Matthew 14, Mark 6, John 5-6

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INTRODUCTION

I’m not gonna lie, this was a tough week to put together. There are just so many powerful, amazing stories and principles that we can cover that it is a bit overwhelming. More than usual. Sometimes I do wonder about the pacing they decided to follow in the Come Follow Me manual. So you have the feeding of the 5,000, The Sermon on the Bread of Life, Jesus walking on water, the healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda, amongst others. And each of those stories has (and not to be overly dramatic or anything) to me, multiple life-changing principles in them that I would love to share with you. So I’m going to try to do my best and leave the rest, but that does make for a bit of a longer video this week for you. And I hope you’ll be ok with that.

FEEDING THE 5,000 (John 6:1-14)

ICEBREAKER

For our first story this week, I’d like to begin by admitting that I am not a huge fan of math. Math, by far, was the most difficult subject for me throughout my school years. I can’t tell you how good it felt to walk out the door of my math class on the last day of high school and vow that I would never take another math class again for the rest of my life. And you know what, I’m proud to say that I’ve stayed true to that promise ever since. No looking back. Thankfully, the career path I’ve chosen doesn’t require much math knowledge to get by. But I’ll admit that there is one kind of math that I am a fan of. And that’s scripture math. Scripture math is when we find formulas and patterns in the word of God that lead us to SPIRITUAL solutions and answer. So I have an equation here for you and I want you to try and figure out what scripture story it represents and then solve for X. What does X represent in this scripture math equation? Here it is:

5+2+X=5000+12.

Now if you can’t figure that out, I’ll give you a hint. Go to John 6 and see if that helps. And if you do that, you’ll find that the very first story in that chapter is the feeding of the 5000. So what does our equation represent? Five loaves of bread, plus two fish, plus X (something)=5000 people fed + twelve baskets left over.

That’s the story in a nutshell. And what does the X represent then? The x factor is the power of Christ. With the power of Christ, through him, even 5+2 can equal 5,012.

TRANSITION

Now keep in mind that the purpose of this miracle was not just to be a favor to the multitude, a free lunch for everyone because they were hungry. The people very well could have just gone home and eaten a little later than usual. But Jesus was always teaching, and this miracle was no exception.

SEARCH

So, to go with our scripture math theme here, let’s study this story with three things in mind. Let’s study it with a problem, solution, and results approach. And I might teach this story using the following handout. Each part has a “THEN” box which asks a question focused on the details of the scripture story, and a “NOW” box that asks a question that will help them to ponder how we can apply the story to ourselves.

Problem-What are they among so many?

So first, what’s the problem in the story? There’s not enough bread. Not enough to feed this large congregation of people. And if we wanted to get technical here, the number 5,000 isn’t even accurate. That’s how many men were present. That number didn’t include women and children. So the miracle is even greater than 5,000. Phrases that stand out to me here: What they had was “not sufficient” for them in verse 7. And then I’m intrigued by what Phillip says after he shows the Savior that all they have is just five loaves of bread and two fishes. He says in verse 9, “But what are they among so many?”

Our liken the scriptures question here. Have you ever had a similar problem in your own life? How? Ponder that. Have you ever felt like what you had was “not sufficient” for the need at hand? In any capacity. Have you ever looked down at your own “trivial loaves and tiny fishes” and declared to the Lord, “What are they among so many”? In other words, have you ever felt like you didn’t have enough when facing a challenge, a calling, a responsibility, or some kind of opposition in your life? You didn’t feel like you had enough confidence, faith, time, means, power to forgive , or courage that the current situation demanded? A missionary may feel this way in struggling to learn a new language. A family may feel this way grappling with a job loss or financial struggles. A person may feel this in striving to forgive someone. A member may feel this when offered a calling that they feel is beyond their present capabilities and a disciple may feel this when their faith is challenged by doubts or criticism that feels beyond their current understanding and testimony. I’m sure that there will be many times in our lives when we feel that what we have doesn’t match what’s demanded. If you can relate to this problem, then I believe this story has a possible solution for you.

Solution

What was their solution. What did the apostles do here? Not Jesus. But the apostles. They put what they had into the hands of the Savior with faith and obedience. Because Jesus didn’t just manufacture the bread out of nowhere, did he? That’s not how this worked. He first asked them for what they had. And they brought it to him. To liken the scriptures, how can we do the same? When we feel like we don’t have enough of whatever it is we feel we lack, is to bring our problem to the Savior. Reach out to him in faith. In the Mark version of this story, Jesus asks, “How many loaves have ye?” And that’s a really important question for us to answer. It requires us to assess our own abilities, faith, and courage. And helps us to realize that we actually do have something to give. And he requires that. Christ always requires that we bring what we have, even if it looks like a trifle compared to what’s needed.

Result

And what is the result of that action in the story. I see three. Verse 11 tells us that they had “as much as they would.” The people were fed. But they weren’t only fed, they were, verse 12, filled. They couldn’t even eat anymore. Everybody had sufficient to satiate their hunger. But that’s not all. Not only were they fed and filled, but what? Verse 13 “they gathered them together and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” There were twelve baskets left over! Twelve! What’s the promised result for us? When we put what we have into the Savior’s hands, he provides us with more than enough. With extra, above and beyond the initial need even.

TRUTH

When I am lacking, if I bring what I have to Christ and put it into his hands with faith, he can multiply it, and make it more than sufficient.

