Being Loved
"Whenever you need me, I'll be there."
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." - John 6:16-27
Today's reading, for me, is a reminder that Jesus is committed to be there for us through thick and thin.
You can doubt the walking on water scene. Advertisers have made it a weird attention-getting device in a commercial for an alcoholic beverage, so it tends to lose its value as an element of surprise.
John is into signs of Jesus' divinity, so here, the water-walking has a purpose.
But is that what we want to take away from this, that Jesus could do amazing things that we can't do?
I don't think that helps us at all. What helps is knowing that He is there for us.
When we are lost and afraid, He will find us and comfort us, protect us from the storm, calm the seas.
We don't really need anything else, do we?
Jesus came to prove to us that we are loved by God. We are His creation, not just appointed caretakers of it.
We are the reason for all the rest, everything we see and discover throughout the universe.
Oh, you can argue that there must be other life out there, because the vastness of space has to have set the conditions right for other worlds to be able to support life, and maybe that is true, but does it mean that God doesn't pay attention to us?
There is an expression that there are no atheists in foxholes. When the time comes when we face life and death decisions or strife, we turn to God for help.
And God is OK with that!
He will come to us when we call, not because we are in control, but because we aren't, because we are loved.
How great is that?
More to come...