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Text: Jn. 6: 15-21 I. N. I. Sermon #1847
Lord Jesus Christ, heavenly Friend, be near us and comfort us when we are tossed about by the storms on life’s tempestuous sea. When our faith falters and fails us, stretch forth Your gracious hand, we pray, rescue us again and strengthen our trust in You, the only Savior. Break and hinder the evil devices of the devil, who continually seeks to destroy our faith, bind up and heal the broken hearted, and comfort us with Your everlasting comfort. Hear us, O merciful Savior. Amen. (Devotions for Lutheran Schools, CPH, p. 111 adapted.)
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesuswithdrew again tothe mountain by Himself.When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.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. But He said to them,"It is I; do not be afraid."Then they were glad to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
In Christ Jesus, whose gracious presence calms all our fears, dear fellow-redeemed:
You have probably heard the story of the solitary sailor who fell overboard and was left treading water in the open sea. He was beginning to feel desperate. He prayed that the Lord would rescue him. A boat came by and the crew threw him a life ring, but he refused it and waved them off. Then a helicopter swooped in and lowered a lifeline, but again he waved them off. Finally a life raft came floating next to him, but he pushed it away. He finally drowns and when he gets to heaven he asksGod disappointedly why He refused to answer his prayer to rescue him. God responded: “I tried three times, but you would not accept my help.”
Now while this story has a lesson to teach, it is fictitious. But our text is a true story with a lesson that has a delightful twist as well. As we consider the disciples beholding their Lord walking on water towards them as they are being tossed about in their boat, let us learn what this means for us: Fear Not! – the Man Overboard Has Come to Rescue You.While God’s ways are not our ways, His ways always work for us. Prescribing to God how He must answer our prayers for rescue leaves us racked with doubts, fears and disappointments.
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John’s account of Jesus walking on water, like Mark’s does not include the request of Peter to walk out and meet Jesus. Matthew does include that additional information and how Peter at first successfully walked until His faith wavered and he began to sink. Jesus would rebuke Peter commenting how little his faith was. Mark also tells us that the fear of the disciples both in the storm and when they saw Jesus was grounded in their doubts, pointing out that even after the miracle of feeding the five thousand on the day before they did not fully appreciate that Jesus was not only man but also the almighty God who came to save them.
We too can be filled with such doubts as we deal with the storms of life that toss us to and fro. We may pray, but we approach our Lord as though He may not hear us, care for us nor act in our best interest. We read this warning in the letter by James: “Count it all joy, my brothers,when you meet trialsof various kinds,for you know thatthe testing of your faithproduces steadfastness.…If any of you lacks wisdom,let him ask God,who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.Butlet him ask in faith,with no doubting, for the one who doubts is likea wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;he is a double-minded man,unstable in all his ways.”
Matthew and Mark inform us that Jesus directed His disciples to cross over the sea that night and He would meet them in Capernaum the next day. Jesus went up into the nearby mountain to pray in solitude. Very likely His prayer to His Father included petitions for His disciples who were spiritually struggling to know and believe in Him as their Savior sent by the Father.
Jesus, seeing them physically struggling at night attempting to navigate in those strong winds, walked out to them to rescue them. Could Jesus have just rebuked the wind from the shore, as He had done once before when He was asleep in their boat during a storm? Of course He could have, but He desired to stir up their trust in Him by walking out to them. Our Lord desires the same for us in the storms of our lives. He tests us calling upon us to trust in His love for us when all seems to be lost.
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Imagine what it was like for these disciples to see a figure of a man walking toward them on the water as they were struggling to stay afloat? They were frightened and no doubt confused. A man overboard in this terrible storm seemed to be the One on solid ground. He should have been the One in need of rescue! Instead, He identifies Himself urging them not to be afraid. He, the Lord of the land, skies and seas, was present among them, come to rescue them.
This is very similar to what we experience regularly my fellow redeemed even to this day. We hear preached and even see images of Christ and Him crucified. We, who need to be rescued from our sin and death, have a Savior, a man nailed to the cross who suffered and died. In truth, Jesus was the One thrown overboard by our heavenly Father purposely for us. Yet it is upon this solid ground – Christ and Him crucified, that we find our eternal rescue. His death means life for us.
You see, it was not just a man that hung on that cross; it was our God as well. This God-Man Savior was able to take to Himself all our sins, all of its shame and guilt and bear for us the eternal curse from our Creator. This God-Man Savior not only suffered our complete eternal punishment in our place, but by rising again defeated the claim death has on us, for whom He substituted Himself.
So when Jesus spoke the words: "It is I; do not be afraid." it had more significance than “It is I, your friend.” When Jesus spoke those words as He walked upon the troubled waters, He was declaring to them His complete person as their God-Man Savior. It went far beyond the offer of friendship and the ability to commiserate with them during their time of difficulty. As the eternal and almighty God He came to rescue.
As soon as Jesus entered their boat, they found themselves safely on the shore to which they had been heading. What are your storms of life these days? – a serious diagnosis? – employment challenges? – death of a dear one? – betrayal by someone close to you? Jesus is here for you, do not be afraid. Your spiritual enemies will try to convince you that you are sinking fast because of your many sins and will deservedly be lost. But your God-Man Savior, who went overboard for you, declares all your sins paid for by Him and you stand right and holy before God, your creator. Despite your many fear-producing doubts that well up in your hearts so easily, Jesus comes to you and rescues you. In the midst of your storms our Lord comes to you with His very body given and blood shed and forgives you. He does not abandon you.
It won’t be long that you will reach the safe harbors of heaven never ever to be troubled again by the storms of this life. The Man overboard, seemingly lost in the massive waves of hatred stirred up by the unbelieving world with His Word of reconciliation for all mankind bespoke peace and has stilled the storms all around us. “It is finished”, He declared, meaning we are safe and sound for all eternity.
What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey Him? - Your Lord and Savior. He is not just some earthly ruler who makes promises, which may or may not be fulfilled. This is the King of all kings whose kingdom endures everlastingly, because He willingly was tossed overboard to save you. Amen.