Bible Study Series: Jesus is Coming - Bible Prophecy and End Times
A Panoramic Picture: It's getting dark and Jesus hasn't come?!
by I Gordon
Welcome! This Bible study lesson will expand on a short thought I included quite a few years ago in a study about Peter walking on the water. Except this one will have nothing to do with Peter walking on the water! That study was from Matthew 14:22-25 and while it focused primarily on faith, I included a short prophetic application at the end of the study and it is this thought that I've been drawn to again recently. This time we'll look at how John recorded this story exploring the perfect prophetic panoramic picture (say that fast 10 times!) that can be seen here. And hopefully you'll see a great picture of Jesus' two comings as well as His present day ministry in this passage. So we'll look at John 6:5-21 and while we'll have to set the stage and context, stick with it... this passage is really interesting, encouraging, and has more than meets the eye as we go on! Here is the main passage we'll concentrate on today so have a read and see if you can see what I'm talking about:
Joh 6:14-21 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." (15) So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. (16) Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, (17) and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. (18) The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. (19) Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. (20) But He *said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." (21) So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Maybe some questions might help? We'll explore the following:
- Who was 'the Prophet' that the Jews were waiting for and who did the people think Jesus was?
- Why did Jesus withdraw to a mountain when the people wanted to make Him king? And what does that have to do with our lives?
- Why were the disciples heading to Capernaum and what does that mean for believers today?
- Why did Jesus allow it to get late, dark and stormy before coming to His disciples?
- What does it mean for us that as soon as Jesus came they reached their destination?
So let's pick up the story in John 6 with a large hungry crowd amassing around Jesus and His disciples.
The Context - What is Jesus' test?
Joh 6:5-13 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (6) He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. (7) Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" (8) Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, (9) Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many? (10) Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. (11) Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. (12) When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." (13) So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
So with such a great crowd, and nothing really to eat, Jesus tests His disciples. So why was He testing them? And more importantly, what was the test? Our passage says Jesus asked Philip '"Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"' It also says that 'He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.' So what actually was the test? The test was to see how Philip would approach this situation... with what would he reckon on? There was obviously a large crown and very little resources to feed such a crowd. Would Philip take Jesus into account or would he just assess the situation from a natural point of view? That was the test so let's look at his answer to see if he passes this class:
Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" - Hmmm... did Philip take Jesus into account in this situation? No. The only things he took into account were the numbers in the crowd and how much it would cost to feed such large numbers. And Andrew wasn't any better. He said 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?' So Andrew likewise merely looked at what resources they had and quickly concluded that 5 loaves and 2 fish would really only be enough for... well, him. Not the whole crowd! But Jesus wanted to teach them a lesson here and was able to do the impossible, feeding the whole crowd with such limited resources, by offering the situation up to God and thanking Him. So that is our context for what comes next.
The Crowd thought Jesus was 'the Prophet' - Who is that?
Joh 6:14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."
Let me ask you a question - who were the Jews waiting for at this time? Who did they believe was going to come as shown in their scriptures? There were three people that they believed would come and there were different opinions about exactly which of the three Jesus (and for that matter, John the Baptist) was. Here are a couple of verses and look at who the people were waiting for:
Joh 1:19-23 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" (20) And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." (21) They asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" And he *said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." (22) Then they said to him, "Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?" (23) He said, "I am A VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS, 'MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said."
And concerning Jesus, we read the following:
Joh 7:40-41 On hearing his words, some of the people said, "Surely this man is the Prophet." (41) Others said, "He is the Christ." Still others asked, "How can the Christ come from Galilee?
So you will see that they had three specific people that they were expecting to come:
- The Christ / Messiah
- Elijah
- The Prophet
And where did they get the idea that a special 'Prophet' was going to come? They got that from what Moses had told them. Moses spoke of a unique prophet that the Lord would bring - and that the people MUST listen to Him!
Deu 18:15-19 The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him... (18) I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (19) If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.
In reality the Messiah was also the Prophet - they were one and the same, Jesus! But there was some confusion at the time over exactly who Jesus was!
Making Jesus King by force
Joh 6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
While they weren't all united on exactly who Jesus was, with full bellies and amazing miracles, they certainly wanted to make Him their King! Many believed He should be their king then and there. And this is expressed further later on when He rode in Jerusalem on the donkey (fulfilling Zech 9:9) where the people said:
Joh 12:12-16 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, (13) took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, "Hosanna! BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, even the King of Israel." (14) Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written, (15) "FEAR NOT, DAUGHTER OF ZION; BEHOLD, YOUR KING IS COMING, SEATED ON A DONKEY'S COLT." (16) These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.
A little side question - Did Jesus specifically say that He was the King? Yes He did!
Joh 18:33-37 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?" (34) Jesus answered, "Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?" (35) Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?" (36) Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." (37) Therefore Pilate said to Him, "So You are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."
So Jesus was the Messiah. He was the Prophet. He was the King. But He was not sent to inherit His earthly Kingdom and be their King at His first coming. And He knew this. Regarding this, I really like this next quote:
"As St. Bernard said, He always fled when they wanted to make Him King, and presented Himself when they wanted to crucify Him."
