John 6:16-24

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. ¹⁸A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹When they had rowed three or three and a half miles,^a]'> they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. ²⁰But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." ²¹Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²²The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. ²³Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus and his crew were tired and the Disciples decided to go to the other side of the lake. This was a trip they had made probably thousands of times, it's not much more than crossing Lake Livingston,(here in East Texas.) It was a night journey and the boats were not the boats of today. A storm rolled in and the Disciples became afraid. I have been on Sam Rayburn in a bass boat when it got stormy, I became scared as well.

Jesus appears walking on water and clams everything. The Disciples had left Jesus on the other side, now he was with them. The next morning the crowds realized that Jesus and his crew were gone, so they set out for the other side of the lake.

There are a few things to learn here. The Disciples left without Jesus. Maybe he said "go on, I'll catch up," but he was not with them. The storms came and they got scared, when he arrived things calmed down. Isn't this a little like life? Sometimes we go on with out Jesus and when storms come, we then call out for Jesus to calm things down.

Another point; when the storms came-Jesus was there! When our lives get stormy Jesus is there as well. It's okay to be scared and call out to Jesus. He is there.

Questions:

1. Why did the Disciples take off that evening?

2.What effect did the sighting of Jesus have on the Disciples?

3.What did the crowd do when they realized Jesus had left?

Prayer- Lord, Thank you for always being there, in good times and during the storms. Help us remember it is alright to cry out for your calming help, and thank you for giving it. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.