Master of the Sea
For the Lord’s Day:  the 30^th of January 2005

John 6: 16-24

Introduction:   There are several issues that lay before us in this text, and all three are worthy of a detailed exposition.  These include, the geographic and weather issues, which can present a stumbling block to the ignorant and unbelievers; the ordinary human reaction to unexpected events, which haunts even the saints; and finally the person and power of the Lord’s anointed Messiah laid out for all to consider.

First, let us start with a consideration of the geography and climate of the once prosperous basin surrounding the Sea of Galilee.  We must begin with the political geography, since three subdivisions of the Roman Empire touched on the shores of this small but historically significant lake.  To the northwest was the Tetarchy of Herod Antipas, Nazareth and Capernaum were located here.  Further east, on the other side of the sea was the Tetarchy of Philip, where Bethsaida was located.  Both Herod & Philip were technically heirs of old King Herod.  Further to the southeast and somewhat ambiguous in organization was the Decapolis - which “refers to a federation of cities marked by Hellenistic organization and culture.”

The significance of the political geography is that after John the Baptist was murdered, Jesus simply had to travel a few miles by sea or land and He would have been safely across a not completely insignificant political frontier.  Very many places along the northern fringes of Galilee in both Tetarchies are reported within the ongoing ministry of our Lord Jesus.  A contemporary map of the Galilean area documents Bethsaida as a probable location for the feeding of multitudes.

Any ordinary atlas will tell us that the lake is pear shaped generally, with a scattering of villages small and large, predominantly along the north western to north eastern coasts. “It varies in depth from 130 to 148 feet.  From the point where the Jordan enters in the north, to its exit in the south is about thirteen miles.  The greatest breadth is in the north ... being rather over seven miles.

The significance of this information is that when we read in verse seventeen that the disciples started across the sea to Capernaum, this would be the ordinary means and natural method to travel away from Bethsaida, where we might presume the feeding recorded last week to have taken place.  Further, the three or four miles mentioned in verse nineteen is well within the ordinary limits of the natural geography, and would have allowed for the sudden arrival at their destination reported in verse twenty-one.

Now, we understand that the ordinary journey became difficult, John reports that “the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.”  This was a perfectly natural description of the local climate and sudden changes in weather conditions.  Even today, small boats will not venture far from shore.  My geographic and historical sources report that “The position of the lake makes it liable to sudden storms, the cool air from the uplands rushing down the gorges with great violence and tossing the waters in tumultuous billows.  Such storms are fairly frequent, and as they are attended with danger to small craft, the boatmen are constantly on the alert.”  Suddenly, even the experienced fishermen in Jesus’ group of disciples were having a hard time.  The sail would have quickly been trimmed and stored; John reports that they were barely making headway against the winds with the oars always carried on the boat. 

This information is all but lost today in an educational and experiential climate where the necessary hardiness of sailors and difficulties of primitive means of transport are little known and less understood.  Back in 1911, when the Titanic was launched – the media was impressed with the press releases of how the mighty oceans were to be tamed by the power of modern technology.  However, the Captain – in his vanity attempted to set a crossing record by straying into the known ice fields where lesser craft were wise to avoid.  It is reported that many a sermon following the disaster of the Titanic, made use of the breathless and outrageous assertions that corporate sponsors had claimed over the former dangers of going down to the sea in ships.  In short, the Titanic was presumed unsinkable by any natural forces what-so-ever.  How often have we been reminded that such “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16: 18)

Too often, people today presume that the way of life they know is always the way it has been.  Ice storms are very useful to remind us about every decade that it is possible to live without electricity, but not as well as we might like!  Further, the ease of transport in this country is little appreciated as abnormal in a larger world yet to be modernized.  When I was teaching history, few students were willing to believe that Ohio, all by itself had more paved roads than the entire breadth of the former Soviet Union.  Let me conclude our introduction with the admonition that the geographic and weather conditions and difficulties reported by the Apostle John were real, considerable and not without some personal risk.

Development:  Our second issue recorded in this text concerns the ordinary human fears and superstitions which continue to infect believers.  Over twenty-some years dealing with teenagers in public education, I was always amazed at how little the human race has improved in the almost five thousand years of recorded history.  People are still taken in with popular misconceptions and superstitions.  Ghost stories have always been popular even there isn’t a shred of evidence that such apparitions are possibly real and demonstrable.  The nearest we come in the scriptures to the plausibility of such paranormal events is when Samuel speaks in the presence of the Medium to King Saul.  The text there implies by the wording that the witch in question was perplexed that such a thing, from which she made her living, was even possible!  And in our own era, the great magician Harry Houdini offered a substantial prize to any and all who might prove any communication from the dead.  The offer still stands unclaimed after fifty to sixty years.

Once, I had to counsel a young man who claimed that his grand father had appeared to him to chastise him for an unrepentant sin!  Certainly I agreed with the assessment of sin, but I worked with him until he realized that dreams are not reality, but that a guilty conscience could easily convince him that his grand father was correct.   In the real here and now, I admonished him that he should confess the sin and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.  Such was not to be the case, since I am certain he was living in a dream world fueled by modern chemistry.  At this point, I am not even certain that I dissuaded him from believing in ghosts!