And that applies to anything we lack. Confidence, faith, means, abilities, talents, time, power to forgive, anything.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Have you ever felt like Christ multiplied what you had and made it more than enough?

A personal example. I’m not really sure how I was able to keep up with everything on my plate while serving as Bishop. I really don’t. Those five years were incredibly busy. Because not only did I have my full-time job to fulfill, but my calling, the work associated with this YouTube channel and these lessons, on top of striving to be a good husband and a father at the same time and maintaining a household. I know for a fact that I did not do that on my own. I did not have the energy, the time, or the means to maintain that schedule without my Heavenly Father’s help. I 100% believe that the Lord multiplied my bread and fish that I had to give. Since being released, I’ve felt the difference. But he fed me during those years, and filled me, and yes, even left some over in a lot of ways. I testify from personal experience that this principle is true.

CONCLUSION

And you know, this principle of much from little is apparently a very important one because we find it all over the scriptures. Repetition is one of God’s ways of waving a flag at us from the scriptures because he really wants us to get it. Jesus repeats this miracle again with 4,000 people a little bit later. In the Old Testament, Gideon defeats an innumerable army with just 300 men. Elijah multiplies the widow of Zarephath’s meal and oil to last them through the famine. Elisha does something similar and multiplies oil to help a poor widow buy her son out of slavery. And perhaps the most explicit way this principle is expressed comes from Alma 37:6 when the prophet says: Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. There will be numerous times in our lives when what we have will appear small and simple compared to the challenges set before us. But if we bring that small and simple offering to the Master, and place it trustingly and lovingly into his hands, He will make it enough. In fact, he can even cause it to extend beyond that initial need, and great things can be brought to pass!

THE NATURE OF CHRIST’S BREAD

ICEBREAKER

An additional principle from this story that I’d like to share briefly. The bread and fish in this miracle were symbolic as well. In fact, for these next two principles that we cover from John 6 I would use the following object lesson. What I would do is bring in some homemade bread. If it’s fresh, even better, especially if it puts off that delicious smell all throughout the room. Your students will come in and be excited and ask, “Do we get bread today?” And I’ll say, well, just wait and see. The lesson will answer that question for you. And then I’d ask, “What’s your favorite kind of bread? Homemade? White? Multi-grain? Ciabatta? French Bread? Sourdough? Rye? Pumpernickel? Do you want to know what my favorite kind of bread is? Pao de Queijo, or Brazilian Cheese Bread. Oh, it’s so good. I love it. If you’ve never had it, you’re definitely missing out.

TRANSITION

We all know how Jesus performed that incredible miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 with bread. But keep in mind, that the purpose of the miracle was not REALLY to feed the people physically. Jesus was trying to teach them, and us, an important lesson. The bread in this miracle represented something. And I want you to try and figure out what it was. After Jesus performed this miracle, he does it again with a group of 4000 people. And later, he’s having a conversation with his apostles, and he refers back to those miracles and reveals the meaning and purpose of them.

SEARCH

Go to Matthew 16:6-12. What did the bread represent?

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread.

8 Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?

9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

10 Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

11 How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?

12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

So Jesus basically strikes up a conversation with the apostles by saying, “Watch out for the Pharisees bread!” And they’re confused and they take him literally. And he upbraids them a little and says, “Come on guys, don’t you remember the miracle of the loaves? Did you not understand the lesson of that?!” And WE would do well to consider if WE got it. What does the bread represent? Well, if the leaven of the Pharisees bread represented the doctrine of the Pharisees, then what did the bread in Jesus’s miracle represent? The doctrine of Christ. His teachings, his gospel, his word, his truth.

So what does this miracle teach us about the doctrine of Christ? His bread?

TRUTH

The doctrine of Christ can feed me, fill me, and still leave plenty left over for future feasts.

Has that been your experience with God’s word? Just think of all the things that fit that description. The scriptures are without a doubt like that. When we sit down and really “feast upon the words of Christ” then our study will feed and fill us with what we need. But there will always be twelve more baskets left over in those same scriptures we just studied. When we come back to them in the future, they will provide us with more. I can personally testify of this truth. I’ve been studying and teaching the scriptures almost daily for over 20 years now. And I’m still finding new meals and delicious truths I’ve never seen before. Basketfuls of truth and doctrine that are new to me. They are filled with the spiritually nourishing and life sustaining bread of the doctrine of Christ. The scriptures are meant to feed us for a lifetime, not just once. They miraculously multiply every time we open them.

And the scriptures aren’t the only things like that. That’s also true of our patriarchal blessings, temple ordinances, and the teachings of the living prophets. At first glance, some of these sources may seem to be small and simple things, but they can provide us with enough to satisfy all our heavenly hungers to fullness and we can rest assured in the knowledge that there will always be twelve baskets waiting to feed us in the future. And as a teacher, as I testified of the power of Christ’s “bread” I would hold up that loaf of homemade bread I had brought in. And then ask . . .

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Can you think of a time when you felt “fed and filled” by one of the following sources of spiritual nourishment?

· The scriptures

· Your Patriarchal blessing

· Temple Ordinances

· The Teachings of the Living Prophets

How did it feed and fill you?

