Saturday, April 24, 2004
2nd Week of Easter

1st Reading: Acts 6:1-7
Gospel: Jn 6:16-21

When evening came, the disciples went down to the shore. After a while they got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea, for it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them. But the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing.

They had rowed about three or four miles, when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and he was drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, but he said to them, "It is Me; don't be afraid."

They wanted to take him into the boat, but immediately the boat was at the shore to which they were going.

Commentary

AS in other cultures, water had a double meaning for the Jews of old: it was both a benign and a destructive element. God is "a fountain of living water" (Jer 2:13); but on the other hand, the enemy can be "like an overflowing torrent" (Jer 47:2). They especially feared the chaos of the sea, which brought remembrance of the Deluge.

The associations were likely to have been of the second kind for the disciples caught in a storm at night on the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus appeared "walking on the sea." They were terrified, but he said, "Don't be afraid, it is I." In Greek, the words are, "I am." This recalls the divine "I am" of Genesis. A constant theme in the Old Testament is the power of God over the sea. It was by such power that he delivered them from the Egyptians in the Exodus. Clearly John wants this association to be present to the reader.
What meaning can this strange story have for us today? This occurs to me: the Lord can come to us in the least likely medium. We seat ourselves on the solid ground of common sense and logic, but he is well able to do without them!

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