The fifth Sign... part 3...

I told you that the best part was still to come, and we arrive at it now.  As we've gone through each Sign prior, we have paid close attention to the words that Jesus spoke, and this occasion will be no different.  These 12 men, frightened and alone, witnessing something miraculous and wonderful, are all about to hear some of the most powerful words in all of time and creation.

"But He said to them, 'It is I.  Don't be afraid!'  Then they were willing to take Him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading."

John 6:20-21, HCSB

Don't be afraid... how many times in your life has someone, regardless of who they are or what place they held in your life, insisted that you not be afraid?  Parents do this when their children have nightmares, friends do this before auditions and try-outs for performance-based activities, and older siblings reassure younger ones.  I recall a time when I was roughly eight, and I did my best to alleviate my younger brother's fear of both thunder and lightning (he was 4 at the time) by telling him that the thunder was angels bowling, and that the lightning is God taking pictures of us.  That worked until a bolt struck the tree two feet from out bedroom window during a hurricane, but the message that followed that fearful moment remained the same... don't be afraid.

People also use many tactics to keep themselves from having fear, including the use of statistics.  Had I known this approach at the time, I might have told my little brother that he had far less chance of being struck by lightning than he thought possible.  And folks today prefer to fly, "because statistics show that you are ___% more likely to have a major accident in a car than in the air."  This applies to everything in our lives today, and we all do it at some point.  We all rationalize the fear within, whether large or small, and find something to compare it to, so that we will be able to manage it into a box.  

But this wasn't possible for the 12.

You see, as I so cleverly pointed out earlier (please note the sarcasm there), people don't walk on water.  It just does not happen.  And there isn't a single thing in the world that can compare to a man walking three to four miles out into the sea, ON THE WATER.  Mark 6:48 points out that they "were terrified" at the sight of Him, and that they thought for sure He was a ghost.  Matthew 14:26 shows that they actually exclaimed openly that they feared He was a ghost, and then Peter got really bold and tested Him.  Peter asks to be called out onto the water, because if it is Christ, the Peter should be able to walk on the water, too.  

"'Come!' He said.  And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid.  And beginning to sink he cried out, 'Lord, save me!'"

Matthew 14:29-30, HCSB

Peter gets bold, asks to be called out, steps onto the sea and begins to walk on the water.  No other human being alive ever experienced so personal a moment if learning, I think, than this one.  Standing in the power of Christ alone, literally doing the impossible, and then doubting... and sinking... and crying out to Christ, knowing that only He can save.  Only He can deliver.  Only He is able and more than able to overcome.  How humbling this must have been for Peter!  Also, how powerful must the storm have been, given that Peter could literally see the strength of the wind, in the middle of the night, while exhausted... and that view must have been enough to inspire true terror, otherwise, he wouldn't have looked away from Jesus.

Back to John, though, it says that they "were willing" to take Him into the boat.  Willing?  Really?  But their willingness to do so comes from the words spoken by the Word, "Don't be afraid!"  His speech, with all the power of Heaven, probably had the capability to shatter whole planets, if He yelled loudly enough, yet was so soothing, even in the middle of such a great tempest, that it would calm the nerves and reassure the person entirely.

Then, and here's where we will gain a TON of perspective, He steps into the boat and "at once" they were at their destination.  At once!  There was no further travel time, no additional work, no nothing... except the presence of Christ, and they arrived.  I wonder to myself, "Self, if one were willing to take Christ into him or herself, even in the middle of great trials, would that one be also immediately delivered to the destination?"  In a manner of speaking, yes.  Salvation and eternal life in Heaven with the Father is the destination, and bringing Christ into the boat with us (into our hearts) delivers us there... even if we don't currently see or understand how to see it.

God bless you all!!!