TO WHOM SHALL WE GO (John 6:22-71)

ICEBREAKER

I would follow that principle up with another important thought from John chapter 6, with that loaf of bread still prominently displayed at the front. But for an Icebreaker to this next principle I like to relate this little scene from C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia”. It happens near the beginning of “The Silver Chair”. And in that book, a girl named Jill finds herself in Narnia. And the first thing she notices when she arrives is that she is incredibly thirsty. And as she walks through the trees, she hears the sound of running water from a nearby stream. She follows the sound and finds the stream, but as she walks towards it, she stops dead in her tracks because right there at the streams edge lies a giant lion. He stares at her and then says, “If you’re thirsty, you may drink”. Because animals can talk in Narnia. She hesitates, of course, and then asks:

"May I—could I—would you mind going away while I do?" said Jill. (I’ll just read straight from the book now)

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.

The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.

"Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?" said Jill.

"I make no promise," said the Lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.

"Do you eat girls?" she said.

"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.

"I daren't come and drink," said Jill.

"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.

"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."

"There is no other stream," said the Lion.

TRANSITION

Now I love that little scene and it reminds me of a spiritually critical principle that I feel is taught here in John 6. Keep the story in mind as we study here, and then we’ll come back to it. And this is the kind of principle where I wouldn’t use a handout or a search activity really. I’d just walk them through it, reading the verses together and asking them questions as you go. So, remember that Jesus compared his word and doctrine to bread, and he taught his disciples that powerful object lesson that we just studied—that his word can feed and fill us. Well, the story didn’t end there. Interestingly enough, after the people eat, Jesus decides to spend some time alone praying and he sends the apostles off to Capernaum across the Sea of Galilee and basically says he’ll meet them there the next day. And during that journey is where Jesus walks on water and calms the storm again—that whole story. And we’ll study that one here in a minute—powerful principles from that story too. But the next day, when the people see that Jesus is gone, they all get into ships and sail over to Capernaum too, looking for him. Which sounds great, right? They want to follow and find Jesus. That’s a good desire. And you’d think that until we find out the reason WHY are they following after him.

SEARCH

What has motivated them to get in their boats and sail to a different city? Please read John 6:24-27. And I’ll include an important JST change here as well in verse 26.

24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye desire to keep my sayings, neither because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Ah, so they didn’t understand the message of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 either. And so Jesus is going to be a little more direct with them. Why had they come looking for him? Jesus says, “The only reason you’re following me is because I gave you a free lunch yesterday. You’re not here because you want to live my teachings or because you have faith in the miracles I’ve performed. You just want a free meal.” It’s like they’re standing there with their knives and forks in hand, napkins tied around their necks, licking their lips ready for the food. And that’s why Jesus encourages them here to put at least as much effort into feeding their spirits as they do to feeding their bodies. I mean, they were willing to cross the Sea of Galilee to get another meal. And it’s almost like Jesus is saying, “If you even worked just half as hard to feed your soul as you do your stomach, you’d probably be translated by now.” And do we ever make that same kind of mistake? Are we willing to travel across town to get to our favorite restaurant but complain or find it difficult to travel to Church or the temple. Can we sit and binge watch an entire season of our favorite TV show for hours upon hours on Netflix, but find it difficult to watch all five sessions of General Conference just once every six months? Are we willing to study or work incredibly hard to get good grades in school or to get ahead in our careers, but we don’t have even 10 minutes in a day to feed our spirits by studying the scriptures? “Labor not for the meat (or bread) which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” At that point you could hold up the loaf of bread you brought in and say, “As good of an object lesson as this is, eventually this bread will go bad. It will get stale or moldy and inedible. But not Jesus’s word. It never goes bad. That’s the bread we should be seeking for intently.”

But Jesus’s counsel there doesn’t deter them, and so in verse 31 they remind him of something. 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

And the implication of that comment is, “Jesus, Aren’t you going to do the same for us? If you’re the real Messiah, wouldn’t you plan to feed us too—Like Moses did?”

How does Jesus respond?

Verse 32

32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

And that’s the basic message of the rest of John chapter 6. It’s a powerful sermon that is referred to as the “Sermon on the Bread of Life.” And I wish we had the time to just break it down verse by verse from beginning to end. I encourage you to do that in your personal study. It’s beautiful. But in summary, Jesus is going to repeat that idea a number of times. Verse 48: “I am that bread of life.” Verse 51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever.” Verse 58: “This is that bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” referring to himself. At one point he tells them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood if they wish to inherit eternal life. And they’re beside themselves, and they don’t understand, and they get upset with him. Now, we know, he doesn’t mean that literally. It’s a reference to the sacrament. But he is going to be clear with them in verse 63:

63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

So, I’m talking figuratively here people. You need to PARTAKE of ME spiritually, symbolically—my gospel, my word, my life.

So to sum up the message of the Sermon on the Bread of Life, Jesus is basically telling them, “I can’t be the type of Savior you want me to be. I’m not here to feed your stomachs, but your souls. I’m not here to free you from Roman soldiers. I’m here to free you from sin. I’m not here just to heal people’s bodies, but more importantly, to heal their hearts. I’m not going to be the type of Savior that you want, but the kind of Savior that you need.”

