April 4, 2023
Overcoming the Storm
“The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles...” John 6:18-19a (NASB)
“The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.” I responded to a distress call in the ocean while assigned to the Sheriffs Office Marine Unit. A boat began taking on water about 3 miles off the St. Augustine coast. We quickly responded to the boat’s coordinates. The seas were around 15 feet high at the time, with high winds. Our boat was a 31-foot Scarab powerboat. As we entered the ocean channel, we slowly progressed through high waves. It seemed to take forever to get to the distressed boat even under twin V8 engine power. Every mile we went it seemed like we were being pushed back a half. Finally, we arrived at the scene. The boat was nearly submerged by this time, with two people hanging on to side of the boat. We recovered them and got them safely to shore. The 15-foot boat unfortunately was a total loss, but their lives were saved. When I recall, there were times as we went to sea, that as an experienced boatsman I thought we were going to be overtaken ourselves. We knew the ocean, but never experienced such a turmoil.
“The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.” Also referred to as Lake Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee is a large freshwater lake situated in the northeastern part of Israel. The Sea of Galilee is considered the lowest freshwater lake on the planet and the world’s second-lowest lake after the Dead Sea. Throughout its history, the Sea of Galilee has been referred to by various names such as the Sea of Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, Sea of Ginosar, Sea of Tiberias, Lake of Tiberias, Bahr Tubariya, etc.[1] It is a small but treacherous lake that Josephus indicated was about 4.6 miles by 16.1 miles. Contemporary measurements, however, would put the maximum size at about 6.9 miles by 12.6 miles.[2] Because the sea sits so low which is surrounded by hills, winds often sweep down and stir the waters into a frenzy. The storms often depart as soon as they arrive. Today, boats are still encouraged to dock until the storms have passed on this sea. The sea is still as dangerous as it was for the disciples.
I can vividly remember the story above from my personal experience in dangerous weather at sea. Even with two inboard motors on our powerboat, we still couldn’t use the power. If we used the power in the engines at full throttle, we would have been overturned ourselves by plowing into large waves. There were times I could hear the sound of the boat’s bulkhead creaking as the waves pounded against the hull. The noise of the wind and rain made it harder to see and navigate. Imagine with me today what the disciples encountered that day in the storm. Inside the boat were seasoned navigators, experienced in fishing which they learned from childhood. If the boat they were rowing were three to four miles across the sea, they had only made it halfway across. Sight of land would have been lost. Their efforts to row would have almost been in vain or standstill at this point. The boat would have been filling up with water at this point. They were aware of what would happen if they didn’t continue to row. Sometimes in life, the distant shore or future can’t be seen. Hope begins to fail. Danger is in full view. Do what the disciples did today, keep rowing. Help is on its way. His name is Jesus.
[1] https://www.worldatlas.com/seas/sea-of-galilee.html
[2] Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 258.