Verse 15, “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

 

We saw last week the sign that Jesus performed in using the five loaves and two fishes to feed the huge crowd of folks that were following Him…and how John tells us back in verse 14 that those men contemplating what Jesus had done reasoned among themselves that this Jesus was indeed the Prophet that Moses wrote of in Deuteronomy 18…

 

And now we see them beginning to be stirred up to come and make Jesus their king…but it’s interesting that John says that they were going to take Him by force…it’s actually quite telling.  Basically it reveals that the crowd was seeking their own ends…their own purposes…

 

Yes they’re seemingly ready to receive Jesus as their King but it appears they totally miss the fact that Jesus is also their Savior.  And we so often follow this crowd.  We demand, we seek our will almost even by force in our prayers, yet our reasonable approach to the Lord is to simply come undone in light of His goodness, mercy, grace and love. 

 

He is worthy of our heart’s adoration…he has saved us, done what we could not, set us free, and so often we seek to blitz Him into position of King over our own twisted kingdoms…Jesus is the King over His own kingdom, a perfect, holy, righteous and glorious kingdom…and we are invited by Him to enter into His…not the other way around.

 

And this is where the purpose driven crowd, the best life crowd, the word faith crowd, get it wrong.  This generation coming into power now, they demand something real, they demand something authentic and this idea that God is a cosmic vending machine, that as long as we punch the right numbers, we’ll get what we want…that will fail because when times are tough, a bag of golden chips will not standfast in the face of martyrdom!  And so Jesus says get away from all that nonsense > I will not be king of your finite kingdom but rather you are to be sons and daughters in My Kingdom!

 

And so He goes and He also sends His disciples away.  Verse 16, Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea.  (we know from Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus directed His disciples to get into a boat and go before Him to the other side of the sea) His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum.  (Which is on the northern coast of the Sea of Galilee)  And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 

And so Jesus has sent them, as it were, into this situation.  In a boat, crossing the waters, and it’s now gone dark.  We all, at times, find ourselves in a dark place…a place where things are difficult, we don’t know what to do…and that will especially be the case as you seek to follow the Lord.  Why?

 

Because we are not of this world.  2 Peter 1:19 speaks of this world as being a dark place, a place that has been decayed with wickedness, a place that has rejected God and still rejects God, the light of this world.  1 John 5:19 says that the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one…and so as you seek to press in on Jesus, as you seek the things which are above and not the thing of this world, many times you may find yourself walking in a very dark place.

 

But don’t lose the statement here that Jesus sent His disciples into the boat…and He said, hey, “I’ll see you on the other side.”  A command and a promise.  He sent and He said.  Key ingredients within the recipe of faith.

 

Jesus said behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, therefore prove yourselves as wise as serpents and harmless as doves.  Meaning hey it is you who are called to be inoffensive and harmless and it is you who are to go into a cold, harsh, unfriendly, unloving, cruel and dark world and get this, your innocence will not be a protection but a target! 

But be of good cheer Jesus says, I have overcome the world and a servant is not above his master…if they did this to Me, they will do it to you also, but lo unto the end of the age, I am with you…He says over and over in the same conversation, do not fear.  Why?

 

Because fear is a tool of hate.  Fear is the wound of the enemies strike…and God has not given us a spirit of fear.  Darkness can bring horror if not for faith.  Jesus has called you to this, He has directed you into this dark place to prove you, to use you, to show Himself faithful…He said to His disciples, go into the boat, go to the other side…do you see it, the promise from the Lord is you’ll make it, I’ll see you on the other side…now go!

 

And while you’re on your way, I’ll be there with you.  I’ll command the darkness (we know that from Exodus 10) and as many flee from the darkness, not so with you, My disciples, but go, go faithfully believing in My word, trusting Me and you’ll see, you’ll draw near to Me…

 

In Exodus 20 we see a picture of God appearing to the people and they witnessed thunderings, lightnings, the sound of trumpets and thick, darkness, a smoke of sorts descended upon the mountain, and they trembled and fled…but not Moses…Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was.

