Who doesn’t love an action-packed movie? The kind that keeps you on the edge of your seat, where you dive from one scene into the next. As the suspense builds, the thrill runs deep! I kind of get that sense when reading John’s gospel. Jesus and His disciples had pulled off this enormous task of feeding a crowd of 5000, using only five small loaves of bread and two small fish. That was no small victory! It was one of the signs that proved Jesus was not an ordinary man, because what He did was supernatural. People started talking and Jesus knew what they were thinking—they wanted to force Him to be their king, so He took off to the mountainside.
I’m sure Jesus’ disciples were equally astounded and confused by the days’ happenings. They were probably tired, and now their leader had gone incognito. The text tells us that Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake in the evening. I wonder how long they waited before they decided to set sail across the lake without their master. I would have loved to overhear what that conversation among the disciples may have been: “Well, He’s not here yet! Where did He go? What do we do? Are we supposed to go on ahead or wait for Him?”
But they rowed out anyway. In the middle of the night, in the middle of the lake the disciples found themselves in a fishing boat. A strong wind started blowing, and the waters became rough. Not only had it been a long day of ministry, but they had to row several miles through a storm. Suddenly, they saw someone walking on the water and they were frightened. We don’t know if they called out to Him, but we do know what Jesus said: “It is I; don’t be afraid” (John 6:20).
Jesus identified Himself by saying “I am” (ego eimi in Greek). In Greek, this phrase was the natural way to identify Himself, but it also proclaimed another truth—Jesus’ deity. In the Old Testament, at the foot of the burning bush where Moses asked God what to tell the Israelites if they ask who sent him, God’s reply was “I AM that I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus’ revelation of Himself on the water had a double meaning. Not only did He identify Himself as Jesus, the teacher they followed, but it was also a confession of an essential, greater reality—the deity of Christ, a declaration that He is the Son of God.
“It is I; don’t be afraid.” –John 6:20
Perhaps there is no more calming truth to know that the God of all creation is present with you in the midst of a storm. Jesus not only has authority over nature, but He is one with the Father, possessing the same authority over nature in the Old Testament as in the New. Jesus is, in very nature, God.
I’m not sure if you find yourself in the midst of a storm right now or not. Maybe it’s a season of darkness, loneliness, or a season with an unforeseeable forecast. But I do know that whether the storm comes today or tomorrow, we can rest assured that “I AM” is present with us. We are never alone. While we may feel incompetent to take on the waves and row safely to the other side, Jesus is altogether capable and able to not only calm the storm but get me safely to the other side. May you rest secure in His incredible power, amazing protection, and ultimate provision!
