Jesus will bring us safely home

The apostles had just been with Jesus as he was teaching the great crowd and then fed them all beginning with the few loaves and fish that one boy offered. The apostles too enjoyed the meal and were no doubt happy to be seen as companions of the sought after master. But them Jesus sends them off by themselves while he stays to give his farewells to the people. Why did he send the apostles on the journey home by boat when he did not accompany them? John, writing of the same incident in 6:14-15, explains that having seen the miracle, the people recognized that Jesus was the expected prophet and he realized that they were about to come by force to make him king. He did not want the disciples to be influenced by such false Messianic ideas so he sent them off home. Then he climbed to the top off the hill to spend the night in prayer. However as he was lookling down on the lake he saw that a storm was brewing and he immediately thought of the difficulties it was causing for his friends in the boat, so he went to to them saying, ''Courage, it is I. Do not be afraid,'' and the wind dropped.But the reaction of the apostles was unexpected, They were terrified when thay saw him walking on the water and were completely dumfounded. They still did not know who Jesus was. Of course they were transformed after the resurrection and followed Jesus faithfully even when it meant death. The risen Lord is the centre of our faith. Even though our prayers for a cure for a seriously ill relative or friend do not seem to be answered in the way we wish, how often have we seen that the prayer of faith brings peace to our suffering friend. Jesus is with us in a special way when we seem to be facing the rising seas of suffering in our life. As he did to the apostles in the boat, he will bring us safely home.