Charles Spurgeon’s sermon, “Night, & Jesus Not There!” is a reflection of Chapter 6 of the Book of John; more specifically verse 17, “By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.”
In the opening verses of Chapter 6, Jesus performed the miracle of multiplying loaves and fish and feeding the thousands who had followed Him to the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After the meal, Jesus retreated to the mountainside, and instructed His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum that evening by boat. By the time darkness fell, Jesus had not yet joined them. The disciples grew anxious and worried as storm winds grew and the waters became rough.
After rowing a bit, the disciples were shocked and frightened to see a man walking on the water towards them. Jesus identified Himself to calm their fears, and the disciples took Him into the boat. Immediately the storm settled, and they reached their destination.
It is quite easy to trust in and remember who Jesus is during the light of day. The daytime represents our ability to see things clearly, and to have a semblance of control and predictability over our environment.
Worshipping Jesus when life is good is quite unchallenging for most believers. As Spurgeon declared in his sermon, “There are a great many of you who appear to have a large stock of faith, but it is only because you are in very good health and your business is prospering. If you happened to get a disordered liver, or your business should fail, I should not be surprised if nine parts out of ten of your wonderful faith should evaporate.”
When darkness falls – when we are faced with difficult situations – the strength of our faith can become a bit more complicated. Even the disciples struggled with anxiety and fear when Jesus was not in the boat with them. “If Jesus had been with his disciples on that stormy night, if he had been awake to speak to and cheer them, they would have rejoiced to see the boat go up and down, from the trough of the wave to the billow’s crown, like some great sea bird in its play; they would have felt a sort of hilarity of spirit at being in such a brisk gale when the Lord High Admiral of all the seas was in command of their boat.”
The disciples spent their days with Jesus in His human, physical form. It was rare for them to be separated from Him. But it was not the human Jesus who approached the disciples from the darkness of the sea – it was the supernatural Jesus, the Son of God, walking on water, reminding them of His authority and control over all things.
When His presence seems hidden, we must remember that Jesus is with us. Jesus promises to never leave us nor forsake us.
As Spurgeon reminded believers throughout his sermon, it is often our own actions, inactions, choices, emotions, and disobedience that prevent Christ from being as near to us as He would like to be. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you.” (Isaiah 59:2.) But through sincere repentance and grace, we can bridge the divide. “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, and purify your hearts.” (James 4:8.)
Spurgeon’s sermon and John Chapter 6 are reminders that even the disciples struggled to recognize Jesus amidst a storm.
So, too, can our perception of God falter in the darkness of night.
Sometimes we desire Jesus to be close to us in a physical, tangible way – then, then we will believe. But Jesus wants us to trust Him regardless of daylight or darkness. He desires for us to have an unshakable faith and the confidence to know that our Father – our refuge and strength – will boldly walk towards us in the middle of a storm.
“What I would bid you do is just look through the thick darkness, for on the crest of the wave the crucified Savior is standing; and if you will but look to him with the eye of faith, he will come into your vessel, and deliver you. He will sanctify your trouble, clear away the affliction from your mind, and give you peace and rest.”