Jesus and his disciples are being pressed by the crowd. Jesus has just fed the 5,000 with a few loaves and fish and he fears they will come and take him by force and make him "king." So the disciples go down to the sea, get into a boat and started to cross to Capernaum. "It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them."
The wind is against them, and they have rowed for three or four miles. Then, "they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat."
When this story is told, we are inclined to say, "Jesus walked on the water." Such reads those sometimes helpful (but sometimes misleading) chapter headings in my digital bible. But Matthew, Mark, and John (there is no such story in Luke) all are clear that Jesus is "walking on the sea."
The sea has water, but it is more. The sea was a fearful place for travelers. Its depths were impenetrable. The "Leviathan" lived there and devoured whole ships. There was more worry associated with the sea than simply drowning.
Jesus walks on "the sea."
I always want to acknowledge how simple these email messages are. There are fears and threats which do loom large and should not be ignored. I write these email messages in order to point out how some have responded to fears and threats. That response is to speak of how God has "walked on" these things and proven to us that they can be overcome and kept in their place.
What flaming arrows are coming your way? What anxieties do you face? Jesus walks over them all. And will walk with you.
Pastor Chris
PS. Let me site my sources for this insight to sea and water. There is a weekly podcast, produced by two campus pastors. One of them is Zach, an LCM-C Alumni; Matt is the other host. It is called "Vinyl Preacher." I encourage you to listen to it.
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