It is I; do not be afraid

 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."

- John 6:16:27

Yesterday, we read that Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.  Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.  And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.  Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.  Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?"  But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.  Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."  One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "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."  Now there was much grass in the place.  So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.  And 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.  So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost."  Therefore they gathered them up, and filed twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.  Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, 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.

 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.  This is the fifth sign recorded in John's Gospel.  We've already read how chapter 6 is seen as paralleling the story of Exodus:  In yesterday's reading the people follow Jesus to the wilderness at the time of Passover, and they are fed with bread there just as the Jews ate in the Exodus after having been hastily driven from Egypt (see Exodus 12:39).  In today's reading we see the parallel to Moses leading the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  But here, Christ sends His disciples across the sea, and then walks on the sea itself as if it were dry ground.

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 in yesterday's reading these people tried to force Jesus to be their king, after being fed in the wilderness with a miraculous multiplication of bread.  Here, they still seek Him.

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."  Yesterday, we read of the feeding of the multitude in the wilderness.  But the feeding itself had a resemblance to the Eucharist, in which Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks (in the Greek, eucharisto), and distributed them via His disciples.  Here, Jesus directs them to the power of the holy, and the work for the food of everlasting life.   In a common and powerful device, John once again directs us to the things that are truly essential -- as Jesus explains the true meaning behind the sign, and directs these people in His true teaching.

We're directed to something here beyond the sign of the miraculous feeding in the wilderness; or more truly, an entire multitude is being taught.  Jesus doesn't want to be made their king, but He does want to lead them -- and He leads through teaching.  He gives them the truth about the life that is precious to Him, that is on offer through Him.  Over and over again, John's Gospel will give us to understand that here is the power of life, life in abundance, life everlasting.  The feeding in the wilderness gives us hints which prefigure the Eucharist, in which we partake of the Body and Blood, via bread and wine, the food which endures to everlasting life.  It's a great wedding feast, really, set up to unite Christ and His Bride, the Church; that is, all of us.  What is the labor for the food which endures to everlasting life?  Christ will teach this directly in tomorrow's reading. But we get  a hint of it in the story of His walking on the water, to the disciples struggling in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, against the roaring wind and waves, in the dark, without Him.  When He tells them, "It is I; do not be afraid," there's a greater message there than merely His accompanying them in this particular struggle against the sea, and a greater message than even the immediate sign of walking on the water.  It points to our particular reliance on Him, not just at one time or another, but for all times.  They labor and struggle in the boat -- so many of them being seasoned fishermen whose lives have been on boats on this particular Sea, but to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life is something they are being taught.  Can we guess what that is?  What is the real message in the words, "It is I; do not be afraid"?