And this is really sad. How do the majority of the people react to this teaching? Verse 60

60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

Now it’s time to liken the scriptures to ourselves. What are some of the “hard sayings” in our lives? Which of Jesus’s teachings have caused you to say the same kind of thing? Consider your own “hard sayings”? We all have them, although they’re probably different for each one of us. My hard sayings may be easy for you and vice versa. But what might some of those be for people? Brainstorm that as a class. Here are a few possible answers they might share. For some, their hard saying might be a particular commandment that they struggle to see the importance of. Or that they don’t agree with—tithing, for example, modesty, not drinking coffee, Sabbath-day observance, serving a mission. For others it may be a policy that the Church maintains or a stand it takes on a specific social issue. Maybe we get offended at something said by a local church leader or fellow member. A hard saying might be something from Church History we struggle to comprehend. Hard sayings can even be trials we’re undergoing that we feel we’re not receiving any divine help with. Regrettably, sometimes we allow these hard sayings to make or break our testimonies.

But when they come, I believe we would do well to consider three questions. Two that Jesus asks and one that Peter gives us in this chapter. Can you find them—those three questions. Look for them in John 6:61, and 66-69.

Question #1 is in verse 61.

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

How do people sometimes react when they encounter their hard sayings? They murmur and they get offended.

Can we relate? Have we ever murmured or gotten offended by one of those hard sayings in our lives? How would we answer that question? And maybe we look back at the Lord and say, “Yes, Lord, actually, I am offended by that!” And, you know what, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with answering that way. Jesus wants honesty from us. Anyway, He knows our hearts and it wouldn’t do any good to try and pretend. But that first question and how we answer it isn’t anywhere near as critical as our answer to the second question. What’s the second question?

Verse 67. 67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

Now our answer to THAT question can have an eternal impact on our lives and the lives of our posterity. It’s true that we may get offended at times at the Lord’s hard sayings, but will we go away? And unfortunately, in this case, the answer that many of Christ’s disciples gave on that occasion was—YES, we will go away. Look at verse 66 with me.

66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

That’s got to be one of the saddest verses of scripture in the entire New Testament. Can you picture that moment for Jesus? These are people he loves. These are people who he had fed with a miracle just the day before. People I’m sure he had great hopes for. But as he stands there at the front of the synagogue in Capernaum, he watches, perhaps with tears in his eyes as the people are filing out the doors to choose a world without hard sayings, turning their backs on the Savior and his gospel. And that’s when he turns around and looks intently at his twelve apostles and asks our poignant question, “Will ye also go away?” Are you going to abandon me too? Are my hard sayings too much for you to handle? Can you accept me as the Savior I am, and not the one you expected or wanted? And I encourage all of us to have that conversation with Christ ourselves as we consider our own hard sayings. Picture him looking at you and asking that question. Will ye also go away? Our answer to that short, simple question can change everything about our future.

And sadly, there are many individuals over the years and nowadays who make the heart-rending decision that many of Christ’s disciples made that day. Too many people only ponder Jesus’s first question with any depth, and then only with emotion. Yeah, I’m offended by that. And then the answer to the second question is an abrupt yes, and they turn heel and walk away, from the Church, from family, from Jesus, from God. They walk out the door. And for those of us who remain with the Savior, we are deeply pained when we see these people that we love leaving.

And this is where Peter’s question can really help us, especially if we’re the ones tempted to leave. It’s a question and an answer at the same time. Those people who walked out of the synagogue that day didn’t realize something about looking for a different Savior, a different path, a different kind of bread. And that something is everything. Peter’s question is going to teach us a vital truth that can really help guide us when we’re tempted to “go away” when the “hard sayings” “offend” us.

What did Peter say? “Lord, to whom shall we go?” thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

Do you understand the power of that question? It’s a rhetorical question. It’s like Peter is saying, “Yes, Lord, I know that your sayings are hard sometimes. This isn’t what I expected the Messiah’s mission to be. The path that you are teaching is much narrower than I ever imagined. But, to whom shall we go? Where else am I going to turn.”

Jesus has just declared to us, “I am the bread of life”. And maybe we’re tempted to say, “Lord, I understand this, but your bread is a little too grainy for me. Kind of tough to swallow at times. If it’s all the same to you, I’m think I’ll go out and find some different bread. Something a little sweeter, more palatable to me, something that goes down easier.” And what does Jesus look back say? “My dear child, you don’t understand. There is no other bread.”

Jesus said, “I am the way”. And perhaps we say, “I understand that Lord, but your way is a bit narrow for me. I’m not sure I can fit my way down it. I think I’ll go look for another path, another way that doesn’t seem so restricting, so difficult to walk down.” And Jesus says, “My beloved son or daughter. You don’t understand. There is no other way.”

Jesus said he was the living water. And maybe we say, like Jill to Aslan in the story I told at the beginning. Perhaps I’ll go and look for another stream then. One that doesn’t have that giant lion sitting next to it, demanding things of me and asking me to change and sacrifice and serve. And how does Aslan, or Christ respond to us? “There is no other stream.” We drink from his living water, or we die, spiritually.

I believe that sooner or later, everyone that chooses to walk out that door, will eventually come to that conclusion. That the world just doesn’t have anything of substance to offer. Many will wander for years, or the rest of their lives looking for something that doesn’t exist.

I know of a man who thought money would bring him fulfillment and happiness. He eventually discovered that it didn’t and thankfully, came back to Christ.

I know of a woman who thought drug use would solve all her problems and bring happiness. It didn't, and she died, both spiritually, and physically.

I know of a man who thought having an affair would make him happier. It didn’t. And that relationship died as well as his original marriage.

And I know of many young men and young women who think a worldly lifestyle outside of the demands of Christ’s Church will bring them fulfillment and happiness and freedom, but who only come to find emptiness despair, and a loss of the Spirit.

