And straightway he constrained his disciples to
get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he
sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a
mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the
sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the
wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh
unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.: But when they
saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:
For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with
them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he
went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed
in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the
miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened. Mark 6:45-52
Jesus walking on the water is one of the most well known miracles told of in
the Bible. You may perhaps be more familiar with the way it is told by Matthew,
which also relates how Peter started to walk out on the water to Jesus, but
became afraid because of the wind, and had to call out for Jesus to save him as
he began to sink.
I would like to just make a few observations about this miracle.
The first is that I love the way that anytime we read of Jesus performing a
miracle, we are always given enough information to make it absolutely clear that
it was indeed a supernatural event. In the text it tells us that the
ship was in the midst of the sea when Jesus came walking toward them. The book
of John tells us that the disciples rowed three or four miles. Jesus wasn't just
wading out to the boat. He wasn't just walking out on a sandbar. They were in
the midst of the Sea of Galilee!
Mark also tell us that Jesus stayed on land while the disciples rowed
toward the other side and that they toiled in rowing because the wind was
contrary unto them. If you will allow me to turn that into a metaphor for
salvation, then you might say that without Jesus on board, we are rowing against
the wind. That is not to say that salvation makes life easier. It does not. But
in the matter of knowing God, and ultimately spending eternity with him, the
Bible says no man comes to the Father except by Jesus. Any other way is rowing
against the wind.
I would also like to suggest that without Jesus on board, we cannot be close
to God. That seems pretty self evident. Even the name Emanuel means "God with
us."
We also find that when the disciples saw Jesus walking toward them on the
water they did not recognize him; they thought that he was a ghost. I would
observe that without Jesus on board, we may not recognize God when he is right
in front of our eyes. How often we attribute things that happen to chance or
good luck, when it is really the work of the God who has numbered the very hairs
of our head! (Luke 12:7)
The Bible tells us that his disciples were troubled when they saw
Jesus walking on the water toward them. Without Jesus on board, the prospect of
him coming on board may be troubling to us. Salvation involves repentance, and
repentance involves recognition of our sins. Certainly consideration of our
sinfulness compared to a holy God can be nothing if not troubling to the
soul.
When Jesus entered the boat, the winds stopped and his
disciples were totally amazed and wondered. Well, calming the stormy sea is
certainly a miracle, as much as walking on the water, so perhaps we should not
be surprised at their amazement. However Mark comments that it was because they
had already forgotten the miracle from the day before when Jesus fed 5000 with
five loaves and two fish. It seems that even with Jesus on board, they were
quick to forget his previous miracles.
We are prone to do the same ourselves. Day after day, don't we worry about
what tomorrow will bring? Don't we fret about our health or our money or our
possessions? Don't we quickly forget the miracles of Jesus, including the
biggest one of all - that of salvation.?
In reality the one thing we really should concern ourselves with is whether
or not we have Jesus on board. In other words, have we been born again; have we
put our trust in the fact that Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins; are
we truly followers of Christ?
If not, then we must follow the example of Peter when he began to sink, and
cry out to Jesus "Lord save me." (Matthew 14:30)
If you will cry out to him in faith and repentance, then you will get the
same results. The Bible says that immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and
caught him. He will do the same for you!
3 comments:
You will notice that when the history channel, or some other worldly publication, comes across one of the Biblical miracles they like to explain how it really happened using science.
Silly neanderthals. They just don't understand the science of men and so have to make up elaborate magic to understand their natural world.
We are way smarter now, understanding that Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed by a random comet strike (no need to worry about sin); that Goliath was stricken with marfan's syndrome and was already as good as dead (no need for God's intervention here); that we are all going to burn up from global warming; and on and on.
There was recently a quote from Dr Sagan that "You can't convince a believer of anything; for their belief is not based on evidence, it's based on a deep seated need to believe." But if the belief is of God then where is Dr Sagan's evidence? It would seem that it is he, and his followers, that are the believers that needs to believe.
And, isn't the deep seated need to believe one of the foundations of Christianity?
Thanks.
A recent quote from Carl Sagan? Why look any further for evidence. Obviously if you have a recent quote from Dr. Sagan, that in itself is evidence of an afterlife ...since he has been dead since 1996!
...sorry, I couldn't resist - truth is, I am old enough myself to consider 1996 "recent."
I am afraid though, that your comment is one of those that just does not come across the internet very clearly. On my first read through, I thought you were mocking Christians. After reading it several more times, I think I may have misunderstood. Sarcasm can sometimes be difficult to spot without voice inflections.
In any case, thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Sorry for the unmarked sarcasm and confusion. I'll leave the mocking of Christians to those brave hearts that leave their citadels of Godlessness to demand respect for the emptiness of mohammadism. (There I go again)
As for "recent," I probably meant I just recently saw it referenced elsewhere. It's been many years since I was a follower of the dark arts, and Mr. Sagan. It's sad that he, and many like him, slip away; drawn away by their faith in their own God given wealth of intellect. Store up your wealth where it won't rot in the grave; including intellectual wealth. Passing through the eye of the needle is not just for the money rich. Be not proud: the hardest command.
Thanks again and congratulations on the Grey Goose. It's a beautiful bike.
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