How does the parting of the sea connect to Jesus' miracles in the Gospels? The scene at the Red Sea “Then the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” (Exodus 14:22) Divine mastery over creation • At the Red Sea, the LORD separates water by sheer command, displaying absolute sovereignty over nature. • Jesus exercises that same authority: – Calms a storm: “He rebuked the wind and the raging waters; and they subsided, and all was calm.” (Luke 8:24) – Walks on water: “About the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea.” (Mark 6:48) – Turns water to wine: “He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:11) • The parallel underscores that the power revealed in Exodus is fully embodied in Christ. Salvation through an impossible path • Israel moves from slavery to freedom by passing through what should have been their grave. • Jesus rescues from sin by entering and defeating death itself: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.” (John 11:25) • Both events reveal God making a way where there is none, highlighting grace over human effort. Judgment and deliverance in one act • Waters that part for Israel collapse on Egypt (Exodus 14:27-28). • Jesus’ cross is likewise double-edged: salvation for believers, judgment for unbelief (John 3:18; Colossians 2:15). • The pattern: God’s mighty deed liberates His people while defeating their oppressors. Foreshadowing baptism • Paul draws the line explicitly: “They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” (1 Corinthians 10:2). • Baptism identifies believers with Christ’s death and resurrection (Romans 6:3-4). • Passing through water to new life prefigures the Christian’s passage from the old life to the new. The “I AM” revelation • After the Red Sea, Israel fears and believes the LORD (Exodus 14:31). • When Jesus walks on water He declares, “It is I” (literally, “I AM”; John 6:20), revealing the same covenant name. • The miracles collectively press the question: Who is this? Answer—Yahweh in the flesh. Daily confidence drawn from the Red Sea and the Gospels • The God who split an ocean still commands the waves that crash against our lives. • Because Jesus shares the Father’s authority, every miracle in the Gospels assures us that His saving power is active today. |
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