John 6:17 – MSG – In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned.
I love to dig around in the scripture, there is always a wealth of revelation just below the obvious surface level meaning of each passage. In this event we see the disciples struggling in their boat just to get across the lake. There were two major problems, there was a nasty storm that had swept in upon them, and darkness was rapidly setting in. This story has a strange feeling of familiarity about it. You and I are part of this apostolic team in this sinking boat. Historically this boat load of disciples has been seen as representing the church. The church is facing some strong adversarial winds as well as problem number two, it’s getting dark quick. This has a feel of the world we live in, churches struggling in the midst of the storms of life and the darkness of the end of the age setting in. Here is how Augustine describes this verse.
“It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.” Rightly he said “dark,” for the light had not come to them “It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.” As the end of the world approaches, errors increase, terrors multiply, iniquity increases, infidelity increases; the light, in short, which, by the Evangelist John himself, is fully and clearly shown to be charity, so much so that he says, “Whoso hateth his brother is in darkness;” that light, I say, is very often extinguished; this darkness of enmity between brethren increases, daily increases, and Jesus is not yet come. How does it appear to increase? “Because iniquity will abound, and the love of many will begin to wax cold.” Darkness increases, and Jesus is not yet come. Darkness increasing, love waxing cold, iniquity abounding, — these are the waves that agitate the ship; the storms arid the winds are the clamors of revilers. Thence love waxes cold; thence the waves do swell, and the ship is tossed.”
I am sure many Christians feel exactly like that, it is getting really dark and Jesus hasn’t returned yet. This is why we have to lean on the Holy Spirit, He causes us to walk in God’s light no matter how dark the world gets. Jesus always comes to us in the person of the Holy Spirit, soon He will split the sky and gather His people to be with Him forever.
2 thoughts on “IT HAD GROWN QUITE DARK”
James 1: 2-8 TPT My fellow believers, when it seems you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can! For you know when your faith is tested it stirs up power within you to endure all things. And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking. And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and He will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but He will overwhelm your failures with His generous grace. Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?
Amen