Homily, Saturday, 4/13/13

John 6:16-21

When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. .The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, "It is I.  Do not be afraid." They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
The Gospel of the Lord.

John's Gospel is in two parts - the Book of Signs which recounts seven miracles done by Jesus where Jesus walking on the water, this miracle or sign, follows his feeding of the 5000 with 5 loaves and two fish, and the Book of Glory, which is the Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Here the disciples are rowing across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, they have rowed three or four miles, it is dark, ,and a storm has come up. They see Jesus walking on the water coming near to the boat, they are afraid, and Jesus calls out, "It is I. Do not be afraid." The apostles make ready to take Jesus aboard and they immediately reach shore. 

John chooses this Jesus walking on the water as one of the seven signs, for the Jews of that time were afraid of the dark and afraid of the sea for both were the habitats of dangerous things. And by Jesus walking on water he shows his dominion, or power, over dangerous things, over sin.

This is the Optional Memorial of Martin I, who died in 656, as a deacon served in the imperial court, combated Emperor Constans II (641-668) over the monothelite heresy (that Jesus had only a divine will and was not truly human), was elected pope, forced from Rome to Constantinople, was tried for treason, exiled to Crimea, and died of starvation and ill treatment, the last pope to be martyred.