3 Reasons, from John 6, to Fear Not

On this side of eternity, there will always be reasons for fear.

Lifeway Research recently posted the results of a study that almost 7 in 10 Protestant pastors (69%) in the U.S. believe there is a growing sense of fear in their congregations about the future of the nation and world. 

Fear in the church is on the rise. 

And if we are being honest, there are good reasons to fear. I’m currently working through “The Great Dechurching,” which unpacks the many reasons why, across the board, the church is decreasing in size and influence. I minister in Detroit, a city littered with once great churches now abandoned and stripped down to their studs. These empty churches are, yes, part of Detroit’s struggle with poverty, but they highlight what is happening across Western civilization even more. People are leaving the church.  

Christian cultural commentator Aaron Renn notes that the new age in which we live is a negative Christian world. By negative, he means that past generations saw Christianity as a cultural positive. Even if not truly born-again, candidates identifying as Christian or listing their church membership on their resumes often helped them win an election or receive a job promotion. That day is no more. Listing “Christian” is now a negative. You might not get a job if you list “Christian.”

The Culture is ablaze with the LGBT agenda. Secularism is assumed. Those who promote ideas opposite of fundamental Christian values fill the seats of cultural influence. Our great institutions are the same.

On top of our cultural moment, additional life fears have existed since the biting of the fruit in the garden. Cancer, violence, splintered relationships, and death are still very present. There are legitimate reasons in this world to fear.

But there is a better reason not to.

In this fearful world, Jesus draws near and says, “Fear not.”

In John 6, Jesus has fed the crowd and departed. It is the middle of the night, and Jesus is away from the disciples. As the disciples begin to cross the sea, a storm arises, and the waves crash on the boat. There are legitimate reasons for the disciples to be afraid. Death on stormy water was not uncommon.

And yet, in the midst of the storm, Jesus walks near, on the water, and issues the calm words of assurance. 

John 6:20:

ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε

The most literal translation: “I AM. Fear not.” 

At hearing those words, the disciples were glad. They took Jesus into the boat and arrived immediately on dry land. These four simple Greek words provide three reasons for comfort amid our fearful world.

1. Jesus walked into the stormy water

In Scripture, stormy water is a sign of fearful judgment. Think of the waters that flooded the Earth in judgment during the days of Noah. Or the water of the Red Sea that crashed down upon Pharaoh’s army. The stormy Jordan River separated the wilderness and the Promised Land in Joshua 3.

Stormy water equals judgment. The promise of the gospel is that God walks through the fearful judgment first.

Psalm 77:19:

“Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters, yet your footprints were unseen.”

We can “fear not” because Jesus enters into the fear of judgment for us. Jesus walked not just on the stormy water of the Sea of Galilee but on the cross, bearing the full river of God’s righteous judgment in our place. He stood in our place, condemned. Jesus entered judgment so that He could bring us safely to dry land on the other side. 

Whatever fearful judgment the church faces now or in the future, we can “fear not” because Jesus entered the judgment water first.

2. Jesus walked on the water

Jesus does not come to the disciples swimming or riding a different boat. He comes to them walking on water, which is a miracle in itself and a miracle with deeper meaning.

Psalm 104:3:

           He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters;
          he makes the clouds his chariot;
                      he rides on the wings of the wind

The Jewish people understood that God controls both the wind and the water. God is sovereign over all things, including the weather. The ability of Jesus to walk on water and to calm the wind is a miracle that proves he is God. As God, all things exist under His sovereign power. There is no drop of water, breath of air, hair on our head, or flower in the field that does not exist outside God’s reign and rule. This means nothing catches God off guard in his care for us. 

Whatever life throws at us, we can “fear not” because Jesus controls all things.

3. Jesus is ἐγώ εἰμι.

It’s easier to see in Greek. Jesus is I AM, the most loaded phrase in Scripture.

Exodus 3:14:

God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

In John 6 and throughout John’s gospel account, Jesus will use this phrase to claim equal status to the God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The same phrase “ἐγώ εἰμι” will be used in John 8. Immediately, the Jews picked up stones to kill Jesus with the charge of blasphemy. The Jews knew that by using this phrase, Jesus elevated himself to the same status as the one true God. “ἐγώ εἰμι” is a claim to divinity in the flesh.

Whatever opposition comes our way, we can “fear not” because Jesus is God. And this God has come to us in the flesh. Jesus is fully God and, at the same time, fully man.

There are plenty of reasons to be afraid. We should not over-spiritize the situation by pretending the reasons for fear are not real. The fears are real. That’s the truth. Yet, despite all our real concerns for fear, we have a better reason not to be. 

Jesus is God. As God, Jesus controls all things. And as the God who controls all things, he graciously entered the fearful judgment on our behalf. Therefore, we can rest in his sovereign care, knowing that whatever fearful storms come our way, he will bring us to dry land on the other side. 

Take a deep breath. Trust God. Fear not.  

©2023 Jon Saunders. Used with permission.