There simply is no other way, bread, or water.

TRUTH

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only path that leads anywhere worth going. There is no other bread, water, or way.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Do you believe this truth?

How have you come to know it?

CONCLUSION

To whom shall we go? That’s a great question to ask ourselves whenever we find the hard sayings of Christ offending us in some way. If we could just remember that there isn’t anything else out there to “go away” to. It’s just emptiness, void, uncertainty, ignorance, and aimlessness. Better that we remain with Christ, even when we find his bread a little hard to swallow, and his water intimidating to drink. I pray that we all can endure our “hard sayings” which are sure to come, and that we will, with Peter and the other apostles, stick with Christ. And at this point, I say to my students. So, I know you’ve all been wondering this entire time, do we get any bread to eat today? Am I going to hand out a piece of homemade bread for everyone to try? If you’ve been paying attention to the lesson, you’ll know the answer to that question. And the answer is no. Because what is the real reason we’ve come to study the scriptures together today? Was it to be fed physically? No, but to be fed spiritually. So please don’t be offended at my hard saying there. But I’m going to follow the example of Jesus Christ here and encourage you to labor not for the bread that perisheth (pointing to the loaf of bread), but for the bread that endureth unto everlasting life (pointing to the scriptures).

THE FOURTH WATCH and WALKING ON WATER (Matthew 14:22-33)

ICEBREAKER

Now for the little episode that takes place the night before Jesus teaches this sermon. That phenomenal story that transpires on the apostles journey on the Sea of Galilee on their way to Capernaum. And for an icebreaker to this story, there’s a fun activity you can do that’s very active and can help your students study and understand the story better. And this would be an activity particularly effective with youth. It’s a relay race. Divide your class up into teams of four or so and tape as many copies of the following sheet up at the front of the room for the number of teams you have. And you’ll cut the sheet at the dotted lines so that students can tear off each strip from left to right as they go through the race. Each strip has a question on it. When you say go, a member of each team will run up to their paper and tear off the first strip (because it’s only attached by that small line at the top) and bring it back to their group. Their job is to write an answer to that question on the strip, using the scriptures, and then bring it to you as the teacher. You’ll check their answer to assure that it’s correct. If it’s not, you send them back to their team to try again. If their answer is correct, then that team can move on to the next strip, and so on until they have completed each one. The team that accomplishes that first, wins. Now it’s likely that there may be more than one team that needs an answer corrected at the same time. So what you have them do is form a line in the order of when they got to you and wait their turn for their strip to be corrected. It’s kind of a fun way to review and understand the story better.

So here are the questions and I’ll tell you the answers as go through each one. Be sure to tell your class that the answers can be found somewhere in Matthew 14:22-33.

QUESTION #1: After the feeding of the 5,000, what did Jesus tell his apostles to do?

ANSWER: He told them to get into a ship and sail to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:22)

QUESTION #2: Where did Jesus go after that?

ANSWER: He went up into a mountain to pray alone (Matthew 14:23)

QUESTION #3: What happened after the apostles set out on their boat?

ANSWER: A storm blew in. They were tossed with the waves. The wind was contrary to them. (Matthew 14:24)

QUESTION #4: At what time did Jesus come to them walking on the water? You must give your answer in both Jewish time and our time.

ANSWER: He came in the fourth watch (Matthew 14:25) But they’re also going to need to check the footnotes for the other part of that answer. Footnote 25a tells us that the fourth watch is between 3 and 6 in the morning.

QUESTION #5: How did the apostles react when they first saw Jesus on the water?

ANSWER: They were troubled and cried out for fear. (Matthew 14:26)

QUESTION #6: What did Peter say when he saw Jesus on the water?

ANSWER: Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. (Matthew 14:28)

QUESTION #7: As Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, what caused him to start to sink?

ANSWER: When he saw the wind and the waves, he was afraid. (Matthew 14:30)

QUESTION #8: How long did it take for Jesus to reach out and lift Peter up?

ANSWER: He reached out “immediately” to help Peter. (Matthew 14:31)

QUESTION #9: What happened to the storm after Jesus and Peter returned to the boat?

ANSWER: Jesus calmed the storm. The wind ceased. (Matthew 14:32)

QUESTION #10: What is one lesson your team feels this story teaches?

ANSWER: You as a teacher can determine whether the lesson they come up with really fits with the story, or if they’ve put enough thought into it. And there are many, many lessons they could highlight here. It’s a meaning rich story.

TRANSITION

And now that they have a better grasp of what happens in the story, you can take some time to discuss some of those lessons that they found and also, some of your own as well. I’d like to cover two ideas here with you today.

The Fourth Watch Principle

First, something my Father refers to as “The Fourth Watch Principle”. When was it that Jesus came to the apostles? In the fourth watch of the night. In this story we find the apostles rowing across the Sea of Galilee against the wind, like verse 24 tells us: “the wind was contrary” to them. John’s account in John 6 tells us how far they’ve rowed. It says, “And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs . . .” A furlong is about 220 yards. So if they’ve rowed 25-30 furlongs, they’ve rowed about 65-70 football fields into the wind during a storm. And this time, they don’t have Jesus in their boat. But Jesus does come to them eventually, in the fourth watch.

