It is I; Do Not Be Afraid – Br. David Vryhof

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John 6:1-21

Given our proximity to the ocean, we might imagine a vast body of water when we read in the Gospels about the Sea of Galilee.  But the Sea of Galilee is no ocean.  The Sea of Galilee is a lake, a large fresh-water lake in northern Israel/Palestine.  The lake is 33 miles long and 8 miles wide.  It is fed by the Jordan River which flows from north to south, and also by underground springs.

The Sea of Galilee is as dangerous as it is distinctive: distinctive because it is the lowest freshwater lake on earth – it’s surface almost 700 feet below sea level, with a beautiful shoreline, pristine drinking water, and a plentiful stock of fish.  Anddangerous because of its surprising and violent storms. From the Golan Heights in the east, fierce, cool winds meet up with the warm temperatures of the lake basin, sometimes creating the perfect storm.  Storms literally come out of the blue, even when the waters have been tranquil and the sky perfectly clear.

This must be the very thing that happened here with the disciples.  They had set off in their small fishing boat in seemingly tranquil waters, when suddenly a violent storm arose.  Their tiny boat was being battered by the wind and the waves, and there seemed to be no possibility of safely reaching the shore.  They were swamped by fear.  They had fished on this lake for a living.  They knew this water, they knew these storms, and they were terrified!

And you?  You probably know how it is to be sailing through life in radiant sunlight when swiftly and unexpectedly a storm arises and you suddenly find yourself swamped by mighty waves and tossed about by terrible winds.  Perhaps something tragic or frightening has happened to a family member or friend, or to you; maybe it’s a health issue, a financial disaster, an accident, some kind of assault, or some other unforeseen suffering.  There is so much to be afraid of in life, and our fears can seem so great when we feel so small.  Fear is no respecter of age, or gender, or social standing.  Fear may be the most common experience we share with all of humankind: the consuming, crippling, sometimes-irrational visitation of fear.  We can experience fear when we face impending danger, or pain, or evil, or confusion, or vulnerability, or embarrassment.  Whether the threat is real or imagined does not matter.  What does matter is our sense of powerlessness. We don’t feel we can stop or divert or control what threatens to swamp our lives and make us sink.  Whatever its source, our fear is real.

Jesus speaks a great deal about fear and anxiety, which is quite revealing.  He would have learned his lessons about fear from two sources, one being the Hebrew scriptures.  The scriptures which he would have known – what we call the “Old Testament” – are replete with messages about worry and fear.  We are told very plainly that we do not need to be afraid, and this is because of God’s promise and provision, God’s steadfast love and unfailing faithfulness.  Fear’s tight hold on us is loosened, the Bible assures us, when we put our trust in God.

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me,” the psalmist says, “and delivered me out of all my terror.” (Ps.34:4)

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom then shall I fear?” another psalmist declares. “The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? …. Though an army should encamp against me, yet my heart shall not be afraid; and though war should rise up against me, yet will I put my trust in him.” (Ps 27:1,3-4)

“Whenever I am afraid,” the psalmist says to God, “I will put my trust in you.” (Ps 56:3)

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” writes another, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved, and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea; though its waters rage and foam, and though the mountains tremble at its tumult…. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.” (Ps 46:1-3,11)

Jesus would have known these words, just as he would have known the words of the prophet Isaiah:

“But now, thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:  Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isa 43:1-3)

Jesus would also have learned about fear from his own life.  I am not talking about the fear he observed in other people.  I am talking about his own personal fear, what he experienced.  We don’t know the specifics of what Jesus feared, but we do know that Jesus lived a fully human life, and therefore he must have been acquainted with fear, undoubtedly.  If you want to imagine what Jesus feared, use your own life as an example.  Of what have you been afraid?  If you went back in memory to your earliest childhood, then your adolescence, then coming into your twenties and beyond into adulthood, what has caused you to fear?

