Lesson #25 Jesus Walks on the Sea of Galilee John 6:15-21 Presented Live on April 23, 2017

Transcription

1 Lesson #25 Jesus Walks on the Sea of Galilee John 6:15-21 Presented Live on April 23, 2017 I. Introduction and review A. There are some of us here who understand aerodynamics fairly well 1. The rules of aerodynamics explain how an airplane is able to fly. 2. You generally have four different forces work on an airplane: thrust, lift, drag and weight (or gravity) 3. The key to aerodynamics is lift B. Weather patterns and effects which cause sudden or unforeseen storms 1. The keys are: temperature, pressure, moisture content of the air, wind speed and topography 2. The Sea of Galilee presents a rather unique setting for weather anomalies a. The Sea is 680 feet below sea level and surrounded by mountainous territory b. Some of those precipices reach as high as two thousand feet c. The air in these mountainous areas is generally cool and dry d. On the other hand the air over the seacoast and Mediterranean Sea is warm and moist e. That type of topography is such that wind speeds can be generated at an accelerated pace f. If that air is funneled into the Sea of Galilee basin, the weather conditions will become explosive g. Moreover, since the water has a depth of only two hundred feet, a shallow lake like this one is whipped Page 1 of 8

2 II. up by wind much more rapidly than a deeper body of water h. And being down in that basin provides one with little means of warning until the storm is upon you i. And that is especially true at night C. That is one of the reason that Jesus was in a hurry to get His disciples into the boat and out to the middle of the Sea 1. And the boat they had was not that large 2. Consider the archeological findings Higher Biblical Criticism A. This a movement of Scholarship and Biblical interpretation which began, according to some, in Germany 1. It is marked by several key distinctions to prior Biblical interpreters and/or commentators 2. The concept of higher is used to refer to the level of their scholarship that is that they are so well trained that their scholarship is superior to all others 3. Additionally their proponents are for ther most part unbelievers 4. Those in this movement also maintain a strong bias against supernaturalism 5. The leaders in this movement or way of thinking view themselves as rationalists 6. This is the school of thought that gave us the Documentary Hypotheses B. An example of their views could be seen when they are applied to the passage we previously studied John 6: They claim that Jesus didn t supernaturally feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish 2. But instead He had the people to sit down and then He had the boy come to Him 3. The boy then shared his food with Jesus and when the rest of the people saw this act of sharing, they got out their food that they had brought and shared it among themselves and were feed in that way 4. Jesus, they claim, was not promoting supernaturalism or any special powers He had, but instead the power of sharing C. When they come to the next passage (John 6:15-21) they treated it the same way 1. Here they focused on the the Greek preposition evpi, epi {ep-ee'} a. Meaning: 1) upon, on, at, by, before 2) of position, Page 2 of 8

3 on, at, by, over, against 3) to, over, on, at, across, against b. They claim the true translation should be by and not on 2. Obviously this preposition could be translated either way, so how does one determine which way to translate it a. They determine how to translate this word based on their a priori assumption that there were no supernatural acts involved b. They then applied their assumption to the text and fail to consider fairly the context of the passage in which the preposition is found c. There are three passages which relate the story of this event, (1) John 6:15-21, (2) Mark 6:45-52 and (3) Matthew 14: D. A contextual analysis 1. The Sea of Galilee was a lake that covered 64 square miles a. It was 13 miles long and 8 miles across b. Its circumference was 33 miles 2. At the time of the event the disciples had traveled to the middle of the lake a. John 6:17... and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. b. John 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea.... c. Mark 6:47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. d. Matthew 14:24-25 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night It was dark and one couldn t be seen if one were walking on the shore a. John 6:17... It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. b. Mark 6:48... at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; (1) the fourth watch would between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m. c. Matthew 14:25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. Page 3 of 8

4 E. The response of the higher critics 1. Well Jesus could see them when He was on the shore, why couldn t they see Him on the shore? 2. Mark 6:47-48 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; F. The reply of conservative scholars 1. Jesus did see the boat and His disciple from His position on the mountain a. But that was because of the lights on the boat b. When would these men fish when they worked as fishermen at night c. They had their boats lit up because they believed that it would attract fish d. You don t sail in the middle of the night without light e. So that is how Jesus could see them f. And that was the reason why they couldn t see Him until He was very close to their boat 2. Moreover, let s step back and take a longer look 3. If they were out in the middle of the lake during the day could they see and recognize someone walking on the shore line? 4. And if they could, would they be scared of him? III. A comparison of the three accounts: John 6:15-21; Mark 6:45-52; and Matt. 14:22-34 A. The various gospel writers would include somethings and exclude others Why? B. Luke did not include an account of this event at all in his gospel C. We must consider the purpose of these three gospels: 1. Mark is generally considered to have been the first gospel written a. Its authorship indicated a date in the 50's or 60's A.D. b. It was written to gentiles and particularly Romans c. Much of the information came from Peter and his influence on Mark d. Many Jewish concepts or occurrences were omitted from Mark s gospel e. Mark, in Roman fashion, emphasized what Jesus did, not what He said 2. Matthew was written next and at or about the same time as Mark Page 4 of 8

