When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat,
and they began to be afraid.
But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”
The synoptic Gospels give us a similar story about Jesus's authority over the wind and sea. In some cases he stood up in the boat and commanded the storm and high waves to pipe down; in others he walked across the water and scared the bejeebies out of his disciples. Scholars say the stories address the fright of the early Church as it faced the challenges of its day.
Saint John has placed the familiar story between yesterday's feeding of several thousand in the wilderness, and Monday's explanation about the loaves to the same crowd in Capernaum. They had crossed the sea in pursuit of him, and their first question was, "How did you get here?" They couldn't suppose that he'd walked on the water, but Jesus did not bother to answer. As to where he came from and how he got here, the Lord will finally respond to Pontius Pilate, "I came into this world to testify to the truth.
He follows up the sign of feeding the crowd by teaching about faith, works, and the Eucharist. The sermon occupies the rest of Chapter 6 and concludes with a crisis worse than a storm at sea. Many of those who believe in him opt out. Despite his fascinating authority over the elements, and his providential feeding of the hungry crowd in the wilderness, his teaching about eating his own flesh is too much. If the crowd supposes he is the Messiah, this teaching is too radical for them; and perhaps too grotesque to be taken seriously.
We are traversing troubled water here, but our Lord and Savior is taking a walk in the park in the same pond! We might notice they wanted to take him into the boat but it wasn't necessary as they had already arrived at the opposite shore.
This going with Jesus, which seems so pleasant at first, must finally frighten even the most courageous disciples. But, as John the Evangelist tells the story, the Lord is troubled neither by its challenges nor their leaving. He does not attempt to explain the truth in other words, for many have already decided not to understand, accept, or believe what he says. He will not say he is speaking in metaphors or symbolically. Because he is not; he means my Flesh literally.
That trouble will always remain with the Church. While many critics within and outside the Church are sympathetic and willing to both listen and learn, some have settled in darkness and will not come out. If the sun was eclipsed for a few moments on that long ago Friday afternoon, their sun remains dark forever.
We can explain what we believe but our belief is built on our personal faith in the Risen Lord. Although the truth is willing to be known, and is comprehensible to a certain point, it does not rely on anyone's willingness or ability to understand. The Lord understood that from the beginning, as he said:
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. (John 6:44)
As we listen and learn from the Father, we become willing to take the Lord onboard; and, in that very willingness, arrive on the opposite shore.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.