Is Jesus in Your Boat?

The Basilisk lizard has been nicknamed the Jesus Christ lizard; once you see footage of its trademark walk (or run) on the water, then you understand why it is so labeled. Found in the tropical rain forests of central America, from Mexico to Panama, this lizard is identified by its special run. Especially when it is escaping from predators, it uses its special feet to glide across the water using its tail as a counter balance. It can do this for approximately 15 feet before gravity begins to take over. Though the lizard eventually has to give in to gravity, there is someone who has the power over the natural law of gravity and he proved it to his disciples in John 6:16-21. Since Christ had withdrawn to the mountain to pray, the disciples found themselves without him as evening came which brings us to our story.

The disciples were having difficulty rowing the boat

If you've ever been in a boat with the wind blowing, you know the problems it creates. On more than one occasion at the lake behind the house of this writer, the wind would pick up strongly enough to have to abandon the boat on the other side of the lake because of the inability to paddle against the wind.

The disciples were put in an even greater windstorm on the Sea of Galilee. When the disciples got out in the boat, they were having a terrible time fighting the wind and the waves which were caused by it. Imagine if you will the disciples out in a boat with no outboard motor to help speed things along (in case you're puzzled, they didn't have 200 horse Mercury motors in that day and time). Rowing can be strenuous enough when there is no wind, but it would become extremely difficult when the wind would blow hard. Jesus saw them from the land as they were beaten by the waves and made headway painfully (Mt. 14:24; Mk. 6:48). They were having a really hard time without the Lord.

It is difficult to row the boat without Christ in it. There are a lot of times in our lives where we try to do things on our own without the Lord. Jesus said "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water

Nature itself shows us you can't walk on water. Albeit the Basilisk lizard is a pretty cool sight, that only lasts for a few seconds. If you try to walk on water you will sink. My middle son, Chandler tried it one time. We had gone to my parents' house when he was about 18 month old. My oldest son, Conner and I were in the boat just about ten feet from the bank when Chandler got away from my dad and decided he would walk out to us, but when he hit the water....you guessed it, down he went. Dad picked him up by his britches and the look of total shock was on his face. Conner erupted in laughter as it was very entertaining to him. If dad had not been right there it wouldn't have been so funny!

The disciples were frightened when they saw Jesus coming to them walking on the water. They had rowed about three or four miles from the shore. To give you a visual, the Sea of Galilee was approximately 13 miles long and 7 miles wide. Matthew and Mark provide some additional details in their accounts. They say it was the fourth watch of the night, which was roughly 3-6 a.m. and that they thought he was a ghost (Mt. 14:25-26; Mk. 6:48-49). Imagine how you would have felt if you were in the middle of a windstorm in a boat at 3:00 a.m. and you see someone standing there in the pitch black! I believe this would have been enough to rattle anybody's cage!

It wasn't a ghost; it was Jesus and he had come to them in the boat by walking on the water.

Though Jesus doesn't walk on the water anymore, he is still available to save us. "...he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him..." (Heb. 5:9).

The disciples were not afraid anymore

As scared as we get sometimes, we know that it's only temporary. Think of the times you've been to see a scary movie where scenes from the film almost make you jump out of your skin. It is quite horrific for just a moment, but then that moment has passed. There is a commercial on tv for a law firm where a group of people are ghost hunting. When the girl in the commercial supposedly gets attacked by a ghost, all fears are put to rest once someone turns the lights on.

Once Jesus reassured them that it was he, they were glad to take him into the boat. Matthew's account follows this with Peter's walking on the water. Mark's account add some other things: Christ got in the boat and the wind ceased; they were utterly astounded, they did not understand about the loaves and their hearts were hardened. Though we get some other perspectives on this story, the fact remains that Christ calmed their fears by showing he wasn't a ghost.

Perhaps you've had a time when the Lord's presence calmed your fears. Zephaniah 3:17 says "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." It has been said "the Lord will either calm your storm...or he will allow it to rage while he calms you"

Are you in the middle of a storm where you're struggling to navigate through the rough waters? Jesus is the answer. If you'll bring him on board, he'll calm your fears!