Eyes don’t work in darkness, senses don’t work in darkness…only faith…only trust that what God has commanded, He will bring it to pass…and once faith is resolved, the children of the most High are able to be weaponized by the Holy Spirit. (life as dimensions)

 

The first armament, night vision.  God said in Isaiah 42:16, I will turn the darkness into light before them and make rough places smooth.  The second armament, the armor of God (Ephesians 6).  Belt of Truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with preparation and peace, the helmet of salvation…wielding the shield of faith…that which cannot be penetrated and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God…and then whether in darkness or the brightness of noon, doesn’t matter…you’re simply traveling to the other side, at the command of the Lord, in full assurance of faith, setting lives free along the way.

 

Paul said in 2 Cor chapter 4 that when we unsheathe the gospel, the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, shines.  For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God.

 

 

And Paul continues to say that although darkness may be all around us, we are not overcome, we do not lose heart…even though our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed day by day.  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.  We are to enter into God’s kingdom, not the other way around, you see…because our kingdom, is temporary.

 

So Paul says we look to the things not seen…seems kinda impossible…how do we look at the things which are not seen? Faith.  God has commanded, God has promised, now go…Psalm 112:4 says unto the upright, there arises light in the darkness.   Keep going!  Don’t hold onto the night! NO!  GO > press in on Jesus!  Shine the lamp of the word!

 

The darkness is ordained.  The darkness is necessary to prove you, to strengthen you, to train you to walk by faith and the rewards are eternal…Is 45:3 says, I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places that you may know that I, the Lord, who call you by your name, Am God.

 

And that is where the disciples are here, rowing into the darkness at the command of the Lord.

 

Verse 18, Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.  What John is saying here is that the waters became treacherous, the rowing became seemingly futile…exactly the necessary circumstance for faith…

 

Ephesians 4 speaks of the babes in Christ, the immature, the weak…are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting > and why are they weak, why are they easy targets for the enemy, for their flesh…Ephesians 4 continues…because they have not so learned Christ!  And if indeed, Paul continues, you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, you have not yet put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and placed your essence wholly in the hands of Jesus who creates in you the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness!

Rod of correction or the word of perfection

And so the darkness has fallen, the storm has arisen, faith is to be proven.  There are miles to go…omnipotence can afford to wait, for it is always sure of success > and since in our God omnipotence is joined with infinite wisdom, infinite grace, and infinite love > we may be certain that He not only does everything in the right way, but also at the best time.

Well why does He so often wait to come show up Matt?  I mean I believe all that the Bible says but I just can’t grip why He would restrain from immediately coming to deliver me…

 

Listen, maybe I can offer just this small bit of comfort.  God loves you, God sees you, God knows exactly where you’re at and every blood vessel that has contributed to your sorrow He has examined…yet He knows that your complete dependence upon Him in faith will be your complete freedom…and so surely, one reason for His delay is so that His hand may be the more evident and so that His hand may be the more appreciated so that you may believe and learn to rest in Him.

 

The darkness becomes even more thick…the storm rages even more…to the point of not even being bearable and we cry out “why!?”  Could it not be so that all of our hopes, all of our plans, all of our ideas apart from waiting, trusting and seeking the Lord may be disappointed?  That’s called breaking…that’s called coming to the end of ourselves…

 

And then, just as we had given up all hope and cried out woe is me I am undone, He breaks forth unexpectedly and we are starteld, as were these disciples on the stormlashed sea.

 

Verse 19, So when they had rowed about three or four miles (maybe 3.16 miles), they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.

 

Mark adds in his gospel that Jesus saw them toiling and rowing…in the Greek, “fatigued” and it is comforting to me to read that and to be reminded by passages of faith and encouragement such as Hebrews 12:1 to fix my eyes upon Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of faith.

 

Yet as Jesus walks out to them, walks upon the troubled sea, they are startled, they are afraid, their faith is weak, but Jesus says, “calm, my children…I’ve been watching, I’ve been with you.”  Look at verse 20, He said to them, It is I; do not be afraid.  Then they willingly received Him into the boat and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. 

 

The word there in the Greek that is translated for us “received” to “ask Him in”, to admit, to receive in regards to one’s power or rank, to select…”

 

Jesus comes to them, He says will you select Me?  Notice, the end of your faith, salvation (1 Peter 1:9)  you have faith, you’ve been here rowing, will you select Me?  > Delivered