THE GOSPEL OF JOHN Small Group Discussion Guide Text: John 6:15-21 Theme/ Big Idea: Jesus is “I Am” who comes offering peace in the midst of chaos and life in the midst of death. Context/ Background Information: In John 6:1-14, Jesus miraculously provided bread in the wilderness. According to Matthew and Mark, “immediately after” feeding the 5,000 Jesus made the disciples get into a boat while he remained behind to disperse the crowds and pray (Matt 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52). John 6:15 provides a likely motive for moving so quickly to send the disciples away. In verse 15, the crowds wanted to “take him by force and make him king.” Remarkably, Jesus’ actions reveal he is not interested in being the earthly king the people wanted nor was he interested in his disciples adopting the perspective of the crowd. Instead, we are told Jesus withdrew to the mountain by himself. Rather than fulfill their expectations and become the king they wanted, Jesus is concerned with being the king they desperately need. Think about it, if ever there was a time to fall in line with the expectations of the people and attempt to overthrow Rome, it was when 10 to 15,000 people were ready to make Jesus king. Yet Jesus resisted their expectations and withdrew. The reason, according to John 18:36, is because Jesus’ “kingdom is not of this world.” Rome is infinitely too small a throne for him. Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Hosts and John captures that vividly in the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. Some have attempted to dismiss this miracle with rational explanations by suggesting that the disciples were rowing “along” the shore while Jesus was walking “by” the sea. But the language of the text and the context of the Bible all indicate otherwise. First, John uses the word “epi” which means “on top of.” John uses the same word when, after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter and the disciples standing “on the shore” (John 21:4). In both cases John means “on top of” rather than “by” or “beside.” Second, Matthew and Mark clear up any ambiguity and confusion. Matthew says, “the boat was a long way from land” (Matt 14:24). Mark goes further saying, “the boat was out on the sea…he came walking on the sea” (Mark 6:47-48). John clearly intends for us to understand that Jesus came to them on the water while out at sea. The question is why? What is it that John wants us to see and know about Jesus in this miracle? John wants us to see Jesus as the infinitely great king that he is. Specifically, John wants us to see that Jesus is the king over darkness, the sea, and the storm. And he is the king who comes to our rescue in the darkness, the sea, and the storm. Therefore, Jesus is the king who is worthy of all worship. To understand this we must first understand the context. DARK AND STORMY SEAS OF CHAOS John says that the disciples "started across the sea to Capernaum,” and he makes it clear that, “it was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them” (vs 17). Darkness plays an important theological role throughout the Bible and especially in the Gospel of John. As one scholar points out, “If light symbolizes God, darkness connotes everything that is anti-God.”1 Darkness was often used metaphorically to mean distress, anxiety, fear, oppression, death, and/or the absence of God.2 In the Gospel of John, darkness often indicates spiritual blindness and spiritual death. Remember, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night which is understood as an indication of his spiritual condition. In John 6, it is not necessarily the disciples’ spiritual condition that is described; rather, it is their spiritual location. They are in a spiritually dark place absent from Jesus. Not only are the disciples in darkness, they are at sea in the middle of a storm. John says the disciples “started across the sea,” and “the sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing” (vs 17-18). It was not uncommon for pop up storms to arise quickly on the Sea of Galilee with gail force winds churning the waters. Matthew notes that they were “beaten by the waves…with the wind against them” (Matt 14:24). Water, especially springs, represented life and wisdom in the Bible. Large bodies of water, however, “like lakes and oceans” frequently represented evil, destruction, chaos, and death.3 So what we see are the disciples rowing against the wind, in the midst of a storm, on the sea, in darkness, and without Jesus. John is intentionally painting the picture of their dark and hopeless circumstances. Everything is against the disciples and it appears as though they are in a hopeless situation. JESUS IS KING OVER THE DARKNESS, THE SEA, AND THE STORM More than their hopeless situation, however, we are intended to see the One who has power over the darkness, the sea, and the storm. In Genesis 1:1-2, “God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” Into darkness and over the waters God spoke and light and life came forth. And then God spoke again and created “an expanse in the midst of the waters” and then “separated the waters from the waters” (Genesis 1:6). And then God “gathered the waters together,” and they were “called Seas” (Genesis 1:10). Now consider what is happening in John 6. God himself has come into darkness and over the waters offering rescue, peace, and life. God comes to the rescue in darkness with power over darkness. How does he do this? He comes in the person and work of Jesus who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12). Jesus says whoever follows him “will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). But God also comes to the rescue upon the waters. How does he do this? He comes in the person and work of Jesus who is “living water” (John 7:37-39) and in whom is found “a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). How is it that Jesus has such power and authority? John has made it abundantly clear who Jesus is, but in case there were any doubts, he provides us with certainty in verse 20. John tells us the disciples were “frightened” and Jesus immediately responded to them, “It is I, do not be afraid.” This is a remarkable statement. The phrase “It is I” is “ego eimi” in Greek. And it means “I Am.” Some scholars suggest this is just a simple self-designation (e.g. Who are you? I am so and so). But others note that this is the title used throughout the Gospel of John as a way of definitively declaring Jesus’ true identity (cf. John 6:35, 41, 48, 51; 8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5).4 This self-designation is also used in the Old Testament as the divine name of God (cf. Exod 3:14; Isaiah 43:10–11; 45:5–6, 18, 21–22).5 The disciples are frightened because they know they are in the presence of someone wholly other than them and someone infinitely more powerful than the storm. In fact, frightened is quite an understatement. The word in the original language means “exceedingly afraid or terrified.” Matthew and Mark both describe the disciples reaction in this way. And they both make it clear that these disciples are not frightened by the storm but “the Maker of the storm.”6 The disciples recognized they were in the presence of someone far greater than the storm and they were terrified. In reality, they should be afraid, as should the waters (Psalm 77:16), as should the earth, as should you and I. This is actually the normal response recorded throughout the Scriptures when one encounters the living God (Ex 3:6; Is 6:5). This is the king of glory. This is the Lord of Hosts. This is “I Am.” But in this case, “I Am” has not come to crush…but to rescue. John is quick to show us that Jesus has not come after the disciples. No, Jesus has come for the disciples. THE KING WHO COMES TO OUR RESCUE Verse 20 is masterful. Jesus says, “It is I, do not be afraid.” Remarkably and immediately on the heels of the profound declaration that “I Am” is with them comes the grace-filled, hope-saturated words “do not be afraid.” There are two profound ways of understanding Jesus’ statement. First, “‘I Am’ has come for you but do not be afraid!” Here we see the holiness of God has come near but so too has the grace of God. Jesus has not come after the disciples. No, Jesus has come for the disciples. He has come to be their rescue. Jesus, who is “I Am,” went into the darkness, into the sea, and into the storm in order to rescue the disciples from the darkness, from the sea, and from the storm. But secondly, “‘I Am’ is now with you do not fear!” The King who has all authority and power over the darkness, the sea, and the storm is the one who is also with us in the darkness, the sea, and the storm! The disciples are in the dark, on the sea, and in a storm.