Transcription of the Video: When the Storm Comes

The ancient land of Israel is a testimony and evidence of the greatness of what God did in that country, a testimony to the truth of the words that we find in the pages of the Bible. The people who lived here have left behind a record, an indelible record, if you will, of their lives. An important part of that record is the cities where they lived - ancient piles of debris that contain their culture, architecture, art, their diet, the weapons they used, and even on occasion, their writings. 

These piles of ancient cities, often built one on top of the other, are called tells. People in ancient times tended to build and live in the same places. Maybe because there were occupations there, or a main road went nearby. Or maybe, most likely of all, a source of fresh water. As archaeologists began to peel away the layers of this ancient civilization, the culture and even the people of the Bible come to light. 

I'd like to ask you to join us on this adventure. We're going to try and understand the people, the context of the Bible. It'll mean some extra hiking, some climbing, some travel to out-of-the-way places. But the end result, I think, will be well worth the effort as we discover, again, that God's word, God's message is as relevant for us as it was for them.

It doesn't take long in the Middle East, in this part of the world, to discover how important water is. Almost every major vital event happens somewhere near a water source. So it's appropriate, then, that the ministry of Jesus - particularly his teaching ministry is set by the largest body of fresh water in the country (the Sea of Galilee). A sea, however, was not a calm pastoral idea to the people of Israel. Rather, it represented something quite different to them. 

Welcome, this morning, to the Sea of Galilee. It's a very beautiful morning. The sun is coming up over here in the east. Just a glorious morning. The more we learn about this beautiful country where God did so much that's so important to all of us, the more we recognize how important water was in their everyday lives. We've seen cisterns and water tunnels and hiked through Hezekiah's tunnel. We've noticed how often stories revolved around discussions and disputes about water. We've even discovered an En Gedi that, in a sense, Jesus himself is like water. And we're to become living water to others.

So it's appropriate when we think about the life and ministry of Jesus that we come to a place where there's water. This morning, we sail out on the Sea of Galilee right at sunrise, as he often did, and we think about the life and ministry of Jesus here around this lake. It's the largest body of fresh water in Israel. It's about 12 1/2 miles long, about 7 1/2 miles wide. It's over 600 feet below sea level actually, so the climate tends to be fairly tropical here. 

We can say that a great percentage of the ministry of Jesus that he did in the New Testament took place right here around this lake. On the west side, we have the mountains here on which is the modern city of Tiberius. Jesus avoided that area. To the northern end here, we have the area where Jesus actually lived and ministered, with Chorazin up the hill a ways, Capernaum down at the water level, and over a little bit further to the east, Bethsaida. And the Bible says that in that triangle of cities, most of Jesus's miracles were performed. 

I thought it would be appropriate this morning just to share a little bit of a few of the stories that happened here on the lake. 

"Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize it was Jesus. He called out to them, 'Friends, have you any fish?'" 

"'No,' they answered."

"He said, 'Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.'"

"When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, 'It is the Lord.'"  

"As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him - for he had taken it off - and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore - about 100 yards. When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it and some bread." 

"Now, lo and behold, as they bring the fish up to shore, Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish - 153. But even with so many, the net was not torn."  (John 21:4-11)

One of the things that intrigues me about that story is the fact that 153 became a number in their minds, representing all the nations. I love that use of the number 153, because the implication of course is that that has to extend now to all the world. And in a sense, Jesus is already teaching the disciples that God's Kingdom is bigger than Jewish. It's bigger than Protestant. It's big enough to include all of God's people in God's world. 

Throughout the Old Testament, in particular, large bodies of water often were synonymous with death and with chaos. It was sometimes called the abyss. So even though this fresh water was a wonderful thing and that fishing was so important, there was a sense in which this lake, too, represented negative connotations. 

"Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went into the hills to pray. And so Jesus says to the disciples, 'Why don't you row across the end of the lake to the east?'" They probably would have rowed fairly close to shore. Meanwhile, he went up into those hills to pray. (Mark 6:45-46)

"When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the ores because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he went out to them, walking on the lake." (Mark 6:47-48)

Now, that struck me as I read that, because it says, "When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake." So when it got dark, the boat was out in the middle or out into the water a ways. He waited until the fourth watch of the night. Which means those disciples were rowing there for maybe as much as six hours. Maybe eight hours. Why would Jesus sit up in those hills watching those, obviously, tired disciples after several hours of rowing against the wind and just let them row?

Maybe the teaching of that as we're out on this lake is to think about the fact that when we struggle in our lives, we can count on the help of God. But often, I think, our struggle is one that God allows us to have for a while. And then this very fascinating little phrase. It says, "He was about to pass them by, walking on the lake." Amazing. I mean, he sat there and watched them rowing. He could see their struggle. He could see the wind against them. He waits six or eight hours. Then he walks out to them, and he's about to walk by. That's incredible.

Imagine, you're in this boat and you're rowing and rowing, and your arms ache, and your back aches. And then, here he comes walking on the water towards you. You see him coming. You're not sure. Maybe it's a ghost. And he comes walking out here and goes right on by.

But then, they were terrified because of him and because of what was happening, and they cried out. Then it says, "Immediately, he stopped and spoke to them and said, 'Take courage. It is I. Don't be afraid.' Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down, and they were completely amazed, for they had not understood their hearts were hardened." (Mark 6:50-52)

Just an encouragement again out here on the lake. I don't think it's a profound theological concept, but simply the idea that sometimes when God lets us struggle, when the moment finally comes when the struggle is to the point where he's willing to step in, it still takes that step on our part to reach out and to call for him. 

"When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there." (Mark 6:53) Now that is over there. It suggests, to me, that in our struggles in life, we need to row in the direction we think God wants us to go. But there will be times we'll end up in different places than we expected him to take us.

"Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side while he dismissed the crowd. After he dismissed them, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When the evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land buffeted by the waves, because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said and cried out in fear." 

"But Jesus immediately said to them, 'Take courage. It's me. Don't be afraid.'"

"'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'let me come to you on the water.'"

"'Come,' he said."

"Peter got down out of the boat and walked on the water to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me.'"

"Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'Why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:22-31)

"And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down, and those who were in the boat worshiped him saying, 'Truly, you are the son of God.'"(Matthew 14:32-33)

As I think about that, there are two things I would hold before you from Peter. One is he had the courage to try it. It strikes me that Peter hadn't had a lot of practice walking on water, probably never did it before. And yet when the time came and it seemed to be that was what God wanted of him, Peter gave it a shot. And maybe sometimes we hurt ourselves in our attempt to impact people around us by being hesitant to try what at the moment seems to be what God wants.

So let's tie together and summarize the faith lesson this morning. I think the first thing that strikes me is that God has power over evil. And even a lake like this with storms that represent to them at least some of the worst that life could throw at us, Jesus Christs was bigger than that. And whatever it is we face personally, in our communities, in our families, in our culture, Jesus Christ's power is greater.  That, I want to take home with me.

The second thing I think that strikes me is simply Peter's courage and his willingness to say, "God, there's a Kingdom. I want to be like you. And I want to bring that Kingdom." And he tried it.

And the third thing has to do with the fishing. Nesher here, is going to demonstrate for us a method of net casting for fish. Now as you watch that, that's a 2,000-year-old craft. And just two thoughts came to my mind as I thought about Peter being a fisherman like Nesher. One was, "I couldn't do that. That took a lot of practice to get that net right and to throw that net so it landed out there." 

If we're going to be followers of our Jesus, it's going to take some practice to be able to bring the gift of his way, his love to the people he would bring into his Kingdom. And I intend to practice that more than I have. 

The other thing is he didn't catch anything. Obviously, a fisherman doesn't catch something every time he throws his hook, every time he casts a net. And so when you go back and you bring what God has impacted you with from this land and these hills and these tells, you won't catch something either every time. But keep casting. A lake you're going back to, God's prepared already. And there are people there who are going to need just exactly what you've been given.