They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat…

They saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.

The disciples were seasoned fishermen.  They had lived on the sea and had seen plenty of its wild storms.  So they knew what to do when a storm broke out.  They could take turns rowing to conserve their strength.  Or maybe they could just turn back and not fight the winds.  The storm was not a problem.  But when they saw Jesus waling on the wild waters – that was a scary sight!

Why? It is hard to say.  But it certainly seemed that they were starting to realize that he was more than just a miracle worker, more than just a gifted teacher.  They probably were not expecting Jesus to intervene during the storm because he had stayed behind to pray.  Seeing him walk on water and then miraculously deliver them to the other side of the lake shook them up.  They had come face to face with Jesus’ divine power over the elements.

Jesus knew that his disciples were more than capable of handling the storm.  But he wanted them to understand something new about who he was.  He wanted to show them that he cared about every situation in their lives – even the ones they could handle on their own!  So he came walking on the water as proof of his power, and he brought them to shore as proof of his care for them.

Notice that Jesus told the disciples, “It is I.  Do not be afraid”.  He did not want to scare them or reprimand them for their unbelief.  He wanted them to know him better so that they could trust him more deeply.

Isn’t Jesus incredible?  His love goes far beyond just forgiving us for our sins.  He loves us so much that he wants to be involved in every facet of our lives.  He does not want to be just our spiritual repairman who helps us out of impossible situations.  He wants to be a friend as well – someone who shares all the ups and downs of life with us.  What an amazing Savior!

-word among us