| THE DAY JESUS WALKS ON WATER. |
| church of Christ |
| Matt. 14:22-34, Mark 6:45-53, John 6:16-25 (Jesus walking on the water does not appear in the writing of the Gospel of Luke as it does in the other 3 Gospels.) Did that day begin as any other for Christ, the Bible does not give us an hour to hour account of that day but it does tell us something of his day. In Matt. 14:10-12 it tell of John the Baptist's being beheaded and the giving of his head to Herodias in a charger and that John's disciples came an took the "BODY" (doesn't say they took the head) and buried it. In Matt. 14:13-14, it's tell of Jesus hearing about the death of John on that day and it also tell us on that day that he went by ship into a desert place after he heard about John maybe to be alone, but many people followed him on foot. It tells us that Christ felt compassion on that day and healed many. It tell us also on this day when the evening came the disciples/apostles ask Christ to send the people away so they could eat and rest, but Jesus told them no need to send them away, "you" feed them. How they asked? should they go and by what they could with what money(which was "two hundred pennyworth" Mark 6:37) that they had, that was not a lot of money to feed the thousand's of people that were there on that day. Christ then ask them how much food was there, they told him five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus ask for them to be brought to him, and for all the people to set down on the grass, and put the men in groups of 50 or 100 (by putting them in groups they could be counted easier). When he had taken the bread and the fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them and all ate till full (5000 men plus all the women and children there) with 12 baskets of food left. After this miracle the people wanted to make him king a "earthly" one, only because he could feed them with out any effort on there part and they were ready to take him by force if they had too. The Bible tells us that they had worked themselves into quite a frenzy and Christ knew this. Jesus told his disciples to get on a ship and travel to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, maybe if the apostles had stayed they might have got caught up in the maddness on that day also, remember they were still weak and not full of faith at that time, Christ would have known that. Jesus stay and sent the people away himself. On this day after sending the people away, he went to a mountain and prayed maybe he needed or wanted to alone, maybe he need the strenght and comfort as only God can give. For much had happen to refect upon on that day. Knowing that John was gone now and that king Herod and other would be focusing their full attention to him, and how even the people wanted to make him a earthy king, which sooner or later the Roman goverment would notice. The Bible tell us that Christ had seen the disciples/apostles in the evening rowing against a very strong wind but it also tells that he waited for several hours and on the 4th watch of the night he walk on the water (miracle # 1). In Mark 6:48 it tells us that he would have pass by them, for what reasons the Bible does not tell us (of course we know he did not do choose to pass by them after all). The disciples/apostles saw someone or something walking on the water but they believed it to be a ghost or and evil spirit who had cause the storm on the sea. Christ called out to them to let them know it was him so they would no longer be afraid. In their mind's they still didn't understand the powers he had as the Son of God. Apostle Peter as in so many other times though out his travels and times with our Lord acted before he really thought. Peter's heart was good and he did have a great love for Christ Jesus and God. But even as many of us do today, our mouths open to many times before our brain's kick in, which usually means trouble as well as sin. Peter called out and in his own way challenge Christ, by telling him if you really are Jesus show us. This is when the Lord called Peter to walk on the water (miracle # 2) to him. Peter did walk on the water until he stop focusing on Christ and started focusing on what he could see, hear and feel, you see he trusted more in these thing and he became frighten but it tells us that Christ immediately caught him with one hand. The things of God are spiritual not earthly and this is how we are to worship him in spirit and in truth, not by the phycial things that we can see or hear or touch. In Matt. 14 it also tell us that they worship him and confess he was the Christ when he got on the boat, he did not object to them doing this for he was the Son of God. It tell us that the wind ceased (miracle # 3) once Christ was on board the ship . It also tell us that immedatedly (miracle # 4) once Christ was aboard the ship it landed at Gennesaret(remember they were in the middle of the sea). John 6:21 Many things in life are to big for us to handle just as the sea was for Peter, but if we turn to Christ nothing is to big for him to handle. Remember he will always calm "Our" troubled sea, just as he did on this day. |
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| TA BAISDEN |
| blockhouse bottom church of christ |