Were you afraid there would not be enough of something, or afraid there would be too much of something?  Were you afraid because you might be excluded from something, or afraid because you might be included in something?  Were you afraid because you might be asked to speak, or afraid because, when you spoke, no one would listen, or no one would understand?  Were you afraid because you might be left alone, or afraid because you would not be left alone?  Were you afraid because of too much work, or afraid because there was no work, or no meaningful work?  Were you afraid because you stood out, or afraid because you felt unnoticed, lost in the crowd, forgotten, invisible?  Were you afraid because you were bullied, or because you faced prejudice or persecution?  Were you ever so afraid that you feared for your life?  Or were you afraid because of your own temper?  Some of our fears are pathetic: tiny, tedious, embarrassing to even admit… and yet they are very real.  We suffer with our fears – which are the kinds of things Jesus must also have been afraid of, because these are the kind of fears that visit us in life.

When Jesus talks about not being afraid, he is not speaking clinically, nor is the source of his teaching primarily from external observation.  He is rather speaking from his own experience.  He is speaking about fear from the inside-out, autobiographically.  He had as much to be afraid of as you and I have.  And then, something slowly happened to Jesus.  Something shifted in Jesus in the nearly 20 years between when he was, at age 12, discussing theology with the elders in the Temple in Jerusalem, and when appeared before his cousin, John, to be baptized in the Jordan River.  These 20-some years are often called Jesus’ “hidden years,” and we are not told where Jesus was or what he was doing.  The scriptures are silent on this period of Jesus’ life.  I am certain he was making peace with the terms of his life, and that included facing his fears.

When Jesus finds his voice – at around age 30 – he speaks a great deal about fear, worry, and anxiety: he tells us that we need not be afraid, that we need not worry, that we need not be anxious.  Why is that?  Because of God’s powerful presence and provision; and because of God’s enduring faithfulness.  Jesus learned this.  In facing his own fears, he discovered he was not alone.

Going back to the Gospel lesson appointed for today: When a violent storm descends upon the disciples in the boat, Jesus appears to them.  The disciples are terrified.  Whatever we make of Jesus’ walking on the stormy water, we can see that he is not afraid.  Had he ever been afraid of storms on the Sea of Galilee?  I’m sure he had.  He had grown up in Nazareth, which is not far from the Sea of Galilee.  He knew storms, inside and out.  But he is no longer afraid of storms.  And he tells his disciples, he tells us, not to be afraid.  He isn’t scolding us; he is reassuring us not to be afraid, because we don’t need to be afraid.  He has come to know this, from the scriptures and from his own experience.  And he promises us his power, his provision, his presence to be with us always, to the end of the storm, and to the end of life.

If your life now is swamped with fear, or if you are afraid about an incoming storm in your life – and I presume that all of us are acquainted with fear – remember this: our fear is not an obstacle to God but rather an invitation from God to take Jesus at his word.  We need not be afraid.  Jesus will know every reason why we could be afraid because he’s been there.  He assures us not to be afraid, not to have anxiety, because he is with us: his presence, his power, his provision.  For us, fear can seem such an inmovable impediment.  But for God, our fear presents an opportunity to show forth God’s presence, and power, and provision; and an opportunity for us to learn to trust.  Our fear is God’s invitation, and Jesus will make good on his promise to be with us always.  There is so much of which we could be afraid in life, but Jesus assures us not to fear.

Saint Francis De Sales, a 17^th century Bishop of Geneva, who lived during a very stormy time in history, left us with these words of assurance:

“Do not look forward in fear to the changes in life;
rather look to them with full hope that as they arise,
God, whose very own you are, will lead you safely through all things;
and when you cannot stand it, God will carry you in his arms.

“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow.
The same everlasting Father who cared for you today
will take care of you then and every day.

“He will either shield you from suffering,
or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.”

Jesus has the last word: “Do not fear, for I am with you, always.” (cf Mt 28:20)