John 6:14–21
"After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.' Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. But he said to them, 'It is I; don’t be afraid.' Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading." Amen.
The Sign of the Five Loaves and Secular Aspirations
The account in today’s text of Jesus walking on water is a very famous story that many of you know well. You have likely also heard many sermons regarding the events following the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. Immediately after that miracle, the people sought to make Jesus their king. Although there were kings at the time, the people of Israel were effectively under Roman rule, and their greatest longing was to be independent of Rome and establish a kingdom of their own. They desired this so fervently that they hoped to achieve it through Jesus.
They believed they had finally found the prophet like Moses, whom God had promised, and a king who could perfectly satisfy their needs. They cheered and rejoiced. To put it in the terms today’s youth might use, they thought, "The hardship is over, and happiness has begun"—telling one another that a way to survive had finally opened. "Look, He fed five thousand!" When we say five thousand, if we include women and children, it was actually closer to twenty thousand people fed with five loaves of bread and two fish. Considering the population at the time, twenty thousand people represented the entire population of a mid-sized city. Is it not an incredible thing to feed an entire city?
Would you not appoint such a person as your leader? "Friends, from now on, there is no need to worry about jobs or businesses. If we just prepare two fish and five loaves, we can all survive." What life could be more comfortable? Furthermore, just as our nation was oppressed during the Japanese colonial era, they—oppressed by Rome—wanted to crown this man who could grant them true freedom. Their interest was singular: they wanted to escape their stifling reality as quickly as possible.
Human Desire and the Lord's True Concern
No one is ever fully satisfied with their reality. This is because the greed within us does not leave us alone. Once our circumstances improve slightly, we crave a better life, and eventually, we find ourselves dragged along by endless greed, sometimes falling into deep despair, wondering, "Must I really live my life this way?" Thus, we often find our lives frustrating. Yet, right then, a new king appeared—a man with the power to shatter a stifling reality and solve problems that seemed impossible to overcome. Is it not understandable why they cheered so loudly?
However, the question is whether their interests aligned with the interests of Jesus. The Lord’s concern was solely on how to reconcile them with God, how they might become people of peace with God and return to Him as His people. Jesus knew that what Israel needed most was to turn back to God. His true heart for them was that they would move away from loving only themselves and their personal interests and instead become those who love God. If they did not return to God, it would not matter how loudly they claimed to be descendants of Abraham; they would remain a people for whom such claims were meaningless.
The Limits of Lineage and Faith for Material Gain
At that time, the people of Israel were convinced they were already saved simply because they were descendants of Abraham. They believed that because they were circumcised from birth and held the lineage of Abraham, salvation was already guaranteed. Consequently, their only remaining concern was how to solve the various practical problems before them and turn circumstances to their advantage. For instance, they focused on issues like independence from Rome or the personal enrichment of their lives—secular worries about how to eat well and live prosperously were their most important topics.
Even today, many believers in the church find themselves in similar situations. They believe that because they have entered the church, their place in heaven is already reserved, while their hearts are actually preoccupied with how to live a better life in this world. Thus, the primary purpose of coming to church becomes seeking God’s help—whether through prayer or religious life—to enjoy a more affluent and prosperous life on this earth.
Self-Deception and God as a Means to an End
Dearly beloved, if you hold only such reasons in your heart, there is a high possibility that you are deceiving yourselves precisely because you attend church. Had you not attended church at all, you might at least feel a sense of guilt; however, because you sit in a church pew, you may develop a complacent mind, thinking, "I have become a deacon, an elder, or a pastor in this church, so surely God will not ignore me." I apologize for saying this, but that can be a way of deceiving oneself. While one might experience a small measure of God’s love and grace or appear moved and blessed momentarily, such a heart risks further fueling personal greed.
Ultimately, instead of moving toward truly knowing and rejoicing in God, many remain at a level where they call upon God only for themselves and request His help only for their own needs. This is not a sincere return to God, but rather a need for a powerful deity to guarantee one's own path, driven by personal will and desire. If you have sought God because you need a deity to back the life you have planned for yourself, you and I must honestly re-examine our faith. Like the Jews of that time, we may try to make Jesus a king for such purposes, thinking, "If only this person becomes King, everything I have planned will be guaranteed, and I will be able to live the life I want."
The Lord Heading to the Mountain, Away from the Crowd
How did the Lord deal with the Jews who sought to make Him king based on their own desires? What was His answer to this issue? Today’s text tells us that the first thing the Lord did was go up to a mountain. He left behind the people who tried to crown Him king and went away alone. This is truly remarkable. If it were us, could we have so easily given up such a decisive opportunity to enjoy peak popularity and public support? Yet, the Lord resolutely headed for the mountain.