5 a. Matthew was written to the Jews b. Its purpose was to prove to the Jews that Jesus was their Messiah c. It contained 128 references to the Old Testament d. It carried a message of repentance and grace to the Jewish people 3. John was the last of the Gospels to be written circa 85 to 90 A.D. a. His gospel was aimed at proving that Jesus was the son of God b. And that salvation could be found in a real belief in Jesus as one s savior 4. Luke was written to record the things that Jesus did from a Gentile or Greek point of reference, and with a medical slant on the narrative a. He sought to enunciate Jesus humanity as well as His Sonship b. He wrote from a Greek, cultural background D. The reasons for exclusion or addition 1. John was very close to Peter, being a business partner and life long friend a. He probably did not include the story of Peter out of deference to his friend b. And because it does not further his purpose of proclaiming Jesus to be God and that belief results in salvation c. What was important to John was that Jesus walked on the water, displaying the power of the Son of God 2. Mark was also close to Peter and received much of his information from the leader of the disciples a. He also omitted Peter s involvement for much the same reasons b. Mark emphasized Jesus s actions and the required conclusion of those actions His diety 3. Matthew on the other hand did include Peter in his narrative a. He did that because he wanted to demonstrate to his Jewish audience that the grace which Jesus extends to us will always take a betrayer or doubter back b. The Jews remember, had rejected or missed the coming of their Messiah (1) That was a completely unpalatable thought to them Page 5 of 8

6 (2) If they believed that to be the case, they would tend to conclude that all was lost for them (3) And Matthew wanted to demonstrate for them that that was not the case. IV. The miraculous events A. These three accounts of what happened out there on the Sea of Galilee that night reveal to us several miraculous events that took place 1. Jesus walking on the water [John 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.] 2. Peter walking on the water [Matthew 14:28-29 Peter said to Him, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.] 3. The wind being stopped [Matthew 14:32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. Mark 6:51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped....] 4. Immediate arrival at the shore [John 6:20-21 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.] B. This sign demonstrated clearly that Jesus had access to the power to control nature and natural forces C. Question: Has Jesus sometime since then lost that power or can He still exercise that power in our lives or in our world? D. If so, what is the exercise of that power reliant upon? V. The statement of Jesus and what we miss A. As Jesus was walking on the water close to the boat, He stopped and turned and spoke to the disciples B. He said: It is I 1. That is, He was not a ghost 2. They surely recognized His voice 3. But there was something more, He said evgw, eivmi 4. Strictly translated that means I am with an emphasis on the I 5. Jesus addresses them with his name as the one true God 6. The name He used with Moses when He spoke to him from the burning bush C. Then He told them not to be afraid Page 6 of 8

7 1. It is the middle of the night 2. They have been caught in the middle of a freakish and deadly storm 3. Their lives are in peril 4. How can they not be afraid? 5. What was the basis or the preface to Jesus instruction not to be afraid? 6. He clearly told them: I am God 7. What is the top fear that most humans share the fear of death. D. What is the opposite of fear for the believer faith 1. Remember in John 6:20, Jesus first said: It is I, do not be afraid 2. Them in Matthew 14:31, Jesus said to Peter, O you of little faith E. Remember in the first part of John 6 Jesus tested His disciple with the 5,000 people in need of food 1. What was he testing their faith 2. How did Philip do? 3. How did Andrew? 4. This time He was testing their faith at an even higher level 5. Can fear be contagious? 6. How did the disciples, exclusive of Peter, fare in this test? 7. How about Peter? VI. Storms A. The disciples left land not expecting a storm 1. Jesus watched them depart expecting a storm 2. Once the storm came the disciples quickly recognized its danger 3. Can we expect storms in our lives? 4. Consider James 1:2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 5. Is there a question as to whether we will face storms? 6. Why do we have to face storms? James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. B. What kind of storms are there? 1. The Scripture teaches us that there are two kind of storms 2. There are storms of correction a. God will bring storms like this into the lives of believers when they need discipline or correction b. Consider these examples: (1) The storm that blew up in the middle of the Mediterranean when Jonah was sailing to Page 7 of 8

8 Tarshish which ended with Jonah in the belly of a great fish (2) The 40 years that Israel spent wandering in the Midian wilderness before they could enter the promised land (3) When Israel, under Joshua, lost the first battle of Ai due to the sin of Achan (4) When Peter suffered the ignominious defeat of denying his Lord three times on that fateful night the storm that Jesus described as Peter being sifted like wheat flour 3. There are also storms of perfection a. Remember the whirlwind of loss that overtook Job b. Having to face the den of lions if Daniel choose to pray openly c. Facing a fiery furnace and enraged monarch for refusing to bow to an idol d. When God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son to Him 4. What kind of a storm did the disciples face that night in the Sea of Galilee? 5. What is Jesus trying to do a. To exercise their faith b. Faith is like a muscle c. If exercised properly, it grows and becomes stronger d. If you faith is misued, it can be injured or degraded e. And if your faith is left unused, like a muscle it will atrophy VII. Let s take one last look a faith in this story A. And want to look at that faith that Jesus is trying to grow in these men through the eyes of Simon Peter B. There have been only two human beings throughout history who have walked on water 1. Did Peter have any trouble on the way back? 2. How did this event effect Peter? 3. Were there any long term gains or loses on his part? C. The Voyage to Gennesaret Believer s Bible Class, & Douglas W. Brady Page 8 of 8