To understand the significance of that, you’ve got understand how they told time in the ancient world. The Jewish day was divided into twelve hours, starting with the first hour of the day at 6 in the morning and continuing until 6 in the evening . The third hour of the day, then, would be 9 o’clock in the morning, the 6th hour would be noon, and the eleventh hour, which we usually visualize to be just before midnight, would actually be 5 o’clock in the evening. Then starting at 6 PM, the night would be divided into four watches, each consisting of 3 hours each. The first watch would have been from 6 to 9, the second watch from 10-midnight, the third watch from midnight to 3, and the fourth watch would have been between 3 o’clock in the morning until 6. Now keep in mind that Jesus had sent his apostles out onto the sea the prior evening. So by the time that Jesus comes to them walking on the water, they’ve been rowing for close to 9 hours or more. Now which watch do you imagine the apostles would have preferred him to come in. I know which watch I always want the Savior to come to me in my problems, and that’s the first watch. But we worship a fourth watch God. And only then does he come to calm the storm. God tends to allow us to struggle in our adversities for a time, even to the point where we may feel we have reached our spiritual limits. And then he comes to our rescue. And it’s apparent that our Father in Heaven really wants us to understand this principle because it shows up all over the scriptures. For example, where do you see the fourth watch principle manifested in each of the following scripture stories? And I would display the following pictures for them.

For Joseph Smith in the First Vision, when did the Father and the Son appear to free him from the powers of darkness that seized upon him? Joseph says, “at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction.” And then he says, “At the moment of great alarm”, that’s when the pillar of light shines down from above.

In the story of Abraham and Isaac, when did the angel come to stop Abraham from sacrificing Isaac? When the knife was raised.

When did Elijah show up to bless and help the Widow of Zaraphath? When she was going out to gather sticks for her last meal.

When did Moses part the Red Sea? When the Egyptian chariots were bearing down on them, and they were trapped.

And the believers in Zarahemla at the sign of the birth of Christ, when did the sign finally come for them? On the very last day that had been set apart by the unbelievers for the death of those that believed in the sign.

Over and over again, God coming to the rescue of his saints at the last possible moment. Now, have you ever experienced a situation like that? A time when you felt a storm had arisen, and you’ve rowing against the wind for hours, and you’re frightened, and it’s dark, and the waves just keep pounding against the helm of your boat? I’m sure we all have. And we probably pray, “Lord, please come in my first watch! And if not the first, at least the second. At worst, the third watch. But, I think we’ll often discover that it’s the fourth watch he comes in.

Which begs the question: Why? Why does God do this? Does he enjoy seeing us suffer? Does he not care? Is he unaware of our struggles? No, that can’t be it.

And I would just allow my classes to struggle with that one for a bit. And I’d be sure to say that there is not one single answer to that question. There are probably fifty different possible explanations to why he comes in somebody’s forth watch. Our purpose in today’s lesson is not to figure out all the why’s but at the very least to understand this truth about Him. But if you remember our lesson a few weeks ago when Jesus calmed the sea the first time, there are at least four conclusions that we can eliminate. It’s not because he’s not there. It’s not because he’s not listening. It’s not because he doesn’t care, and it’s not because we aren’t worthy of his help. We can at least cross these explanations off the list.

But do allow your students some time to give their thoughts on possible reason for why. The explanation could be the “Sleeping Christ” explanation we talked about. He’s sleeping until the fourth watch because he knows something about your future, and that you aren’t going to sink as long as he is with you. It could be a “Parable of the friend at midnight” situation. He wants you to knock with persistence for a time before he answers. Perhaps it’s the “holding place” explanation. He can’t answer us yet because there isn’t a holding place for the answer in our souls yet, and only time and experience can carve out a space for the answer. Perhaps it’s a trial of faith. Spiritual muscles are built by all that rowing. And sometimes it may be providing an opportunity for God to bring good into your life through that challenge. Like the Lord said to Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, “Know thou that all these things shall bring you experience and shall be for thy good.”

At any rate, you as the teacher are not going to provide THE answer to EVERYONE’s why in their personal fourth-watch experiences. The major thrust of this lesson is hopefully to help them understand that quality of their Father in Heaven. That He is a fourth-watch God and that our duty is to keep rowing until he comes. To not throw in the towel. To not give up too soon. I love Sir Ernest Shackleton’s family motto, “By endurance we conquer”. When it comes to life, I don’t believe that the victory is necessarily going to go to the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest. It will go to those who endure to the end, all the way to the fourth watch.

He saw them

There is one quick principle that I would like to add here but we have to go to Mark’s version of the story to get it. Turn to Mark 6:48? Do you notice anything in that verse about Christ in this situation that could help someone who was feeling like they were rowing against the wind? I’m intrigued by the phrase “He saw them”. Jesus was very much aware of what the apostles were going through at that time. Now the apostles didn’t know he was watching, but he was. I believe the same is true of us. Jesus is always watching from the hillside as we row through our storms, keeping an eye on us, aware of our struggles and efforts.

TRUTH

When I face adversity, Christ may not immediately come to my rescue, but will allow me to struggle for a time. But if I continue rowing in faith, eventually he WILL come and still my storms.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

Have you ever had a fourth-watch experience? What happened?

