Jesus Is with You!

11th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/4/24 Mark 6:45-56 Jesus Is with You! I. Do you see it? II. Do you feel it? III. Do you believe it? It’s one of the first truths that we Christians learn about Jesus: Jesus is with us always. Just ask one of our congregation’s children the question, “Where is Jesus?” and they’ll quickly tell you that Jesus is everywhere. In theological terms we call it his omnipresence. And that means, that if Jesus is everywhere at all times, then he is always with us. And that truth is the source of astounding comfort and confidence. We know that no matter where we’re going, Jesus is with us. We know that no matter what we’re facing, Jesus is with us. We know that no matter what we’re feeling, Jesus is with us. In fact, he assures us in his word that not even death can separate us from him or his love for us. Most of us have known that since we were very young. And now, even though we may have decades of life under our belts, we still know it. Jesus is with you! It’s such a comforting truth! But, as we age, that truth is one of the most difficult to retain in our hearts and minds. Too often, what we’re experiencing in life seems to call that truth into question. In fact, there are times when what we’re facing in life tells us the exact opposite. We cry out, “Where are you now, Jesus?” It seems he has abandoned us. That’s the way it seemed to the disciples of Jesus in this account before us in Mark 6. Our text informs us that Jesus sent his disciples by boat away from him, while he remained on land to pray. But even though distance physically separated Jesus from his disciples, he was still with them in a very real and divine way. We know that, and it causes us to marvel at the doubts and fears that the disciples displayed. Even when they could see Jesus, they were still overcome with doubts and fears. And we wonder how that could have been. Until we realize that, if the disciples were reading an account of a day in our lives, they would be reading the same thing about us. Too often we’re afraid. We feel all alone. And we don’t know what to do. But the truth you have known for all your life as a Christian still stands. Jesus is with you! Jesus is with you! Your Lord and Savior wants you to hold on to that truth more tightly as we ponder this familiar account of a day and night in the life of Jesus and his disciples. I. There was trouble brewing on this day in the lives of Jesus and his disciples. That’s easy to see in one regard, but not so much in another. Let me explain. Our text begins by informing us that Jesus “immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go.” Why? What was so urgent? What was the matter? Jesus had just miraculously fed more than 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. And the reaction of the thousands of diners that day was to make Jesus their bread king by force. Jesus knew that was brewing and he wanted to spare his disciples from it completely, so he immediately sent them away, out of spiritual danger. Only to send them into life-threatening physical danger. A fierce storm suddenly arose while the disciples were in a boat trying to make their way to the west shore of the Sea of Galilee. Recall that many of these disciples were experienced fishermen on this very body of water, and yet the storm was so fierce that they feared for their lives. Their attempt to keep the ship upright with oars was nearly futile. They feared death by drowning. But none of this escaped the Lord Jesus. He was still on land, spending his time in prayer to his heavenly Father, when we read, “He saw the disciple straining at the oars, because the wind was against them.” In the next sentence of the text, we’re told that it was the fourth watch of the night which was 3:00-6:00 AM. It was pitch black. A fierce storm was wreaking havoc. And yet Jesus “saw” his disciples. How? Because he is always with his people. Even though some distance separated him from them, he was still with them and could see them. And then he closed the physical gap between them and walked out to them on the water. Yes, Jesus walks on water! And we read that the disciples “saw him on the lake.” They saw the almighty Jesus with their own eyes. In the midst of a life-threatening storm, there was Jesus, walking on the water to be near them. He had always been with them, even from afar, but he knew they needed to see him with their own eyes. And yet what was their reaction? “They thought he was a ghost.” They didn’t think they were seeing the almighty, eternal Son of God in human flesh and blood. They thought they were seeing a ghost. And they all cried out because they were terrified. Jesus was with them. But they didn’t see it. But do you? Well, certainly not in the way that the disciples had the opportunity to see Jesus in the early morning hours of this life-threatening day. No, we don’t see him the way we would like to when troubles and tragedies are walking on the water toward us, when the dark waves of life threaten to overwhelm us, when the ship of our lives is about to capsize. Then we want to see Jesus, but he doesn’t seem to appear to us. And yet his promise stands firm. Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the age. The eternal, almighty, omnipresent Son of God is with us. He is with us to remove our doubts, calm our fears, and wipe our sins away. We see him with the eyes of faith. Jesus is with you. See it! II. Seeing is one thing. Feeling is another. What do I mean? Let me give you an example. A special person in your life can insist that they are showing you that they care for you and love you, and yet, for some reason, there’s a disconnect. You don’t feel their love. You’re not convinced. Your eyes might be telling you one thing, but your heart is telling you something else. That’s one of the reasons our world is fixated on feelings. If we can’t internalize what we’re seeing, then it doesn’t impact us the way it should. In fact, what we’re seeing might not be real unless we feel it. Do you realize how tenuous that is? I’m not dismissing your feelings, but if you’re going to define the reality of your situation by what you’re feeling at the moment, then you need to realize that your reality might change 180 degrees in a very short amount of time. What you’re feeling right now might change completely by this time tomorrow. The point of this text is that Jesus is with you. Do you feel it? Well, sometimes you do. When the boat of your life is sailing smoothly on the waters of this world, Jesus feels close to you. When a potential tragedy is avoided, or it turns out for the best, you feel as if Jesus is with you. It’s almost as if you can reach out and touch him, he feels so close to you. But what about the times when the difficulty you’re facing goes on day after day? When the tragedy isn’t avoided? When disaster strikes and you’re left with the ruins of your life scattered in disarray all around you? Then recall this account. The disciples’ feelings belied the reality that Jesus was with them. But there he was, in complete control. “He climbed into the boat with them and it was completely calm.” That’s what occurred in a moment in this instance. And yet Jesus wanted them to know that he wouldn’t always calm the storms of their lives. The day was coming when he would choose not to use his almighty power to defend himself against his enemies. They would crucify him. And the day was coming when he would send them out into the world with his gospel, and almost every one of them would suffer and die for it. And yet he was still with them. Jesus is with you! Feel it! III. And then believe it. Believe that he is with you! Did you catch the contrast that plays out in this text? Maybe not. Let me help you see it. The disciples had trouble placing their confidence in Jesus, even though they could see him, and he was with them in the boat. But once they were safely on the other shore of the Sea of Galilee, what happened? The people from all over that area of the land brought their sick relatives and friends to Jesus. They did so with the complete confidence that Jesus was with them and would use his almighty power to heal those who were sick. They laid them in the marketplace, and even those who just touched the fringe of his robe were healed. Amazing! They believed that Jesus was with them! But not for long. When Jesus begins to tell them that he is the Son of God and that they must believe in him to have eternal life, they rejected him. They want nothing to do with him. They’re fine with Jesus being the One who performs miracles in their lives, but when he calls on them to believe that he is the promised Messiah, they turn away. Why? Because that would mean a dramatic shift in their thinking about the Messiah and in the way they thought about themselves. It would be a real “come to Jesus” moment, and they wanted to avoid that at all costs. Jesus was with them. They didn’t believe it. But do you? By the grace of God, you do! It’s the very heart and center of your Christian faith. The almighty Son of God is with you every moment of the day. When the Holy Spirit brought you to faith in Jesus, Jesus began living with you and in you. He is there to forgive you every day. He is there to assure you of the eternal life he won for you on Calvary’s cross. His resurrection from the dead assures you that he is always with you, and not even death can separate him from you. Jesus is with you! Always. Eternally. Just as he promised. See it! Feel it! Believe it! Amen.