Fear? Gone!

John 6:17b-19 - It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.

The disciples had good reason to be afraid. Although they had just seen more than 5,000 people miraculously fed, things had changed, and they were scared. You may know what that’s like right now. There were several things John noted about the disciples situation that may apply to yours.

First, it was dark. They had seen the miracle in the daylight. They had no doubt that Jesus was who he claimed to be when they saw that supernatural lunch, but now that it was dark, it was easy to forget the reason for their trust in him.

The second factor contributed to this even more. “Jesus had not yet come to them.” They were alone. The Master they had walked and talked with, the Master who performed the miracle, had left them. They probably felt abandoned. They wondered if he would return. This made the other factors even more frightening.

The natural circumstances around them constituted the third reason for fear. On a small boat in the middle of a big lake, waves and wind can sink one quickly. You probably know what it is like to face challenging circumstances beyond your control that are capable of sinking you in a heartbeat. You may have seen others go down because of lesser storms, and now you face this one alone.

The final cause for their fear was seeing something they did not understand. In Matthew’s account, the disciples assumed Jesus was a ghost. John simply tells us they were afraid when they saw Jesus. It did not make sense that a man could walk on water. This culminated a very scary situation. They seemed to have good reason to be afraid, but what they missed was that this final cause of fear was about to bring them full victory over fear.

Verses 20-21 tell us that Jesus told them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Jesus showed up in the midst of their fear in a way they did expect, but by receiving him gladly the reasons for their fear were over, and their ultimate goal was achieved.

Whatever may be causing you fear today, look for Jesus’ coming to you in ways you do not expect, remember his words to not be afraid, and receive him gladly.

Are You a “Can’t” Person or a “So Little” Person?

John 6:7-9 - Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

We all see problems. Not everyone sees solutions. Problems are real. Some problems are enormous and without clear ways to overcome them. Problems pervade every area of life. How do you react when you run into a problem? Some refuse to even consider a way out. Others see the reality of the problem and what little they have to respond but to offer it anyway.

John 6 describes a big problem. More than 5,000 people followed to listen to Jesus, and they were hungry. Two of Jesus’ disciples gave two responses to the problem. Neither would have earned an A on the exam of faith. Neither appeared to be a hero. There was only a slight difference between their responses, but that difference made all the difference.

Philip was the “Can’t” person. He saw only the problem with no possible solution. Are you ever like him when a big problem emerges? It is easy to fall into that trap, but that reaction never solves problems.

Where Philip said, “Can’t,” Andrew said, “Here is what we have, but it is so little.” It, too, paled by comparison to the magnitude of their problem, but he offered it to Jesus anyway. That “So Little” became the seed of the miracle of Jesus that impacted the most people in an immediately tangible way while he was here on earth. 5,000 people had a great lunch that day.

The next time you face a big problem, don’t immediately fall into the “Can’t” trap. Though you may only have a little, give it to Jesus, step out, take the risk, and you might see your own miracle happen.