Coffee With God

Reflection: John 6:16-21

Today’s gospel begins from where we stopped yesterday. It was the scene of Jesus feeding 5000 in the desert. John the evangelists uses the miracle scene to present Jesus as the new Moses, who leads his people to the new promised land of the Kingdom of God. John’s use of imageries continues today. After the miracle of the multiplication of the bread, the disciples are left alone. They take the boat to go across the sea. Jesus is not with them. John is perhaps recreating here the scene of the early Church, after the ascension of Jesus. Jesus is no more with the disciples. The disciples are together in a boat. The boat represents the Church and the sea is the symbol of the turbulent world. John is perhaps trying to present the state of the Church at the time of him writing the Gospel – The community was faced with tensions on various fronts. Believers were persecuted for their faith. The Church was like a boat caught in the storms of the sea. They panicked and were losing hope, because Jesus is not with them on the boat. The Church when tossed in the tempests of the turbulent sea around, often felt that Jesus was away from them. They could not feel his presence. But then, in the midst of the turbulent sea, they see Jesus walking on the waters. Sea, in the Semitic culture was considered as the abode of the devil. Jesus’ walking over the sea meant, he has defeated the powers of the devil, and is accompanying the boat of the disciples – the Church. And his reassuring message is “It is I, do not be afraid.” This could be the experience of all those who belong to the Church. When frightened and losing all hope of overcoming the tempests and turbulence of life in the world, the comforting message of the Lord is always there, accompanying us: “Do not be afraid. I am with you.”