It seems this was not simply due to His humility or a desire to avoid the crowd. We see this because He gave another command to His disciples. He told them, "Now, get into the boat and go to the other side." Is this situation not a bit strange? It would have been much more natural if Jesus had taken the disciples with Him to the mountain or traveled with them in the boat while comforting them by saying, "I will always be with you, so do not worry." Instead, the Lord went to the mountain alone and sent the disciples out to sea.
This serves as a great challenge for a preacher as well. If the Lord had accompanied the disciples, how wonderful would it have been to preach, "Look, the Lord protected and guided them even in the midst of the storm!" Or if He had taken even a few disciples to pray with Him on the mountain, it would have been comforting to say, "The Lord did not forget His disciples even in His moments of prayer." However, the Lord sent the disciples out to sea and ascended the mountain alone.
A New Understanding of "Going Before Us"
How can this be? Do you recall any similar passages in the Bible? Have you ever seen a situation where God sends His people ahead and stays behind? Someone like Jacob sent his family ahead and stayed behind to hide, but is not the God we know the One who always goes before us, opening our way? Is He not the One who smooths the rough paths to make a highway for us? Yet, the text specifically notes that Jesus sent His disciples ahead first. He put the disciples at the front and remained behind to go up the mountain.
Looking at this situation, we are led to reconsider the meaning of the phrase we so often love: "God goes before us." We usually expect this to mean that God goes ahead to resolve difficult tasks in advance and cleans the path so that we may walk beautifully and comfortably. However, it seems that the meaning of God being "ahead" does not necessarily imply that kind of convenience alone—though there may be times when He grants such grace.
Encountering the Storm on the Path of Obedience
Let us then examine the text to see why the Lord acted in this manner. The first thing to notice is the reaction of the disciples. Verse 16 says, "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake." Looking only at this verse, it seems the disciples went down to the lake of their own accord, but the situation becomes clearer in Mark 6:45, which covers the same event: "Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray."
Ultimately, the disciples set out in the boat according to the Lord’s command, in obedience to His word. If so, what should the sea look like on that path of obedience? Since they followed the Lord’s word, should it not have been a peaceful and beautiful journey, like sailing a yacht on a calm sea with a gentle breeze? Should there not be at least a miracle—like the path turning to gold or obstacles trembling and retreating at the name of Jesus—to experience what might be called the "flavor of believing in Jesus"? However, verse 18 of today’s text presents a situation entirely different from our expectations: "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough."
Reality of Faith and the Unseen Reward
When we believe in Jesus, we sometimes expect dramatic things to happen. Because we followed the Lord and obeyed His word, we hope for miracles—like a soldier in battle being saved because a bullet hit the Bible in his pocket. When we hear such testimonies, a thought arises in a corner of our hearts: "How wonderful it would be if such a thing happened to me." However, in reality, such things are not very common. In most cases, if you are hit by a bullet, you lose your life.
While others are said to prosper financially while living a life of faith, there are times when even the work I started with a heart to serve the Lord ends in failure. When things go wrong and losses occur, we lament, saying, "Lord, how can this be?" It is a protest that if Jesus is with me, and if God is truly a God of love, I should be specially protected even when everything else is difficult.
The fundamental dissatisfaction within us is this: "God is love and He is with me, so why is my life so uncomfortable and weary?" We feel that there should be something that is resolved smoothly to feel the joy of faith; instead, we feel frustrated by the reality where even things that were going well seem to get blocked. Then, is God someone who truly enjoys us suffering and facing obstacles? We already know the answer: He is absolutely not that kind of person. If He were, how could we be here today?
We hope for at least a small reward for choosing the path of obedience. But as we read, the Bible testifies that "a strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough." The sea, which was calm before obeying Jesus' word, turned into a rough storm as soon as they obeyed and went out in the boat. How heartless and coincidental this seems! The disciples acted according to the word, but what they faced was a fierce storm. However, there is one important fact we must remember through this text.
Gazing Beyond the Storm and Fear Toward the Lord
The disciples certainly faced a fierce storm. However, interestingly, there is no record in today’s text that the disciples were afraid because of the storm. Of course, since most of them were fishermen from Galilee, they might not have been surprised by an ordinary storm. But recall the previous incident in Mark chapter 4: "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped." At that time, the disciples woke the sleeping Jesus and cried out, asking if He did not care that they were drowning.
The previous event occurred about a year before this one, and at that time, the disciples were people who trembled before the majesty of the sea even though the Lord was with them. They witnessed the miracle of the Lord rebuking the wind and the sea to make them calm. But this time, the pattern is different. Verse 19 shows that when the disciples had rowed about three or four miles and saw Jesus walking on the water, they were frightened.
What is noteworthy is that the disciples did not fear the storm, but were startled and afraid because they saw Jesus. This suggests that the message of this text is not a simple story of trembling before the world's tribulations and finding relief only when the Lord arrives. The disciples were resolute regarding the storm threatening them, but were instead overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord walking upon that storm. The Bible now turns our gaze not to the waves of the world, but to the Lord who walks upon them.
Realizing the Essence of Faith Through Suffering
We must deeply consider why this account was recorded in such a unique way. The disciples might have vaguely guessed why the Lord sent them alone into the sea. Just moments before, in the heat of the crowd shouting "Lord, be our King," the hearts of the disciples must have been highly elevated as well. "If the Lord becomes King, I will be able to take a high position. I could be a prime minister or a minister and rule this country." Such secular ambitions and plans filled their hearts. They wanted to use Jesus Christ for their own grand plans.
However, what the disciples encountered after being put in the boat by the Lord was not a throne of glory, but a fierce storm. They learned through bitter experience that obeying the Lord is not a means to guarantee visible blessings on this earth. Although they might not have fully realized yet who the true object of their joy should be, they at least knew they did not need to fear the storm itself. This was because they sensed there was another will of the Lord contained within this event of suffering.
Of course, a certain level of realization did not make the weight of suffering any lighter. The disciples suffered greatly as they rowed desperately for survival in the midst of the fierce storm. In the heart of that suffering, they must have desperately missed the Lord. "Before, the Lord was at least sleeping in the boat; why did He send us alone this time to make us suffer like this?" Facing a hardship they would not have encountered had they been with the Lord, the disciples had to spend a difficult time without fully understanding His intent in sending them ahead.
Unanswered Suffering and the Silence of the Lord
How about your lives? While living in the world, there are times when you make a faithful confession: "From now on, I will not follow secular greed. The Lord loved me and called me; would it not be foolish to still live bound by greed? This difficult tribulation I am facing must be God’s hand trying to make me realize that." If you have tidied your heart and gained realization to this extent, it would seem right for the Lord to take away the suffering, but in reality, pain often continues without end.
To be honest, I also face this problem every day while ministering. Whenever a problem arises, I try to have a somewhat godly thought. "Lord, thank You for humbling me. I was truly arrogant." It seems that the problem should be resolved quickly if I repent like this, but the Lord does not easily change the situation. Instead, there are times when He keeps us in the place of pain and suffering for a longer time. Then, a thought arises: "Oh, maybe I missed something?" and I try repenting again with a different title. Whether I pray fervently saying, "Lord, I was negligent to my family" or "I was lacking toward the congregation," the suffering often remains in its place.
At such times, I feel it is truly hard to endure. It feels as if a teacher left a mountain of homework and then disappeared somewhere. "Teacher, you only gave the homework and where did you go? What should this poor student do now? I know it is training for my sake, but it is so hard I feel like I am dying. God, why do You leave me alone in this boat and stay away?" Such a lament naturally comes out.
A New Exodus and the Invisible War
Did our Lord really leave us alone in suffering? The core message today's text wants to show us is right here. I hope you remember the background of this event. This event did not just happen; it occurred right after the miracle of the five loaves and is placed in the middle of the process of explaining the meaning of that miracle. The miracle of the five loaves reminds us of the manna from heaven and the event of the wilderness. And today, this event of crossing the water is closely connected to the crossing of the Red Sea.
All of these clearly reenact the past Exodus. Jesus is performing a new Exodus now. It is a wondrous moment of bringing His people out from the Egypt of sin and creating them as new creatures. Therefore, the event of crossing the water in today’s text is deeply related to the Red Sea incident in Exodus 14. Let us look at Exodus 14 to see that connection—the historic scene of Moses parting the Red Sea. Let us look at verse 19: "Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them."
Fighting from Behind and Leading Forward
Meditate deeply on the meaning of this verse. Originally, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire always went before the Israelites to lead the way. But suddenly, those pillars moved to the back of the people. Jesus also always led the disciples from the front, but in this incident, He suddenly remained behind. Why did He do that? Was it simply to be alone on the mountain and rest while separated from the disciples? No. There was only one reason why the angel of the Lord moved to the back: to fight against the Egyptian soldiers. The reason the Lord stayed behind is also clear: it was to protect His people and to fight personally for them.
We did not realize it, but the Lord had already begun the war for us. When we were crying out in distress and tribulation, "Lord, why do You leave me so painfully alone?", when we were asking "Where are You?" while resenting the invisible absence of the Lord, He was already fighting at our back against the Egyptian army that was threatening us. The Lord started the war first, and He was the first to declare victory in that fight.
Then, what happens to the people moving forward while the Lord guards the rear? Exodus 14 shows a scene that matches today’s text remarkably well. Verses 14 and 15 say, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.'" The Lord pushed the disciples into the Sea of Galilee, just as He pushed them into the middle of the Red Sea.
The Lord fought from the rear while simultaneously directing the people toward the sea. Is this then an act of driving them toward death? Absolutely not. The moment they entered the sea, the angel of the Lord was with them. As the Bible expresses, when they entered the sea, the angel of the Lord blocked all the curses of the sea on their behalf. The Bible calls this 'baptism' and testifies that He rescued them from the threat of the Red Sea. The angel of the Lord was fighting from behind, while also being ahead of them and with them as they crossed the sea.
Walking Upon the Sea of Suffering
When the disciples were in the boat, not knowing what to do in the storm, they must have cried out internally, "God, where are You? Is Jesus only going to fight from the back?" Of course, at that time, the disciples did not know the Lord’s work happening in the unseen place. They might have despaired, saying, "What is the Lord doing while I am suffering like this?" However, the Lord had not only already begun the spiritual war in their lives but was also personally walking into that tribulation while they were wandering and suffering on the sea. The Lord was with them, never leaving them for a single moment.
Do you know why the disciples were so surprised when they saw the Lord walking on the water? It was because they never imagined that the Lord would be with them. However, through the process of the Lord personally holding and leading them to safely reach the other side of Bethsaida, they finally realized who it was that was with them. At that moment, they were seized with an indescribable sense of awe as they saw Jesus Christ standing before them. They finally came to know that the Lord had carried out the war for us from the very beginning, that the Lord's war continued through all moments of our lives, and that He was fighting for us.
I would like to remind you of one more fact here. The disciples rowed with all their heart in the storm. Of course, that effort did not directly save them. However, the Gospel writers Matthew and Mark record that the Lord was watching His disciples from the mountain as they struggled to row. The Lord did not take His eyes off the disciples for a single second. The Lord is paying attention to those who long for God and Jesus Christ in their lives and confess, "Lord, I will not yield to this storm; the storm is not my whole life, but the Lord is my everything." He does not ignore those who cry out, "Lord, where are You?", and He does not let their hardship and labor go in vain, but personally walks into the heart of their suffering.
"It Is I," the Voice Heard in Suffering
Did the storm immediately subside? No. Was your problem resolved at once? No. Is the path we take always a golden highway? No. Does a bullet always avoid us, do we never have car accidents, and is a magical life guaranteed where we never catch any disease? No. A saint is one who lives by passing through the very center of all the pain, trials, and fierce storms the world gives. We know that the storm is not the end of our lives, but the weight of reality is still very heavy and difficult. When you cry out, "Lord, if You were with me, this problem should be solved; where are You?", the Lord speaks to us through today's text:
"It is I; don't be afraid." Here, the phrase "It is I" is Egō Eimi in Greek. This means "I am who I am," which is the language of the Exodus. It is a declaration: "I am the Self-Existent One. I am the very Yahweh who created the heavens and the earth. I am the very Yahweh who brought the Israelites out of Egypt, who parted the Red Sea, and who gave manna in the wilderness." At that moment, the trembling disciples must have looked solely at the Lord standing before them.
The Lord tells us today as well, "Do not be afraid. It is I. The very 'I' whom you thought was not by your side, the very 'I' whom you misunderstood as having left you. The very Lord you resented, thinking I had thrown you alone into suffering without a word, is here. So do not be afraid." To the disciples who were fighting the storm alone, this voice became a massive comfort and hope incomparable to anything else.
Jesus Christ, the Companion of Life
How about you? You try every human means to live in the world and sometimes try to steady your heart by saying, "God, I still try to live a decent life of faith; the Lord must have a purpose." But to those of you for whom pain and sorrow do not disappear and who continue to struggle, the Lord says to you today: "When have I ever left you alone? Your boat will eventually land on that shore."
Witness the history of what the Lord commanded being fulfilled as it is. Realize that it was not your finite strength, but the God who is with you who personally led you, and now cast away your fear. I sincerely hope that your lives will be those that move forward powerfully yet humbly today, confessing that Jesus Christ is your strength in the midst of your weary journey.
Let us pray.
The Lord did not just look from afar but personally walked into the storm. Although the storm did not subside immediately, the hearts of the disciples were filled with unspeakable joy. The Bible testifies, "Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading." That is right. The moment they realized the Lord was with them, the moment they knew Jesus Christ had stepped into the boat of their lives, they discovered they had already reached their destination.
Lord, it is so clear and certain that You are with us. Yet, time and again, we become immersed only in ourselves, failing to be humble and instead trying to take the steering wheel of our lives with our own pride. Lord, forgive our foolishness and grant us true humility to rely only on You and true courage to overcome the world.
God, let us also hear today in the midst of our weary lives. To our souls, worn out and discouraged by the world, speak the Lord’s delicate voice: "It is I; do not be afraid." Looking at the Lord who is greater than the storm, let us confess that the boat of our lives is already in Your hands.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.