Obedience, Fear & Liberation

Obedience, Forced or Free

John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force to make Him a king, He departed again onto a mountain alone.

Matthew 14:22 And straightway Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a boat and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. This strongly suggests they were reluctant to leave Him and perhaps had argued with Him about it.

How easy is it for Jesus to get us to obey Him?

It is always for our best interest to obey Him.

Jesus knew their thoughts and the growing influence of the crowd upon them. He removed them from any evil solicitation by commanding His disciples to get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side.

John 6:16-17 And as evening had now come, His disciples went down unto the sea, 17 and entered into a boat and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

Fear in the Midst of Obedience

John 6:18-19 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing nigh unto the boat; and they were afraid.

Even in obedience, fear can overcome us and cause us to doubt, and to ask, “Why would Jesus allow this?”

The disciples were already confused, frustrated, disillusioned, and disappointed that Jesus had sent them away. The night was dark, the sea stormy, and the situation, apparently hopeless. They were doing their best to do what the Lord commanded. The worst part was that Jesus was not with them.

What is our greatest fear— the situation we face, or Jesus Himself?

They were literally terrified as they saw Jesus walking on the sea. They saw him as a ghost. John says their fear was what they saw, not the storm itself. They saw Jesus in a way they had never seen before.

In a distressing disguise, He often shows up, intending to arrest our attention to who He is. His desire for us is to know Him in a personal way and to trust Him.

Our focus is never to be fixed upon the situation, but on Jesus Himself, in the midst of our situation.

Job 13:15a Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him;

Liberation is Fear Removed

John 6:20-21 But He said unto them, “It is I; be not afraid.” 6:21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land whither they were going.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. .

Mark 6:52 For they had considered not the miracle of the loaves, as their hearts were hardened.

Why did the disciples have such fear, when they had witnessed just hours ago the power that Jesus possessed?

The disciples had been experiencing astounding displays of Jesus’ miraculous power for two years. For them these remarkable events should not have been astonishing.

The gospel of Mark states that their amazement, or fear, was because they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, or from Jesus’ earlier stilling of the storm, or from any other great work He had done—because “their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:52).

Jesus waited a long time before He came to them. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus purposely allowed the disciples to reach the extremity of need before He intervened. He knew everything about each of them, and had known it since before they were born. He knew better than they what was best for their welfare and for God’s glory.

Jesus had not forgotten the disciples, and He came to them through the very danger that threatened to destroy them, walking on the sea. He used the trial as His footpath and He knew exactly where they were.

John 6:21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land whither they were going.

Although Jesus was testing the disciples’ faith, He understood their frailty. He calmed their fear by simply saying, ‘Take courage, It is I; do not be afraid.’ Yet in that moment those same hearts were softened and those eyes opened as they had never been before; and those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying: “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Once we understand that, everything changes.