A reflection on the Gospel of Saint John, chapter six, verses sixteen through twenty-four.
Monsignor Joji Vadakara, Vatican City
St. Matthew tells us about a miraculous intervention of Jesus in verses starting from chapter twenty-two of the fourteenth chapter of his Gospel, and Saint Mark writes in verses from chapter six of his gospel starting from forty-five. The background of today’s Gospel passage is the incident where Jesus fed five loaves and two fish to a large crowd of five thousand men on a mountain near the Sea of Tiberias. This is what Saint John says in the fifteenth verse of the sixth chapter: “When Jesus perceived that they would come and take him by force in order to make him king, Jesus withdrew again by himself to the top of the mountain.”
A faith that does not fall asleep in miracles
If we read together the events told by the three evangelists, we can understand that the people and disciples who saw Jesus’ miraculous work were amazed at his supernatural power. It is in this situation that Jesus sends his disciples to the other side of the sea. It’s just that John doesn’t specifically mention this one thing that Matthew and Mark mention. Instead of staying in the world of miracles, Christ is sending his disciples ahead to move forward in life through the sea that is the world. The Guru sends them to the experience of the raging sea in order to grow away from the magic of miracles to a sense of reality, to desire Christ to help them survive in a life full of difficulties. Jesus will be more acceptable in hearts that sincerely desire for God. Today’s gospel is a reminder of their insignificance to a kind of shallow faith life that is enraptured by miracles, thinking that they rest in the stability of something built by their own strength and talent. Also, these scriptures tell us how much our God cares for us. Life experiences like rough seas are an opportunity for man to deepen in the life of faith.
Lives separated from Jesus
The disciples are pulling away from Jesus, the Son of God, to the far shore. For many of Jesus’ disciples, the sea was not an unknown place. They have a pretty good understanding of the strong currents associated with temperature fluctuations during the night. But just like men who try to row without God in the ocean that is the world, His disciples can’t move forward much apart from Christ. But the evangelist has written in front of us a testimony that reveals to us that the Son of God, Christ, is a God who does not even leave the lives of people who go away from Him, but goes after them. The Son of God is walking on the sea to the boat of the disciples who cannot go far because of the strong currents. Jesus says to those who fear him: “I am; fear not”. When our boat of life is far away from Jesus, from God, when strong waves of temptations and crises are raging, the gospel gives us beautiful, hopeful words that if we are ready to look back to the presence of God, with faith and hope, and to lay our lives open before Him, He will walk on the water and overcome the difficulties and come to our lives.
Desire for Christ
St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John, when they speak of Jesus walking towards the boat against the adverse wind, there is one thing that is not forgotten. The adversities that were rocking the disciples’ boat are calmed in the presence of Jesus. In today’s Gospel there is something that Saint John says: “They wanted to put him in the boat”. Whenever we lose the presence of Christ in our lifeboats, whenever we drift away from God, then there will be strong winds of adversity that will not allow our life to progress towards its true goal, and there will be storms that will break our lives. Remember, even when we walk away from God, God follows us with eyes and arms of grace and protection extended to us. When we earnestly long for God’s presence in our rocking boats of life, we can reach the shores of Capernaum that God will show us, faster and safer than we would like.
Are our lives in adverse living conditions? Look where Christ is. If we want His presence to come back to us, if we are willing to open our lives to Him, if we are willing to give Him control of our lives, He will come into our lives. As the Lord of Salvation, as the God of Providence who leads us to the true goal. To us also he will whisper in our hearts: “It is I; fear not”. If God, who is stronger than our hands, is at the helm of our boat, if we travel with God, our journey to the other side of our true destination, the kingdom of God, will be easier and safer than we can expect. When we face the storms of adversity that rock our lives and the storms of adversity that prevent us from moving forward, our Christian faith can turn them into opportunities for salvation. It is an act of faith that calls us back to life in Christ, who never forsakes us, that helps us turn adversity into positivity.
Increased loaves and faith
The following verses of the evangelist refer to another group of people. A crowd that could not be roused from the wonder of the increased loaves. They follow Jesus not because of faith in God, but with a goal to use God according to their plans. This is an important risk that every believer should never forget. One risk is to reduce God to our plans and purposes, without acknowledging God’s plans and purposes for us. If we strive to understand what true spirituality is, if we strive to understand that it is leaving the control and decisions of our lives to God, working with God and according to God’s will, we can avoid this risk in our lives.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Let us strive to walk with Christ in our life of faith, to always seek his presence, to always desire God in our hearts. May faith in Christ and His blessings be our strength and help before the waves of the world. Let us grow into true Christians who have fully dedicated our lives and faith to God, not seeking God just for bread. His eyes are turned toward us. He knows our lives. His hands are not too short to save yet. May God bless us abundantly. Amen.