Daily Bread

When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.

This short narrative found in John's gospel is powerfully symbolic in both words and action. Why did Jesus choose to walk over the rough waters at night, and why did he choose to use the words he did?

When Jesus said, "It is I; do not be afraid," he used the phrase 'ego eimi' which is the Greek version of the Hebrew, "I AM." In other words, Jesus was saying, "Do not be afraid because the I AM is here." It's the same phrased used by God in Exodus 3 where Moses after encountering God in the burning bush asks,

"If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I am who i am. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you." (Exodus 3.13-14)

Jesus wanted his disciples to make the connection with the God found in the Exodus narrative, where God says, "I have certainly seen the oppression of my people... I have heard their cries of distress." (Exodus 3.6-7). In the same way that God appeared to set the Hebrews free from the Egyptians, Jesus appeared to set people free from their sins.

Notice too, how Jesus was walking on the rough water at night time. Water, in the Old Testament symbolised chaos — remember the Spirit hovering over the water at the beginning of Genesis when darkness covered the earth — and this walking on water was symbolic of the power and authority of Christ over all creation.

The walking on water and the words Jesus used were to send a message to his disciples of who Jesus was and why he had come, and the powerful symbolism would not have been lost on those in the boat. From now on, they need not fear, because God was with them. In the same way that in the Exodus narrative, God said, "I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey," Jesus would lead his disciples through death and out the other side, to the promised land of life in all its fullness, in the here and now, and forever.

Holy God
When I find myself in the darkness,
struggling against the waves of life,
may I be reminded of your
awesome power and authority.
May I never be afraid,
because you are with me.
Now and for ever.