CONCLUSION

Now I actually have been on the Sea of Galilee in a boat at night, but thankfully not during a storm. On the other hand, I have experienced my fair share of spiritual storms wishing a waiting for the comforting voice of the Savior to call out to me to “Be not afraid”. In those moments, when our boats are buffeted by the wind, when our arms are sore from rowing, and our hands no longer wish to grip the oars, I pray that the lesson of that night long ago will remain in our hearts. Even though we may wish for an immediate rescue, we must forever keep in mind that he is a “fourth watch” Savior. Until then, I pray that we may endure to the end in faith. Just keep rowing. Just keep rowing. By endurance we conquer.

Walking on Water

ICEBREAKER

And now, one more principle that I feel this story can teach us. As an icebreaker, I encourage you to think of a time when you had a teacher, a parent, a coach, or a mentor of some sort express confidence in your ability to do something that you yourself didn’t think you could do, and you did it? Have you ever had an experience like that? When someone believed in you enough to show you that you were able to do things you thought were impossible. Share that experience with your class. For me, I would tell them the story of the very first mountain I ever climbed. I was just nine years old. And it was the mountain that I lived in the shadow of. Lone Peak along the Wasatch Front. Now I’ve climbed many mountains in the Wasatch since then, and I look back at that and I wonder what my Dad was thinking, because it’s actually one of the hardest climbs in the whole range. It’s long, steep, and technically challenging with some real exposure along the top. And I was only nine. But I made it and I still have the pictures of that day. And I believe that there’s only one reason I made it, because it was really hard, and I got sick for a while, and I wanted to give up. There was only one thing that kept me going—my Father believed in me. He believed I could do it, and his belief gave me confidence in myself. I trusted HIS assessment of my abilities. And you know what? He turned out to be right. I was able to do it. I was able to conquer that summit with his help, his encouragement, and his belief in me. My thought process was, “If my Dad thinks I can do it, then I can do it”. And that day has continued to have a profound impact on my life. I fell in love with mountains that day. And 37 years later, I still love climbing mountains. I’m so grateful that I had a Father who believed in my ability to do hard things. I may then ask my class if they’ve ever had a similar kind of experience with someone in their life. Someone who believed in them and helped them to accomplish something they didn’t think was possible.

TRANSITION

Now I’d like to apply that same line of reasoning on a bit of a higher level here. We believe in a Father in Heaven that is raising us to be gods and goddesses, don’t we. He certainly believes in us. Could we not also approach his requests in the same way I did with my Dad that day. If Heavenly Father believes that I can do something—if he asks me to do something, then I can do it right? Even though it may appear to be impossible. This story of Jesus walking on water can offer us great inspiration when we are faced with challenges and requests that, to us, appear impossible.

SEARCH

Let’s go back to the story starting in verse 26.

26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

And try to put yourself in the apostles shoes for a minute here. Whenever I’ve seen pictures or paintings depicting this moment, it always seems like Jesus is lit up like a little light bulb on the water, or there is a heavenly spotlight shining down on him. I don’t picture it happening like that. Can you imagine being on a boat in the middle of big storm at night, and then looking out onto the water, and in the dim moonlight, you see a dark figure walking towards you on the water? You would be terrified, wouldn’t you! You would be “troubled” and “cry out for fear” like they did. But Jesus immediately cries out to comfort them, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”

But they’re still unsure. And that’s why Peter phrases his next question the way he does. He says, “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

Oh, I love this story so much. I love the attitude that Peter demonstrates here. It’s like he was thinking, “I want to do everything that my Master does—even the impossible! And if he asks me to do it, if he bids me come, then I know I can! I can walk on water too!” And so Peter steps out of the boat.

Wow! What a moment. Try to help your students picture that moment from Peter’s point of view. Can you imagine that first step out on to the water, what that must have been like for him? Slowly and timidly reaching out your foot and starting to put weight on it?! And then, slowly beginning to feel the resistance on the underside of your shoe and then carefully placing more and more of your weight on to that leg, until, lo and behold, you’re doing it, you’re standing on the water. And then reaching out your other foot. That second step must have taken just as much if not more faith to take, because now you’re completely out of the boat. You can’t just fall back in if the first step doesn’t work. But that second step is placed and holds. Peter does what no mortal man had ever done. He walked on water. He did the impossible. Jesus was right. Since He had bid Peter to come, Peter was able to do it. THAT is a critical principle for all of us to remember.

LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES

I believe that there will be many times in our lives when the Lord asks us to “walk on water” so to speak. Times when we might be tempted to say, “Lord, that’s impossible, you might as well ask me to walk on water as to do that.” We even use that phrase nowadays to describe something that appears impossible. And allow me to give you a few examples of some possible “walk on water” phrases you might experience in your own lives. And this is an idea that I’ve heard my Father teach many, many times, and so I’d like to just relate the list that I’ve heard him use, because I believe it covers so many relevant situations that people find themselves in.

First, there are some “Walk on water” phrases that we find in scripture.

What manner of men ought ye to be? Even as I am. (3 Nephi 27:27)

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48)

Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45)

Then, some others you may experience in life.

Reject and resist every temptation

Overcome habits and addictions

Change your lifestyle, personality

Conquer fear

Master talents

Fulfill a difficult calling

Consecrate all you have and are to me

Let go of traditions

Forgive the unforgiveable

Love the unloveable

Maintain faith in God of goodness in face of trials, A God who allows incredible suffering on the earth

Endure crushing disappointment or betrayal

Rise from an oppressive, or abusive environment

Live chaste in an immoral world

Mend broken relationships

Sacrifice your most precious things

Rejoice in the midst of pain and unfulfilled longings

Have you ever experienced any of these “walk on water” requests? Can you relate to at least one of them?

