"It is I, do not be afraid"

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.

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But 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.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom he sent."

- John 6:16-27 (28, 29)

In yesterday's reading, Jesus had crossed over the Sea of Galilee. He was followed by many people because of the signs He had performed on those who were diseased (such as the paralytic man in the readings of the past week). Jesus went up a mountain and sat with His disciples, but the crowds followed. He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" The sum would be huge to feed so many -- five thousand men. Andrew said, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. Jesus told them to gather up the fragments, so that nothing was lost, and they gathered twelve baskets full of the fragments of the barley loaves. Then the people, having been fed, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

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 begin today's reading by including the last verse from yesterday's. The people understand Jesus to be a holy man, but they misunderstand Him and His mission. They expect the Prophet of Deuteronomy to be a worldly political leader, like Moses, leading them from bondage to the Romans. But Jesus is not this leader; He has said of Himself quite different things, with spiritual gifts to offer, and seeking those who will worship God in spirit and truth. My study bible says, "Because He is not to fulfill these expectations, Jesus withdraws from the crowd." John once again teaches through the people's misunderstanding and limited expectation.

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But 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. In this incident, reported also in other Gospels, we get the strange and intriguing picture of Jesus on the mountain top alone, in the dark (the other Gospels tell us it is about three o'clock in the morning when this takes place), while His disciples row over the sea toward Capernaum. We presume that Jesus is praying alone by Himself, and we can imagine the turn of events at this point in His ministry. The people wish to make Him king, but that is not His mission. It's a misunderstanding of who He is and what He's doing here. One presumes the direction of the Father remains an essential part of His ministry through all things. But the disciples venture out on their own, and with difficulty these men (among them, seasoned fishermen of the Sea of Galilee) are rowing against a strong wind and huge waves -- so powerful they are afraid they are drowning in the middle of the Sea. Then Jesus appears near them, walking on the water! This makes them more afraid! (They fear He may be a ghost!) But He said, "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. We note a pattern: the people seek a king to liberate them, to make Israel a victorious nation, and Jesus is not to be this king. But out of the depths of the darkness and fear of drowning, He appears to His disciples. The words, "It is I, do not be afraid" echo for us through many passages of commentary throughout the years of the Church. "It is I" is actually I AM (ego eimi in the Greek), the name of God of the Old Testament, a pronouncement of Jesus' divinity. The full statement is Jesus' promise to us through our difficulties, and it is tied to the ones whom He seeks, who will worship God in spirit and truth. God is not bound by worldly expectations, nor even worldly laws. But Christ comes to us in spirit and truth, unbound by worldly and political concerns, in spirit and truth. Immediately they are on dry land; He is their safety and security. We understand from the images in this story that Jesus knows about us, His followers, where we are and what we go through, even when we feel most alone, in a "dark night of the soul." (F. Scott Fitzgerald has famously written, "In a real dark night of the soul, it is always three o'clock in the morning" -- perhaps with this passage in mind.) This is the fifth sign of seven in the Gospel of John.

On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks -- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. We remember that the people, fed in the wilderness, are still seeking Jesus to make Him king, and He has so far eluded this crowd. They still follow Him to Capernaum, nevertheless.

And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled." I think this is an important distinction here that Jesus makes. It's not because of the signs (which point to the reality of the Father), but because they were fed that they seek Him. They want Him to take care of their problems, to provide them with the material things they need; they don't seek a relationship in spirit and truth. This is why they wish Him to become their king.

"Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." They need to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life, which comes from Him. This food is akin to the living water that springs up into everlasting life, of which Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.

Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." I have included these verses (which will also be a part of Monday's reading) because of their importance to the rest of the passage. Again, in the familiar pattern of John's Gospel, the people gradually respond to His opening of their understanding. But again, it's a misunderstanding! How do they work the works of God? And here is the true revelation, one that still stuns us if we look truly at its simplicity and fullness: the work of God is faith.

Repeatedly we hear Jesus stressing, in one way and another, that He's here on a mission, because the Father seeks those who worship in spirit and truth. And here, Jesus takes us to the heart of the matter, putting it plainly, starkly, succinctly: "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." It reflects back on His words to the leadership when He was challenged for violating the Sabbath: "Until now, I work and the Father works." Our rest is our faith in Christ, and this also our main and fundamental work. From there, our faith leads us. Let us remember that when we make choices, in that difficult work of the heart, the forging of faith, then we are engaged in a work of God. Without relationship, without grace and God's work in us, faith is impossible. But we also say yes to that work in ourselves, and it is an ongoing labor throughout our lives. We grow in our faith, as He has taught in so many parables, such as that of the mustard seed. It is an ongoing work, taking root in us, and producing growth and spiritual fruits through the gifts of the Spirit. But it needs our "yes" -- our rest, abiding in Him, which here is portrayed as our true work. Let us understand this work, and this rest, which is with us for every day. As Jesus continues His discourse, we will see what He refers to as the bread for which we must labor, the bread of life. He will take us more deeply into what it is to have faith.