John 6: 16-21
Today’s Gospel talks about Jesus walking on water. This shows Jesus is in complete control of nature. After feeding 5000 people Jesus left the disciples and went to a lonely place, to pray. This was part of his daily routine. The Disciples were traveling to another side of the Sea of Galilee area, but due to strong winds blowing and darkness, they found it impossible to control the boat. Suddenly they saw Jesus walking on water and there was complete calm in the sea, Jesus reached to them and comforted them saying “Do not be afraid” its me and helped them to reach their destination.
Let us reflects on word “Do not be afraid”
- The symbol of sea or water represents the world/universe/creation.
- The symbol of boat represents our own lives
- The symbol of strong wind represents the difficult situations of our lives
- The symbol of darkness represents the absence of Jesus in our life.
Whenever we are walking without Jesus, it represents the darkness part of our life. Definitely along with darkness there also is the blowing strong wind, i.e. unexpected circumstances which arise in our life like sickness, jobless, financial condition weakening us, sudden death in the family etc. During these times we despair and find it difficult to row our boat in the water. Jesus never leave us alone. Do not be afraid of the situation, do not make the situation control you rather keep your eyes on Jesus who is in complete control of your life.
The word “Do not be afraid” appears 365 times in the Bible that stands for each day with Jesus, who strengthens us, “Do not be afraid I am with you”. In this world we face persecution, but we can take courage, because Jesus says, “I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). There are tough times in our lives, but with Jesus we can reach our destination, like the disciples reached their destination in this passage. With Jesus we can row our boat even in rough seas, and be totally in control, as he directs our life.
Do I believe that Jesus has complete control over my life? What is my spiritual response in our current situation?
