The typical experience ...

Wednesday, May 21, 2014. How are you doing today? Is your life great? Or are you fighting with various difficulties? It is very likely that there are some good things, and that there are other parts or moments which appear extremely difficult to you. It will be independent of whether you believe or not, whether you are man or woman, young or old, well-set or in a big mess with your life currently.

Rough and strong wind …

Reading the gospel of John we come to a story of rough wind on the sea today; … and the disciples are in a little boat. Let us read:

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 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. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (John 6, 16ff)

We first need to have a look at the situation of the disciples. They have been travelling with Jesus now already for a while. They knew him. And he sent them over in this boat. And then, the winds came, and the sea got rough. It is a reflection of our experiences. When you are a disciple of Jesus, there will still be those rough winds. There will still be the rough sea. It is not that all would always be easy and simple!

The wonder …

There are many wonders in this little story. There is Jesus, of course, walking on the lake. He is coming to them in the middle of the darkness. He is coming in the middle of the night. He is coming in a life-threatening situation.

There is the message here: Jesus is there, even if you feel lonely in a little boat miles into the sea, with darkness around you and a rough wind ahead. He will find you, even if you are just a tiny spot in the middle of the waves.

There is this wonder: Jesus does not forget. He is there, where ever we are. And he is interested in us. He talks to us. He consoles us: do not be afraid. It is him, and he masters the waves and the wind.

There are more wonders here. As soon as he gets into the boat, they reach their goal. With him, we are where we need to be. Here, the winds are gone. The rough sea has disappeared. They reached the land, and they are save. And in the middle of this experience, there are these few words: “do not be afraid, it is I”. It is an invitation to experience Jesus where we are as well, in our own rough situations, in our own little boat, in our own darkness and our own night. Do not be afraid! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts