Dr. Glen A. Thorp February 17, 2013
(All Rights Reserved) John 6:16-24, Exodus 14:10-22
"TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY"
(Fifth is a series: "Seven Signs in John")
If you have ever awaken at 3:00 A.M. finding it difficult to go
back to sleep, this passage is for you. There are several causes
for waking in the middle of night. One of them is Anxiety over
events that seem to be overtaking us: Unpaid bills with no
money in sight to pay them; Illness in our or loved one’s life that
has not yet been determined; Tension at work; Friction in our
marriage or an Exciting celebration we are planning.
The BACKGROUND for the John passage is the Feeding of
5,000 people and those people wanting to forcibly make
Jesus king. (See last week’s blog)
Jesus knowing they intended to come to make him king by force,
withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (John 6:15)
The Disciples got into a boat, when it started getting dark and
Jesus hadn’t appeared. In the Gospel of Mark we read that Jesus
told his disciples to get into a boat and head for Bethesda. (Mk 6:45)
They began rowing across the north side of the Lake to Capernaum.
Last week we learned that it was near the time of Passover.
Thus there was a Focus on the Exodus (when the Isralites
were freed from slavery in Egypt and the time in they spent in
the wilderness. Thus there was connection between Jesus’
multiplication of the loaves and fish and God’s provision of Manna*
and Water while wandering in the wilderness..
This was the reason the people wanted to compel Jesus to declare
himself King. "He is THE PROPHET Moses said would come."
(Exodus 14:10-22) Soon after the Pharaoh gave permission for the
Israelites to leave Egypt. He reversed his decision and sent his army
in 600 chariots to stop them from leaving Egypt.
The people camped on the shore of the Red Sea saw the
Egyptian Army approaching. Trapped between the Sea and the
Egyptians, they grumbled and complained to Moses ...
Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us
to the desert to die? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt,
"Leave us alone to serve the Egyptians? It would have been better
for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex. 14: 11-12)
Triumph Over Adversity is the message of Exodus, of John and is the Promise for us. There are several Critical Lessons for us.
We are most vulnerable to adversity right after a victory
a. The Miracle of feeding 5,000 - Jesus knew the pressure of popularity,
power and provision. He had spent 40 days alone experiencing hunger,
thirst and exhaustion. This occurred right after he was baptized
and John the Baptist said: Behold the Lamb of God, everyone heard
a voice from above: You are my Son, whom I love: I AM well pleased.
(Mark 1:13)
Christians began a period of reflection, repentance and sacrifice called
Lent, this past Wednesday called Ash Wednesday.
This Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Lent.
Lent is 40 days, not counting Sundays, prior to Holy Week the week
Jesus was betrayed by a disciple, arrested, tired and crucified
on cross as a common criminal. Those 40 days of Lent are based on
the 40 days spent alone in the wilderness preparing for his ministry.
During that time, with no food and little water, he was Tested
by Satan to "Turn rocks into bread, to Do something spectacular
to attract people." (Matt. 4:1-11)
Jesus had done both in multiplying the five loves and two fish
and feeding 5,000 people with twelve baskets of food left over.
He knew he needed time, alone, with God the Father.
b. The Disciples were alone in a boat and no doubt discussing
what they had just witnessed when a sudden strong wind
(Similar to a Santa Ana winds in California or Chinooks in
Washington) stopped them and pushed them away from the shore.
Straining at the oars against the adverse wind. (Mark 6:2)
They forgot the miracle they just experienced:
c. The people of Israel focused the adversity rather than God’s
intervention and their release from slavery.
The Prophet Elijah experienced God’s Power and Provision
on Mt. Carmel when he challenged the priests of Baal to see
which God would send fire from heaven.(I Kings 18:16-40)
Elijah won and the people said: The LORD – He is God!
The LORD is God! (I Kings 18:39)
The next day Elijah fled for his life when Queen Jezebel sent
her guards to kill him. He felt all alone!
Have you ever felt alone and vulnerable, possible after
a victory? If so, you know what Elijah and the disciples felt.
We are not alone. God sees our struggle with adversity.
a. Jesus saw the disciples staining against the oars.
Passover is always on a day the moon is full. A TV program
showed how far one can see across the Sea of Galilee with a
full moon in April. Jesus could see the boat. It was 3:00am.
b. Jesus interrupted his prayer and took action.
He saw that disciples were stopped by the Wind and the Sea.
c. Jesus approached the disciples. They were terrified.
They Thought were seeing a ghost on the water. (Mark 6:3)
God saw and heard the terrified Israelites and took action.
Speaking to Moses: "Why are you crying out me?
Tell the Israelites to move on." Prayer is vital. So is action.
(When we know what to do we need to act.)
e. God lead the people through the Sea.
There seemed no way of escape. God opened the way.
f. When feel trapped, don’t panic.
God sees and can open a way out.
g. Elijah felt alone. He just wanted to end his life. (I Ki. 19:3-8)
God saw him, ministered to him, showing he was not alone.
Jesus’ presence triumphs over adversity
a. "It is I, don’t be afraid!" (Ego Emei) I AM:
said Jesus (Jn. 6:20) Jesus’ presence brought calmness
and they reached the destination.
b. "I Am Who I Am" (YaHWeH) is what God said when
Moses asked whom shall I say sent me? (Exodus 3:14)
c. The Egyptians will know that I Am the Lord when. (Ex. 14:18)
d. Elijah learned that Yahweh (I AM) was with him
e. The Adversity of the water, waves or wind did not stop Jesus.
He walked on water to reach his disciples saying:
(Ego Emei - It I) I AM with you.
John tells the story of this "Fifth Sign of Jesus’ Glory"
to teach that Jesus was Lord of the Universe.
Even as God made a way through the sea for the Israelites,
Jesus made a way for the disciples to cross the sea.
f. Paul Minear in his commentary on Saint Mark writes:
"The encountering of storms by the Apostles (and later by
the Church) is seen as part of God’s plan when he commands
the Church to take to the boats in order to prove his presence
to them in the crisis of their journey. The ‘lesson,’ then,
is the same as that taught by story of the wilderness supper.
The loaves prove the power of the Lord (Ps. 23) to sustain
and nourish his people in all situations. But the disciples
did not understand this, nor did they understand that the
Messiah was seeking to use the wilderness and the
tempest to teach them how to feed his sheep and to
triumph over adversities. ‘It is I, have no fear."
(Paul Minear, Saint Mark, SCM, London, p. 84)
As God had power over the waters of the Red Sea,
so God’s Son had power over the waters of the Sea of Galilee
and has power over any adversities we may face.
Faith is the mind set that expects God to act.
When we act on this expectation we may
overcome our fears and triumph over our adversities
A Church Father, Augustine writing about this incident said:
"He came treading the waves; and so He puts all the
swelling tumults of life under His feet. Christians–why afraid?"
When Christ is present the storm becomes calm,
the tumult becomes peace, the undoable becomes doable,
the unbearable becomes bearable, and people pass the
breaking point and do not break.
To walk with Christ is for us also the conquest of the storm.
The president of the Seminary from which I graduated
challenged us to "Walk on Water."
Focus on Jesus not the tempest. He then said:
"To walk on water you must get out of the boat."
That is what Jesus did on behalf of the disciples and did
for us on by dying on the cross and rising from the grave
triumphed over the Father of Lies (Satan) who says:
God doesn’t care about you. You are all alone.
You have to use your resources to survive.
Jesus told his disciples just before he went to the
Garden of Gethsemane to pray, knowing he would be
arrested and taken to the High Priest and eventually
convicted to death: The time is coming, and has come,
when you will be scattered ... You will leave me all alone.
Yet I AM not alone, for my Father is with me.
I have told these things, so that you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world. (John 16:32-33).
There is a Christian Hymn: "Jesus Calls Us" that says:
"Jesus calls us o’er the tumult
Of our life’s wild restless sea;
Day by day His sweet voice soundeth,
Saying, "Christian follow me."
Because Jesus has Triumphed over Adversity ,
and promises not to leave us alone,
We can boldly take on any adversity.
Jesus didn’t row the boat. His presence
gave the disciples extra strength to continue
the journey on which Jesus had sent them.
So it is with us. We may need "get out of the
(our comfort zone) boat with our eyes focused
on Jesus rather than the adversity.
We can live with confidence in the promise:
The One who is in you is greater that the one
who is in the world. (I John 4:4)
Take heart I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)
This is what the fifth sign in John illustrates.
Next week we will look a sixth sign:
"Miracle Happened Here" based on John 9.
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* Manna: was a miraculous food supply given to
Israel in the wilderness by God. It lasted only one
day so it could not be hoarded. Read Exodus 16:31
For a great understanding read Exodus 16:14-36.
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