief statement can account for the primary theological features of John’s gospel. It says that the author hopes Jesus’ ‘signs,’ as they are recorded in the book, will produce or bolster the faith of its readers that Jesus is not only the ‘Messiah’ but the ‘Son of God’ and therefore lead the reader to ‘life.’”
-Frank Thielman in Theology of the New Testament
Literary Context of John 6:16–21
✦ Surrounding Passages
- Before: John 6:1–15
Jesus walking on water (verses 16–21) occurs immediately after the feeding of the 5,000 (verses 1–15).
“When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’” (verse 14)
“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (verse 15)
- After:
The crowd comes looking for him, and realizing he is no longer on that side of the sea, they head to Capernaum to seek him (verses 22–24). Jesus then teaches on the Bread of Life (verses 22–59) and Eternal Life (verses 60–71).
Many disciples couldn’t accept this teaching and walked away (verses 60, 66). Jesus asks the Twelve if they also want to walk away.
“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (verses 68–69)
Here, Peter’s response shows that he, and the other Twelve (besides Judas), had come to saving faith in Jesus as not only the “Prophet like Moses,” but as the Holy One of God. Though they don’t have the full revelation that they receive after his resurrection, here, we see they begin to understand his divinity. And so, when others stopped following, they could do nothing but continue to follow him.
✦ How does the passage fit into the broader themes of John’s Gospel?
- “Throughout his gospel, John has shown that he is aware of the traditional understanding of these concepts [Messianic hopes], but he has also demonstrated that Jesus broke the boundaries of these ideas and gave new meaning to the terms ‘Messiah’ and ‘Son of God.’”
- Throughout John’s Gospel, he shows understanding of the messianic hopes of the times, and through the “signs” of Jesus, including Jesus walking on water, John reveals to his reader how Jesus as Messiah and Son of God expands those expectations.
Main Point:
Jesus, the Lord over the storm, brings us safely through the storm while transforming us in the storm.
Text: John 6:16–21
A. Jesus left his disciples to face the storm without him (verses 16-18).
Why did Jesus do this? Earlier that day, Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000. Verse 14 tells us that the crowd, believing that Jesus was the Prophet they’d been anticipating, wanted to make him accept that role by force.
The disciples have also witnessed this amazing miracle. And like those in the crowd, I’m sure they had similar messianic hopes and expectations. After all, why would they have left everything to follow Jesus? Maybe they were even among the people at that moment hoping to take him by force to make him king. Expectation was high, not just for what Jesus would do but how they would benefit from it. Maybe they envisioned the hard lives of their family back home finally being made easier. Or perhaps they were looking forward to the accolades and prestige they could look forward to from being Jesus’ close companions. But Jesus perceived the crowd’s intentions and the disciples, and so he sent the disciples back to Capernaum alone, dismissed the crowd, and withdrew by himself.
And so, here are the disciples, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee without Jesus. They are likely confused, disappointed, and maybe even disillusioned. And at this moment, a storm came upon them, forcing them to row desperately. Mark 6:48 tells us that they were still rowing at the fourth watch of the night between 3:00– 6:00 a.m. So, they’ve been rowing for at least nine hours and have only made it three to four miles. They are tired, hungry, and probably wondering, “Where is Jesus? Why has he left us in a storm to fend for ourselves? This is not what we signed up for when we decided to follow Jesus!”
Has Jesus ever seemingly left you to face a storm alone?
Whatever your specific situation, you may have felt perplexed, not understanding what Jesus was doing, or maybe you were disappointed because you expected him to do something he didn’t do. And perhaps this has even led to anger and resentment. And as the storm goes on, this leads you to feel weary, depleted, and possibly hopeless.
B. Jesus reveals his glory to the disciples in the storm.
In the middle of their rowing, the disciples looked up and saw Jesus walking on water, and they were frightened. Why were they frightened?
Their thoughts may have gone to Psalm 77:16–19:
When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
Yes, Jesus was the Messiah they’ve been anticipating, but seeing him walk on water, they realized he’s so much more. He is the one who the waters of the earth fear and submit to. He is the Holy One, the Lord of all creation.
Jesus speaks to them: “It is I; do not be afraid.”
It is I: egō eimi
In other contexts, this can be translated “I Am,” and so this may allude to Exodus 3:14:
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
By seeing Jesus walk on water, and by hearing Jesus’ words, they went from seeing him as the Messiah who would be Israel’s prophet and king, to the Messiah who is Israel’s God. If he hadn’t left them to face the storm, they would have never seen his glory revealed in the storm.
And just as Jesus revealed his glory to the disciples in the middle of the storm, often when we least expect it, he will reveal his glory to us in our storm. Just as the disciples had too small a view of who Jesus was and what he’d come to do, how often do we have too small of a view of him? And so, we expect him to act and behave in certain ways, and when he doesn’t, we are confused, disappointed, and maybe even resentful. But Jesus never fails to show up in our storm, and when he does, he reveals himself to us in ways that we could have never imagined if we’d stayed safely on the shore.
Charles Spurgeon, in a sermon on this passage, said,
“So be of good cheer, for Jesus Christ will come to you even when it is all dark around you. And here is another word of cheer for you, namely, that when he does come, it will be in a way that will give you a higher sense of his glory than you ever had before. You have seen him on the land, but you have never yet seen him on the water. Well, you could not see him walking on the water, unless you were on the water yourself; and you could not see Jesus Christ calming the storm unless there was a storm to be quieted; and if the wind did not blow, you could not tell whether he could control it. Trial is absolutely necessary in order to reveal to us some of the attributes of our gracious God.”
-Charles Spurgeon, from his sermon “Night, and Jesus not There!”
And when Jesus reveals himself to us in the storm, we realize he never actually left us to begin with. But in every gust and every wave, he was there.
C. Jesus brings them safely through the chaos of the storm, transforming them in the storm (verse 21).
Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
They believed he is God, and when he gets in the boat, they were immediately brought through the chaos of the storm and are on land. Some interpret this as a second miracle, while others argue that the boat went immediately towards the shore, and it felt like no time passed at all to the joyful disciples.
On their own, the disciples were striving against the obstacles of the storm, but when God, the Holy One, the sovereign Lord of Creation, got in their boat, they were brought through the chaos of the waves and safely to shore. Whether this was immediate or a process, because Jesus was in their boat, there was an ease and gladness in the journey.
Sometimes, when Jesus reveals his glory to us in the storm, we are immediately delivered from the circumstances we’ve been facing. But other times, deliverance isn’t immediate, and we must continue to go through the storm. But when Jesus is in our boat, there is a tranquility and expectant hope that carries us through the turbulent waters.
Not only did he bring them through the chaos of the storm, but there was a transformative work in the disciples in the storm. We see this evidence of transformation later on in the chapter in John 6:66–69. After a hard teaching, many disciples were walking away from Jesus. And so Jesus asked the disciples if they will also walk away. But Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”
When we encounter Jesus in the storm, and are carried safely through it by him, we can’t help but be changed and respond like Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life . . .”
D. Gospel Reflection
We all face storms, because we are all still living in a world that experiences the effects of sin. None of us are promised a storm-free life. But we can have confidence that Jesus will carry us through the storm, while transforming us in the storm. And we have this confidence because on the cross, Jesus went through the cosmic storm of sin and death for us, and when he rose from the dead, proved that he had defeated the storm.
He will not abandon us to any storm we face, because he didn’t abandon us in that storm. And when he returns, the Lord over the storm will bring an end to all storms as he brings the full redemption to his entire creation.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher