The Sea

We move on this week to the next section of John's Gospel. Here, we have another miracle. It's an unusual miracle, especially when you ask the question, 'Why did Jesus do this?' I must admit that when I saw that this was next my first thought was, 'So, what am I supposed to preach from this?' But as usual, the Spirit came through, and I have a sermon. Please listen as I read our text, John 6.16-21.

The disciples are in a boat in the middle of the Sea of Galilee. They're dealing with some rough waters, and Jesus is not with them. But never fear. Here he comes … walking on the water. Another miracle. But it's not like the feeding of the five thousand that we looked at last week. You have to admit that the reason for this miracle is not so very clear.

Last week I told you that there are different reasons why Jesus did miracles. I mentioned three: to alleviate suffering, to provide evidence and to teach. I think that it's clear that this one is not about anyone's suffering. It does, however, provide more evidence. And if that's all that's going on, then I suppose we should just mention that and move on to the next section of John. But it's obvious that I think that there is something more going on. I am, after all, preaching a sermon on this text. So, that means that the third reason for Jesus' miracles shows up here. Something is being taught.

This is where I point out a theme in the Bible. It's the imagery of the sea. God uses images to communicate, and the sea is one of those images. When an image shows up in a text, the writer is referring to ideas and concepts that had already been associated with that image.  And that's the case here. So, consider some places where the sea shows up. Let's start at the end of the Bible and work our way to the beginning. It's clearer that way. This is from Revelation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Now, we could take this very literally and come away thinking that the new heaven and new earth will be totally dry. No sea. But I think that it's clear that in a book like Revelation, a book filled with images, that would not be a good conclusion. There is something more going on. The imagery of the sea must have had something associated with it in the Old Testament. God is telling us something about what the new heaven and new earth are like, and it has nothing to with whether there will be large bodies of water.

Here's another one from Revelation. This will help.

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads.

This beast is one of the bad guys. And this evil beast rises out of the sea. Is that a little throwaway phrase just to add a little color to John's writing? No. Here, we see that the sea has been associated with evil. It's an image of evil. And John got the idea from the Old Testament writings of Daniel, among other places.

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel saw a dream and visions of his head as he lay in his bed. Then he wrote down the dream and told the sum of the matter. Daniel declared, 'I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea. And four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.'

And if you remember the rest of Daniel's dream, it's clear that these four beasts are also bad guys.

Let's take another look at this image of the sea, this time even closer to the beginning of the book. Think about the escape of Israel from Egypt. Moses leads them out, the Exodus, but soon after Pharaoh has a change of heart. He's up and after them with his best troops. And where does he catch up with Israel? At the Red Sea. In fact, he has them boxed in by the sea. Pharaoh is ready to pounce. The people are sure that they are all going to die. But Israel's God knows what's going on, and he acts. The sea, blocking Israel's way, is parted by God. Israel walks through. But when Pharaoh's army follows, the sea returns, and they are drowned. The sea, acting, at first, as an ally of Pharaoh for the destruction of Israel, was tamed and became, instead, God's ally in the destruction of Pharaoh.

Then there's Noah's flood. How should we understand the image of the sea here? I think that the words 'complete destruction' are quite fitting.

And now, you can understand a bit better why the beast in Revelation came out of the sea. God speaks using images. The sea is one of those images. It is an image of destruction, of evil come to do its devastating work. Jesus is teaching something about this by his miracle of walking on the sea. That should not have happened. He should have sunk. The sea should have swallowed him up. It didn't. Jesus is teaching but not by using words. He is teaching by means of an image.

Before I move on to what exactly Jesus is teaching I want to deal with two quick thoughts that mostly fit here. The first anticipates something that you might be thinking. I'm guessing that most of you didn't know about the sea as an image in the Bible. And that leads to this question: Should you have known about this? Should you have known your Bibles so well that all of this would have been old hat? I really don't think so. Or let me say it a bit differently. The Father has not called you to be Bible scholars. He has not called you to be experts here. If you were to pursue that goal it would actually be a distraction. It would be a distraction from what he actually has called you to do. The Father has called you to get to know and enjoy Jesus. He has called you to develop your friendship with him. The point in doing that is not merely your benefit. Developing a friendship with Jesus makes it possible for you to accomplish another calling the Father has placed upon you. He has called you to be out there in the world, as Jesus' disciples, establishing the Kingdom of God. The details of that will look different for each of you according to your specific callings. But, in general, that's his calling for all of you. But if you try to become a Bible expert, you will fail at this other calling. You only have so much time and energy. And there are certain gifts needed to be a scholar. So, in this case, intensive biblical studies that include things like getting to know that the sea is an image are, at least for most of you, distractions.

Now, Jesus is quite aware that there are things in the Bible that you really do need to know. And he has dealt with that. That's why he has given pastors to his Church. I need to be a Bible scholar so that you can be freed from such studies, freed to pursue your calling to grow your friendship with Jesus so that you can change the world. Now, to be clear, this does not mean that you can ignore your Bible. But it does change the reason why you read it. Don't try to know your Bible like an expert. Rather, use it to develop your friendship with Jesus. That's the way you change the world. So, you focus on your calling and I'll focus on mine, and together we will be used by the Spirit to establish God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Here's my other thought. I love words. I find them fascinating. It is no surprise, then, that I am a wordsmith. Every week I write out a manuscript for the sermon, and I edit it many times before you ever hear it. Finding the right word is a big deal for me. There is a certain beauty in that. But, as important and helpful and even necessary as words are, so are images. Words are great when you need to express a thought very precisely. But images can pack a powerful punch. And that's why John wrote Revelation in the way that he did. 

Be careful. It's not one or the other, words or images. It's both. It's like prose and poetry. Many of you are partial to words. Part of that is because of your training. A lot of you are trained in science-related fields that require precision. It's also because many of you have been influenced by Reformed theology, where the emphasis is on words. The precision of Reformed theology is one of its strengths. Words. But we also need to recognize that there is a place for images also. God uses images, too.

All of that has something to say about things like how to read your Bible, what worship is to look like, the evangelistic power of good art and lots more. It also explains a lot about the sacraments.

That's enough for quick thoughts. Let's get back to that question from our text. What was Jesus teaching by this miracle? We'll find what I think is some helpful commentary in one of the Psalms. Psalm 107 starts out like this.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble.

What follows are several scenarios illustrating how God redeems from trouble because of his steadfast love. The first has to do with those who wandered in the desert. The next is about prisoners at death's doorstep. The next is about those who got themselves into serious trouble by their sinful choices. In each case they are redeemed by the Lord. The same pattern follows in the scenario that relates to our text. There's some great imagery here.

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. ​Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. ​Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

‘They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths.’ What a great way to describe being at the mercy of an angry sea. And finding themselves in their evil plight, they cry out and their God responds.

… he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.

By his miracle Jesus makes a connection with this Psalm. He teaches those disciples - and us - that he is the Lord who has authority over the sea. He stills storms and quiets waters. He is the one who responds to his people who are at the mercy of the evil and angry sea and brings them to their desired haven. He is Lord over the sea. He is Lord over the evil of the sea. 

So, in our text Jesus walks on the sea that was 'rough because a strong wind was blowing'. And because he exercised his authority, 'immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going'. Jesus is the Lord who redeems his own out of their troubles because of his steadfast love. Jesus taught them something about himself using an image of a man walking on the sea.

This is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with someone like me - and many of you - someone who is decidedly not a sailor? I am not expecting to be in the midst of some large body of water during a storm. This is where one needs to understand and, shall I say, translate the image. All of us, including landlocked people like me, live our lives in the midst of a sea of evil. Many days are calm enough. We enjoy the bright sun and blue skies as we float along. We can deal with the slight swell here and there. But there have been days that felt like we were at the mercy of some violent hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic. All of that is what life is for us. Good days, bad days and some absolutely horrific days.

But here's the point. When we hit one of those more difficult days, we do not need to respond in the same way that the world around us does. 'Oh well, what are you going to do? There are good days, and there are bad days. That's life and there's nothing you can do about it.' That's a lie. Jesus is the Lord of the sea. He is Lord of the calm and sunny days as well as Lord of the stormy days. And knowing that gives hope, a real, down-to-earth hope.

How so? Well, even though our world has its bad guys, like those beasts, we need to remember who causes the stormy seas that produce those beasts. Listen again to Psalm 107.

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.

Yes, Satan attacks the people of God, but Jesus stands over and controls even Satan. So, on your worst day, the day when the storm is raging worse than anything you have ever imagined, remember that it was Jesus who 'commanded and raised the stormy wind'. It's Jesus who is giving you that terrible day. And that's when you have a decision to make. Is he a cruel taskmaster who carelessly tosses lightning bolts your way or is he a loving Savior who sends you trouble for your good?

I will tell you this. I have experienced the storm, the raging winds and the huge waves. The only reason I survived was because I was convinced that he is a loving Savior doing me good by sending that storm, that even that storm was part of his good, wise and loving plan for my life. And looking back, I can see that I was not wrong in that conviction.

And that leads to this. When the sea rages all around you, don't try to deal with it 'as best you can'. That will not work.

​Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.

It's when the sea is at its worst that you find out things about yourself. And one thing you will find out is whether you believe that the Father hears your cries. You needn't look within to see if you have some special feeling. It will be obvious that you believe he listens when you find yourself crying out to your Father and actually expecting him to do something. And that is one of the good things that comes from these storms. You get to see the real you. And where there is believing, you also get to see the real Jesus in action.

And then afterward, when you have been delivered:

​Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

If good days and bad are just the way life is, then it makes sense to go from one day to the next as well as you can. But if Jesus rules the seas whether they are stormy or calm, then it makes sense to thank him 'for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works' on your behalf - for the calm and even for the storm.

We've covered a lot of territory: images, being a Bible scholar - or not, the theme of the sea, Revelation, Daniel and Psalm 107, Jesus as Lord even of the evil sea. Let me put a point on it with this. Here we are, worshiping in the presence of the Father, where we enjoy a taste of the new heavens and new earth, life where the sea is no more. But after the benediction you return to the world. You return to the evil of the sea. As this week progresses, there will be sunny days with a very calm sea and days with a few storms.  There may even be a hurricane waiting for you. What will you do when you are in the midst of it all, say, on Wednesday, whether that's a good day or a bad day? How will Jesus as Lord of the sea relate to what happens then?