Now, why was this distraction necessary?  Look carefully at reported “terror” in verse nineteen.  “The other Evangelists explain the cause of that fear to have been that they thought that it was an apparition” or in modern language: a ghost!   In the nineteenth century, a pastor in a Scottish fishing village preached on the demonic infection of the heard of pigs reported in the gospels.  The crowd gasped because there was a local superstition that once the word “pig” was used within the hearing of the sailors, they dare not go down to sea for several days until the cursed word was forgotten!  In our own county, there is one road regarded with much superstition because of almost ancient urban myths.  I regularly drive my students through there in broad daylight to cast some minimal intelligence upon the area legends.  Now all manner of superstitions and sheer ignorance can cloud our modern minds.  We won’t even get into the mythos surrounding the culture of progress and psychology as they relate to the theory of evolution.

When I was little, my maternal and paternal grandmothers confused me with their tales of the source of thunder and lightning.  On the Scots side, thunder was considered “war wagons” rolling across the clouds and on the German side – it was a game of bowling.  I was one confused little three year old.  Dad at least straightened me out with a minimal scientific lesson on air pressure and wind movement of the storm clouds.

Harry Blamires, a student of C.S. Lewis wrote several books on the necessity of gaining a Christian perspective on all things after becoming a believer.  The Christian Mind, was the name of one of his books, and I found it to be most valuable right after having graduated from Seminary.  Francis Schaeffer, too proved invaluable in helping me through the decade of intellectual growth between my first church in the seventies and the beginning of ministry in the PCA.  For those of you who have visited in more than a couple denominations and churches, you know well what I am talking about – even if you don’t always agree with the leadership here.

Application:  Our third and final point this morning, is enjoined upon us by Calvin.  “John here [in this text] holds out to us, as in a mirror, what kind of knowledge of Christ we may obtain without the word, and what advantage may be reaped from that knowledge.  For if he present a simple demonstration of his divinity, we immediately fall into our imaginations, and every person forms an idol for himself instead of Christ.”  Left to our own devices, we all could fabricate any manner of faith in Jesus, except the necessary one.  We have only to consider the three hundred and some different groupings of congregations in America to understand the human limitations!

The disciples, when confronted with their own fears about what they were seeing, were immediately calmed when Jesus simply announces in verse twenty:  “It is I; do not be afraid.”  They are further assured when the tempest is suddenly calmed and the anticipated port for their trip is suddenly at hand.  Now in the Greek, the text here plainly reads:  “But he said to them: I am, do not be afraid.”  Of course, all the translators understand the Greek verb tense much better than I, so let us not make too much of the divine implications.  And yet, it is just this divine assurance that calms the fears and doubts of the disciples.

Years ago, when I worked with horses on the farm, every once in a while the animals would get a little crazy from some event not always fathomed by men, and it would take some time to reassure the animals that their temporary fright was not worth a sudden flight with rider or equipment tailing along behind.  A gentle patting on the neck, a tweaking of the ears – the calm reassurance of the human voice would usually be enough to settle the team or individual down.  I have noticed the same with cats or dogs who were terrified by thunder and lightning – it would usually take some loving kindness and gentle reminder that all was well to bring them back to normalcy.

Here we see that the human condition is not far different, but the divine announcement is more than enough to those who know the Lord’s voice.  Even in the midst of trial and danger, just knowing that the Lord is with us and more importantly for us – this can calm the saints in a moment as we see here and as the text reads as well: bring them to safe harbor as well.

Others in this report are not so easily assured.  In the last couple of verses we read how the crowd left behind is nervous that the man they would crown king has escaped their grasp.  Only one boat had left the shore and they were certain that Christ was not in it.  The mere fact of their numbers, their watching and waiting guaranteed that He had not gotten away from then.  But He was not there.  So when boats arrived from down the lake, many hired passage to Capernaum, “seeking Jesus” there.  How had He gotten away, they all wondered?  This was the curiously idle crowd, only impressed with the free meal, but still – His words echoed in their ears and given the grace and mercy of God, many could and probably would believe in the revelation of God with us.

Of course, we do have to allow for those ever-chasing and never-finding.  I remember a person that I counseled once.  The final analysis of the problem was that they were hooked on counseling, they really did not want a cure because the pursuit of the cure had become all important.  And so, there were very many who, having seen the divine miracle still did not see the great and awesome Person behind the miracle, but only dreamed of what might be done on earth with that power and might.  Sadly, such is the case of every utopian dreamer, those who would erect a heaven on earth.  But, in the process they thereby create a hellish pity party for those who cannot be helped.  And so the crowds followed after Jesus, some to the hope of glory, but many because of their interest in a passing fad.

Who do you see here in the text?  If you do not see the Lord’s anointed Messiah, God in the flesh – like many of came across later: you have missed the boat, so to speak.  The disciples were shown first hand that Jesus Christ was Master not only of the table, but also Master of the Sea.  There are many who can give the appearance of plenty to fill the belly, but there is only One who controls creation.  And this is the Christ who we must see and accept as Lord over all the earth.  May, this Jesus be yours today and always.  Amen.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PREACHING RESOURCES
Calvin, John:  Commentary on the Gospel of John.
Ewing, W.  “Galilee, Sea of,” International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia.
Tasker, R.V.G.  Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: The Gospel According to St John.
Wright & Filson.  Westminster Historical Atlas to the Bible.
The Holy Bible:  English Standard Version.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Permission granted to redistribute unedited versions with this notice.
http://www.tulip.org/trf/Jhn/Jhn06b.htm
To Subscribe or Unsubscribe go to:
http://www.four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/ccrlist/