Jesus Walking on Water

The disciples were fishing in a boat when they saw something coming toward them. I know something supernatural, but was a phantom wasn't a ghost was in the demon exegesis coming to that walking by and they also and they were troubled, would you respond to that some would think a single person walk on water would be really exciting.

We might wonder how's he doing so what's behind the disciples reaction to this unusual encounter with her teacher is Dr. RC Sproul continues his sermon series from Mark's gospel will begin reading from chapter 6, verse 47 now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and he was alone on the land and then he saw them straining at rowing for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by. Now there's enough in this verse the last for the next few weeks, but God willing, I'll move an accelerated pace and try to finish it this morning but while he is out coming down from the mountain of prayer. He looks out into the sea of Galilee and in the distance he can see that his disciples have made very little progress in getting to the other side because there is a fierce wind blowing against them and Jesus observes that they are straining at the oars. They can't sail across the turbulent waters at this time and they're trying to do it with oars rowing and when he notices them the word that is used here translated, straining elsewhere in the Bible is translated by the word torment that the pain that they were experiencing. Trying to row against this wind was excruciating in all probability was an easterly wind known to the natives as the SAARC Kia or in English would be the shark. This is the New Testament's version of JAWS only.

The shark is a wind rather than a fish but the end result could often be the same. So now Jesus sees that his disciples are in trouble and he begins to leave the land to walk out to them and he walks on the sea. I'm just coming on that for second again. The language here in the text makes no mistake about what Mark is saying that the word there means on top of the water. The clearly Jesus is doing something that no mortal is able to do. Last week I mentioned the 19th century assault on the integrity of Scripture by European liberals who D supernatural lies.

The biblical text. The same scholars as noted by Albert Schweitzer in the quest for the historical Jesus explain this particular incident of saying well.

It must've been Miss the that night with the wind churning up the water and Jesus is out there in the fourth watch, which is between 3 o'clock in the morning, 6 o'clock in the morning and so in the fog. The disciples suffer an optical illusion, or more possible. There was a sandbar hidden from view, and Jesus was taking advantage of that sandbar to walk out to meet the disciples who are in the middle of the lake that they know as well as the palm of their and that they know where every show where every rock, where every sandbar would be.

Nevertheless the one thing that the 19th century critic couldn't stomach is even the remote possibility that what Mark describes here actually took place.

Most sandbar no optical illusion, but rather Jesus walking on the water I noticed something strange here in this description about the fourth watch the night he came to them walking on the sea and would have passed them by stuff the music is for Jesus Eastern trouble straining at the oars.

Their physical torment. The windows following the shark is loose on the sea. Exegesis starts out on the water to pass them by.

Just walk past the boat say how you doing. Have a nice night and keep on going to the what's that about why would the description be here in the text that Jesus purposes to walk by. We know one of the basic principles that we have a biblical interpretation is that you interpret the Scriptures by the Scriptures and if we want to get a hold of what the text is about here.

We have to go back to the Old Testament to understand this phenomenon's in the book of Job where the Scripture say that it is God who walks upon the waves and in Jewish understanding and even all human understanding. The only one who has the power or ability to walk on water is God himself. And when God manifests himself in the Old Testament in a visible way that visible manifestation of the invisible God is called a theophany coming from the Greek word for us, which means God and from the Greek word for Anna Ross which makes them manifest or show or demonstrate or display so a theophany is again a visible manifestation of the invisible God you've heard of other theophanies. When Moses sees the burning bush in the Midianite wilderness were the bushes burning but not consumed. And God speaks to Moses out of that Bush that's a theophany of visible appearance of the invisible God in Genesis when Abraham is given the promise of his inheritance and he says to God, how can I know that these things are true, and God put them to sleep and cut up all these animals than the smoking torch and in the burning up and passed between the pieces of these animals it's a theophany it's God visibly moving the show himself but perhaps the two most famous theophanies like this in the Old Testament are found in the book of Exodus and in the book of first Kings first of all, and we look at Exodus chapter 33 Moses is speaking to God and he says in verse 18 of chapter 33 of Exodus Lord please show me your glory and God said notices I will make all of my goodness pass before you and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But he said you cannot see my face for no man shall see me and live in. Then the Lord said, here's a place by me, and you shall stand on the rock, and so shall it be that while my glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by, then I will take away my hand. You shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen by your aware of the story. We've looked at it another circumstances again for review. What does Moses want wants to see God, please, please, Lord, show me your glory, and three times in the response to this request. God says to Moses words to this effect.

Moses cooled all of my goodness pass by you. I will stand you in the rock I will hide you in the rock I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will have my glory passed by and I will let you see my backward parts as I pass by you, but my face shall not be seen and noticed no that in this theophany even those in the Genesis 15 passage I mentioned a moment ago when God moves with his glory, to show himself to creatures. His glory passes by, and that's what Jesus is saying I'm going out to the boat. I'm going to walk on the water that I might pass by. Jesus is self-consciously involved here in a theophany one more example let's looking first Kings mother familiar text story of Elijah Hassey flees from Jezebel and he hides in a cave first nine chapter 19. There he went into a cave and spent the night in that place, and behold, the word of the Lord came to him and he said to him, what are you doing here, Elijah. So Elijah said, I've been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts, but the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars. They've killed your prophets with the sword. My alone and left this I call the Elijah syndrome that many of us experience from time to time. We think were the only ones left who are faithful now. They seek to take my life.

How does God respond to this expression of despair by his breath with what God said God said go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, and behold, the Lord passed by in the great and strong wind tore into the mountains broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind and after the wind an earthquake of the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire and at the bar. Still, small voice. So it was Elijah heard it.

He wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him said what are you doing here, Elijah, and he said I've been very zealous for the Lord God but because the children of Israel forsaken the covenant formed on the orders killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life. God said go and return to the wilderness, Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint ACL as king over Syria anoint Jay who the son of Nancy as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of safe out of able your solenoid is profit in your place in the shall be that whoever escapes the sort of ACL J who will kill her escape some sort of guy who Elisha will kill, but I have reserved seven files who have not yet bowed the knee to bail so don't talk to me about being alone. I always have a remnant who are faithful to me. But in that crisis in Elijah experience the theophany is the glory of the Lord passed by, and that's what happens here on the Sea of Galilee where the glory of God bursting through the shroud of the humanity of Jesus manifests itself to the disciples in the middle of their distress. They look and they see the glory of God passing by the glory of the Lord, shining out of the son of God passing by when they saw him walking on the sea they suppose it was a ghost or the word could mean a phantom or even worse, the word could be demon because there were superstitious ideas that the sea when it was turning boiling. That was the result of the visitation of the demonic world. Upon this destructive force. So now when I see Jesus face of this must be abatement but I know something supernatural, but it was a phantom wasn't a ghost was in the demon exegesis coming to them walking by them and they also and they were troubled. But immediately he talked with them and he said to them, listen to this. This is not just an empty grieving they hear him speak and he says, be of good cheer.

It is, I don't be afraid. Now many of you were here when we preach through the entire Gospel of John and one of the things that we paid close attention to in our study of John's Gospel were the several IMs of Jesus. You recall I am the bread of life. I am the good Shepherd.

I am the door.

I am the way, the truth of the life before Abraham was, I am, and so on.

And when we looked at the structure of those proclamations by Jesus. We found something extraordinary that when a person says I am in Greek he can do it.

One of two ways you can say I go we get the word ego from that which means I am what we get the word E me which is another form of the verb to be.

I am but we find this strange construction in the Gospel of John.

In John's iambs were Jesus says I am the good Shepherd.

I'm the door, and so on. The combines Eggo and E me and uses that intensified form of the verb to be where he says I go E me, it's like you stuttering I am I am is not stuttering.

He's using an expression that the New Testament Greek uses to translate the ineffable name of God that God gives to Moses from the burning bush when God said my name is way I am that I am when the Greek translates Yahweh.

It's by that strange conjunction of Eggo E me only think of the iambs we think of John's Gospel of Mark has one of the iambs of Jesus because now as he passes by walking on the sea and his disciples are terrified.

He tries to calm their spirits be of good cheer dog be afraid Eggo E me. I there is any doubt earlier what was going on here was a theophany Jesus use of the sacred name to identify himself as he is walking on the water makes that virtually certain that we have to ask the question why did he do that here we don't have to speculate it when the boat Susie goes in the boat, the wind ceased. Just like it did earlier 18 calm the storm and they were greatly amazed themselves beyond measure. And they marveled for they had not understood about the loaves they didn't get it. What should they have understood they should've understood that the one with whom I had to do was God incarnate. Who else could take a few loaves and some fish and feed thousands and thousands of people, but instead of seeing the presence of God.

They saw the presence of a liberator from the military oppression of room and get it. Why didn't they get it in the book of Exodus, where Moses and Aaron come the Pharaoh say Pharaoh to tell you again with the Lord God is commanded told us to tell you.

Let my people go, that they may come out to the wilderness and serve me.

But Pharaoh said no.

Why because his heart was hard and when they threw down the rod of Aaron and the now turned into blood than the fish died in the river began the stink and that the water could not be drunk not only there, but in every well every river, every brook, every bowl every glass of water in the land turned the blood of your Pharaoh and you see that what you say what he wanted to go. How long would you like to stay.

Surely this is God, but his heart was hardened, beloved, when people don't get it about the identity of Christ is not because that on the brain's it's not because they're unintelligent, it's because their hearts are recalcitrant.

Their hearts are made out of stone. But sin causes so great calluses to grow upon our hearts is when of Christ himself would walk in front of us on the water today unless the Holy Spirit changes that heart of stone to one that can be to pulsate with spiritual life. People will not believe exegesis makes it unmistakably clear.

You didn't get it when I fed the 5000 don't get it when I tell you Eggo E me you don't get it.

When I step in the boat and the wind stopped blowing in the shark becomes a memo because your hearts are hardened, then when they crossed over they came. The landers mastered and anchored there. They came out of the boat and all. Again, the story repeats the people recognize them. They go running through the whole region. They go to the Agoura to the marketplace. They bring their sick. They bring their lame they bring their press just in the hope that of Jesus passes by. If they can just touch the hem of his garment, they would be healed as they understood in those villages that when Jesus went the gymnasts are surely the Lord was in that place. And when we know the presence of the Lord.

Straining at the oars will remove from our torment and we are left in a state of and reverence before I know about you but sometimes I find myself straining at the oars and Circe said there have to remind myself that there is peace and God's presence. Glad you joined us on this Lord stay addition of Renewing Your Mind and we web each Sunday we returned to Dr. RC Sproles verse by verse series through the Gospel of Mark that I recommend that you contact us today and request our resource offer. I think you'll find it to be a great study companion is you continue with this week by week kits Dr. Sproles commentary on Mark's gospel. This is an online offer only enter web address is Renewing Your Mind.org mother was much confusion in Israel over what defiled the person the Pharisees had created hundreds of laws to keep a person clean on the outside but next week as we continue the study.

Jesus will make it clear that defilement actually comes from within. I hope you'll join us next Sunday for Renewing Your Mind. The listener supported outreach of wood in your ministry