Jesus, The Master of Nature

John 6: 16 – 22 (NIV): 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. 22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.

    John continues to build his case that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. This is a familiar account in Scripture. Matthew and Mark also tell it. In Matthew, Peter walks out onto the water with Jesus, but John is emphasizing the proof of Jesus’ supernatural powers. He tells us that the whole crowd (that Jesus had fed earlier) saw that he crossed the lake without entering a boat. He had walked across. Only a god can do that. Only God can be the Messiah.

    When Jesus appeared, the disciples were terrified. Often we are terrified when God intervenes in our lives, but he assured them it was ok. It was he. It was “I am”. Sure enough, by his will, the storm subsided and the boat zipped safely to the other shore. Don’t be afraid when God is at work in your life. Don’t fear when he appears in your storms. He is always up to something good, even if we don’t see it at the time.
    Jesus is the master of nature. He can control winds and waves and storms and physics. He is supernatural. He can tell it to rain or stop the rain. Does he micromanage every raindrop? I can’t say, but Jesus said God is aware of every single sparrow. So why doesn’t he stop fires and earthquakes and tornadoes and droughts? We must remember we live in a fallen world and evil happens. Just like cancer and heart disease. But no one dies without God’s permission. Nothing happens outside of his permission and sovereignty. I’m no more equipped to understand all of this than Job was. But this I know: God is in control and he is the master of nature. Sometimes he calms the storm and sometimes he chooses to let it rage and calms the child instead.