Confused on loading page content

I don’t think there is need to mess up with index.php or any other file for creating a static home page.
You can create a static home page by following these steps:
first publish the page from wp-admin, then go to settings >> reading >> front page displays >> a static page >> select your page from the list.
That said, if you have some special requirements for your home page and need to write custom code then you should create a new file as front-page.php in your theme. The content of this file could be like:

<?php get_header(); ?>

<!-- all your custom code can go here -->

<?php get_sidebar();
<?php get_footer(); ?>