When those requests come from our Lord, I pray that we may remember the walk on water principle.

TRUTH

If the Lord asks me to do something, I can do it even though it may seem impossible.

Power Phrases

Now with that base “Truth” in mind, I would ask my students to consider the rest of the story. I would invite them to ponder the following Power Phrases and pick at least one that they feel teaches them something. Then allow them to share their thoughts. I believe that each of these statements has much for us to consider, but what do they see? Here are some of my thoughts.

When he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink.

What do you make of that? Why did Peter begin to sink? Because he took his eyes off the Savior. When do we usually begin to sink into doubt, despair, or despondency? When we take our eyes off Christ, our goal, our destination. When we forget that it is his character we are seeking to emulate. When we forget his purposes and his plan for us. When we stop focusing on his promises of future peace and joy and the assurance of his mercy, and instead focus on the negative, the things that could or do go wrong, or doubt his love or care for us. Howard W. Hunter had something to say about this moment.

"'While [Peter's] eye was fixed on his Lord, the wind might toss his hair, and the spray might drench his robes, but all was well' [Frederic W. Farrar, The Life of Christ (1964), 311]. Only when with wavering faith he removed his glance from the Master to look at the furious waves and the black gulf beneath him, only then did he begin to sink. …

"It is my firm belief that if as individual people, as families, communities, and nations, we could, like Peter, fix our eyes on Jesus, we too might walk triumphantly over the swelling waves of disbelief and remain unterrified amid the rising winds of doubt. But if we turn away our eyes from him in whom we must believe, as it is so easy to do and the world is so much tempted to do, if we look to the power and fury of those terrible and destructive elements around us rather than to him who can help and save us, then we shall inevitably sink in a sea of conflict and sorrow and despair" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 24; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 19).

Howard W. Hunter

Beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him.

Our next phrase. How deep do you think Peter got before Jesus reached out and caught him? What do you picture? Ankle-deep? Knee-deep? Waist-deep? Neck deep? Completely under water? I tend to imagine that he didn’t sink too far before the Savior helped him. It says “beginning” to sink. And then Jesus immediately stretched forth his hand. And he lifted him above the waves. What does this teach us? When we feel like we are sinking into despair, doubt, or sorrow, if we call out to Christ, he can lift us up. He can pull us up out of the waves and set us back on solid “water” again? As long as we cry out to him. And I know that this may seem to run counter to what we just talked about and the fourth-watch principle. But I’d let my class wrestle with that one too. How do we marry those two thoughts together? Could it be that our assessment of the fourth watch is different than his? Is our “beginning to sink” actually the fourth watch? Or does it just depend on the situation? Sometimes he reaches out immediately, and at others he waits until the fourth watch? It’s a good question to ponder.

“He was afraid . . . O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

How do you picture the Savior saying that last phrase? Is it with disappointment or disapproval? Was it a harsh rebuke? I don’t think so. I imagine it said with great love, and a smile even. I mean, Peter just had the faith to step out of the boat and walk on the water! Little faith? You’ve got to be kidding me! But Peter does fail, doesn’t he. He sinks. He does take some steps toward the Savior, but it doesn’t last. That’s kind of comforting to me in a way. Peter didn’t make it all the way. And those three words or phrases stand out to me in this instance. He was afraid. Little faith. Doubt? And I have to ask myself, what was Peter afraid of? He had little faith in what, or whom? Doubt in what or whom? The Savior? The Savior’s invitation? His desire? No. Peter doubted himself. He was afraid that HE couldn’t do it. He had little faith in himself. I think our biggest challenges in life will be to learn to have faith in ourselves, to overcome our fears of failure, and to surmount our own doubts. We can do the impossible if we but believe.

And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Something I love about this phrase is what it suggests. If we visualize the whole story. After Jesus catches Peter by the arm and lifts him up again, they return to the ship together. That suggests that there was some distance that the two had to cover together. Do you imagine Jesus had to drag him through the water? I don’t think so. I picture them going hand in hand back to the ship together on the surface of the waves. And it wasn’t until then that the Savior calmed the storm—after they had returned to the ship. This is yet another manifestation of a truth that we’ve seen a number of times already in the New Testament. That Jesus can walk with us through our storms even when he sees fit not to calm them yet. During our first and second and third and fourth watches, he will walk with us, and lift us above the winds and the waves.

I love how Isaiah put it in Isaiah 41:13

13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

CONCLUSION

And to conclude this week study, I hope that we’ve been able to see how each of the stories and principles that we’ve looked at from these chapters really go together. There will be times in our lives when we feel like we don’t have enough for the needs at hand, like in the story of the feeding of the 5,000. There will be times when we feel like we can’t row anymore, like the apostles rowing until the fourth watch. There will be times when we feel like we are sinking beneath the waves of our storms, like Peter walking towards the Savior. There will be times when we are faced with hard sayings, and seemingly impossible requests. In each case, the solution was Christ. Bringing what we have to Him, Calling out to Him, Trusting in his Power, Staying by his side, and Walking through our winds and waves with Him. May we doubt not. May we fear not. May we, like Peter, always carry a desire to do what our Master does, understanding that if our Master asks us to do something, that we can do it, no matter how impossible it seems. Perhaps Paul summed it best in Philippians 4:13. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.