John 6:16-21

After Jesus withdrew to a mountain by himself, the disciples— fresh off of witnessing Jesus reject the title of king— headed for Capernaum by boat. They were away from Jesus, in the dark, and perhaps experiencing doubts that were more violent than the storm in which they suddenly found themselves.


At the moment of their greatest distress, Jesus comes to them, walking on the water, and says, “It is I, do not be afraid.” The phrase “it is I” is “ego eimi” in the Greek, which can alternately be translated as “I am,” which is the form of divine disclosure in Scripture.


In the previous story, Jesus fed the crowd in a way that was reminiscent of Moses.

But this sea miracle transcends the parting of the Red Sea. Jesus’ calming of the waters— which in Hebrew literature are a symbol of chaos— is a sign of his power of the created order of nature, and of his ability to deliver his disciples from chaos.

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