In this new post, I want to share with you my sermon notes from Dr. Jonathan Murphy's message at Bayside Community Church in Tampa on March 14, 2021. Dr. Murphy's teaching is always profound.
Jesus ordered His disciples to leave, to go to their boat and set sail so they wouldn't be infected by the trend of the people to sabotage God's plans. They wanted to proclaim Him king right then, and not wait for His time.
The disciples were alone in the dark with an approaching storm. They strained with their oars in exhaustion against the violent wind and waves. Fear compounded their colossal struggle.
Question #1 - Why did Jesus walk on water?
The sea is a picture of chaos and death. According to Job 9:8 and Psalm 77:19-20, only God can walk on water. For Jesus to walk calmly on the raging sea identified and declared Himself as God in the flesh.
Question #2 - Why did Jesus intend to pass them by?
In Exodus 33:13, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and passed by him in His revelation to Moses. In 1 Kings 19, God passed by Elijah to reveal Himself to the prophet. For Jesus to pass them by also identified and declared Himself as God in the flesh.
When the disciples realized they weren't seeing a ghost, Jesus further proclaimed His divinity with his "I AM" statement. (Exodus 34) This answered the disciples' question in Mark 4:39-41.
Just as the sea is the picture of death, the mountain top is symbolic of God's presence (Exodus 19:11). From His high place, He sees us in our struggles, straining against the winds and waves of life's storms, and comes to us.
We are God's children. He loves us, though He lets us struggle. Sometimes straining at the oars builds muscles...and character. And Jesus, God in the flesh, walks on our stormy seas to take our burdens upon Himself. Trust in Him.