F.B Meyer
Now as a prophetic panoramic picture, these verses sum up His first coming. Jesus fed the people and did miracles to prove who He was. He met all their needs. Some needed physical food. Some needed healing. Many needed forgiveness and salvation. But this wasn't the time for ruling and reigning for He had the sin of all mankind to deal with first! So instead of letting them make Him king, Jesus departed, going up the mountain to be in fellowship with His Father. This is a picture of His ascension on high. Again, His Kingship shall come, but this was not yet the time for that - despite the people at the time wanting to make Him King. And what was He doing up the mountain? He was praying (as seen in the corresponding passage in Matt 14:23). He was likely praying for His disciples because as we shall see, they were struggling out in the waves and the wind on the sea! And as a picture this gives us a glimpse of Jesus' present day ministry after His ascension - He is interceding for His own!
Heb 7:24-25 But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. (25) Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Where were the disciples and what was their destination?
Joh 6:16-17 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, (17) and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
In the evening his disciples got into a boat to cross the sea for Capernaum. Evening speaks of nearing the end of the day. In terms of the larger picture, it speaks of the church going out upon the sea (a picture in scripture of the nations - Rev 17:15) in 'the last days'. Really all of the church age, when viewed against God's full timeline, is 'the last days' (Heb 1:2) but you'll note that as they went on, things got darker and more difficult. Note also where they were going... they set off on the sea with their ultimate destination being Capernaum. Capernaum was the adopted home city of Jesus after He was driven from Nazareth at the beginning of His ministry (Luke 4:16, 28–30). So what does Capernaum mean? It is derived from the Hebrew word for a 'village/town' and the name Nahum, meaning 'comfort/consolation'.
Capernaum means 'city of comfort'
Hitchcock's Bible Names
So with Jesus having ascended up high, the disciples were on the sea heading to the 'city of comfort'. Yet it was getting darker and darker. This pictures Christians to at the end of the age. It is getting darker out there. The journey is getting harder, but we keep our eyes on the destination - the city of comfort... our Heavenly home!
And yet the disciples had questions as they struggled in the darkness. Why had Jesus not joined them? Where was He? Why hadn't He come? Why was He delaying His arrival? Doesn't He know that it is getting dark and difficult? Maybe you have experienced such questions too? There is the same sense as we wait for the Lord's return. We wonder when He is going to come and what He is waiting for. We wonder how dark it is going to get!
The strong winds are blowing...
Joh 6:18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
So not only was it dark, but a strong wind was blowing and the waters were rough. You can imagine that the enemy, seeing Jesus separated from His disciples, thought that this would be a great opportunity to stir things up for these buys in their boat. So as the darkness sets in, the winds and waves increase. It would have become difficult to just point the boat in the right direction! And again, all the time they would have been thinking 'does Jesus know what we are going through? Why hasn't He come?' Now as mentioned above, as a picture the waters in scripture speak of the nations (Rev 17:15) and specifically the agitation of the unbelievers.
Isa 57:20-21 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud. (21) "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."
So this gives us another glimpse of what the times will be like before Jesus returns. Strong winds will be blowing stirring up the sea (peoples). And do we not see the nations and peoples getting stirred up today? Everyday seems to bring some new craziness. So remember, scripture has never said that things are going to be easy for disciples in the last days when it gets dark, windy and the waters are rough!
Jesus returns... supernaturally!
Joh 6:19-20 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. (20) But He *said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."
So the disciples had gone some distance, 3-4 miles, before they saw finally Jesus. Before then they had struggled away wondering where Jesus was. Then they saw Him... coming right to them supernaturally, walking on the water! Now they didn't recognize Him at first as it was dark and they hadn't seen Him like this before but His voice soon allayed any concern for He said 'It is I, do not be afraid.' Or, more literally 'I AM. Stop being frightened!' As William Macdonald writes:
If He were only a man, they might well be afraid. But He is the mighty Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. With such a One close at hand, there was no reason to fear. He who made the Sea of Galilee in the first place could cause its waters to be calm in the second place, and could bring His fearful disciples safely to shore. The words “It is I” are literally “I AM.” So far this is the second time in John's Gospel where Jesus used this name of Jehovah as applying to Himself.
William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary
It will be the same when the Lord returns at the Rapture of His bride. We will not have seen Him like this but He will come to us supernaturally and we will meet Him in the clouds (1 Thes 4:14-17). He will come as God, the great I AM and we won't need any more reassuring! But again, it will be dark at the time. It seems that we have waited a long time. Yet when we see Him we will be amazed for we will see Him as He really is! (1 John 3:2)
Conclusion: Yes! Immediately they reached the City of Comfort!
Joh 6:21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
Our final verse has a really interesting thought... as soon as Jesus came to them they immediately arrived where they were heading! This again is another miracle. This is supernatural. One moment they were struggling with the wind and the waves as the night grew darker and then suddenly, when the Lord came, they were where they longed to be - at Capernaum, the city of comfort. There was no more struggle against the wind and the waves then but instantly they were at their destination.
So as we conclude, let me just say that this is a beautiful picture for all believers today. Many believers are struggling under all sorts of pressures today. There are so many have health issues in this day. So many are under financial and emotional stress battered by the wind and waves. In some parts of the world there is so much persecution of believers. And yet when the Lord comes, the disciples find themselves instantly in the 'City of Comfort', never to experience those things EVER again.
So I hope that has been an encouragement and blessing for you believers. Though things become difficult, realize that the Lord Jesus is currently interceding for you on high. And though it seems like it is taking longer than expected for Him to return (as it did for the disciples 2000 years ago out on the sea of Galilee) that day is assured!
Tit 2:11-13 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, (12) instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, (13) looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.
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