Grace, mercy, and peace be to each of you from our expectant Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
Let’s pray as we open ourselves up once again to the teaching of God’s authoritative Word …
PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, you sent your Son to reveal your will and grace, and to restore us to a meaningful relationship with you. Through the power of your Holy Spirit, open our hearts and minds to receive his word, to focus our lives around his redeeming grace, and empower us for witness. This we ask in Christ’s holy name. Amen.
It seems many of us have been dwelling on fear in the recent past and it just seems to never get better. Similarly, we heard in the Gospel lesson that the disciples were once again in a boat during a terrible storm, wondering if this is the perfect storm in their lives. Then, suddenly they see Jesus doing something miraculous by walking on the water.
You would think they would have been relieved to see Him, but apparently that is not the case. Mark said they were terrified. They thought He was something demonic, a ghost walking upon the water. They stop rowing and clutch one another in sheer terror.
It also seems as if Jesus had no intention of getting into that boat, but perhaps their fearful reaction caused a change of plan. So Jesus gets into the boat, the storm stops, and they land.
But what is interesting is that they did not reach their original destination. Remember Jesus had sent them across the lake to the safe territory of Bethsaida, but they end up in Gennesaret.
And the last time Jesus was in this area, he cast out a legion of demons, which ended up in a herd of pigs that went over a cliff and drowned. At that point, the locals simply urged Jesus to go away, despite His miracle healing of a demon possessed man.
What will be their reaction this time? Will we see another strong rejection of Jesus by the townspeople? Apparently not because our Gospel lesson indicated just the opposite.
It appears that the man Jesus had healed on His last visit told his story to everyone. And God used that most unlikely testifier to work a great change in their hearts and lives.
This time, as soon as Jesus set foot on that Gentile shore, the people started flocking to him. They brought their sick, lame, and blind. They sat their loved ones along the streets, so they could touch the fringe of Jesus’ cloak and be healed. What a change brought on by the testimony of one healed man.
We should also remember that Mark’s audience was facing a pretty strong trial in those days. This is the time when Nero began a brutal persecution campaign against Christians.
It undoubtedly felt like a time to lower your head and tuck your cross inside your tunic when you walked in public so no one would recognize you as a Christian. Jesus brought the people in Gennesaret hope.
And so today, Jesus is still working to give each of us hope, because that is His ANTIDOTE to fear. The Jesus who calmed the storms, healed the sick, and raised the dead, that Jesus is always at work in His Word.
Jesus lives, and in a sense, every Sunday is a little Easter …
a proclamation that Satan, the world, and sin will not have the last word in our lives. The last word belongs to our Savior as He is the Word of Life.
So as we think about our Gospel lesson, I want to examine several certainties within the text.
First, Jesus’ arrival into the land of Gennesaret with the disciples would have been long remembered by the disciples because Jesus’ arrival was…
Intentional.
Our text reveals that they came into the land of Gennesaret, even though originally Jesus had told them to go to Bethsaida.
But while the storm had the potential to alter the disciple’s course, Jesus arrived exactly where He had planned obviously. The storm could not hinder or alter His plan.
This is often difficult for us to remember as we journey the sea of life, and face the storms that come our way. It is way too easy for us to get distracted and even get off course.
But Jesus has a sovereign plan for each of our lives that will be carried out according to His divine will. Jesus is not surprised at where you are in your journey.
As long as we are walking in fellowship with Him, we can rest assured that He is guiding our path.
We note also that Jesus’ arrival was not only intentional, but it was also…
Influential.
Note that the text does not record the response or emotion of the disciples when they made it to shore. But there can be no doubt that it greatly impacted their lives.
They had stood in awe and wonder of Jesus as He walked on the water and calmed the raging sea. I am sure they never forgot that difficult night, and the protection they received in Christ.
We talk of this principle often when we see how our lives are shaped, and our faith is increased by the trials of life that we endure. And yet, this principle also reveals a profound truth.
If we never had to depend on the Lord, our faith in Him would be weak or nonexistent. We often forget about the easy seasons in life, but we will always remember those times when the Lord brought victory and deliverance from some significant trial.
Jesus is not only intentional and influential, but He is also…
Immediate.
The Apostle John revealed an interesting aspect of this same account when he recorded this in his Gospel…
“Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” John 6:21
John is saying that as Jesus entered the boat that night, they immediately came to shore. His power brought deliverance, and an immediate end to the trial they faced.
I want you to understand clearly that I am in no way insinuating that the Lord will always bring an immediate end to our trials.
We know that our Lord does not always bring an immediate end to our difficulties, but we can ALWAYS rest in His grace while we are in the midst of them.
Just like the disciples, those who are in Christ will always make it safely to the other side. As long as Jesus is in the boat with us, what does it matter, if the storm continues to rage around us?
I know that is easy to say while we are enjoying the sunshine, but the point is … we can always trust the Lord to guide our lives according to His will.
That being true, shouldn’t we anticipate Jesus acting in our lives? Shouldn’t we anticipate His presence and His grace in whatever we do and wherever we go?
I think the people of Gennesaret were certainly anticipating Jesus returning at some point. They must have been anticipating Him because He was certainly…
Recognized
Our Gospel lesson said, “As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.”
They knew exactly who He was.
There was no doubt or confusion this time; they knew the man, who stepped out of that boat, was none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
This presents quite a challenge for us today. We know who He is and the power He possesses. Yet, there are still times when we fail to recognize Him, even when He is near us.
At those times, we may doubt His ability, and allow FEAR to take over. We need to approach Jesus with the same anticipation and enthusiasm that these people of Gennesaret did.
Jesus was not only recognized, but He was…
Revealed.
I pray that all of us can become more like those people in our text. Those who saw Jesus step out of the boat, did not remain quiet and go on about their daily routine.
No, they immediately went throughout the region, bringing all those who needed help to where Jesus was. The news quickly spread that Jesus had come to Gennesaret.
Perhaps we need to witness Jesus stepping out of a boat in Jefferson County. Then, we might be motivated to go throughout our region, and bring all those who need help to where Jesus is. The news would spread quickly that Jesus had come to Jefferson County.
In Gennesaret, Jesus was not only recognized and revealed, but He was well…
Respected.
Here’s what I mean by that … unlike those in other areas Jesus visited, the people of Gennesaret brought their sick to Jesus EXPECTING Him to heal them.
They KNEW Jesus had power, and they were committed to getting their friends and loved ones to Jesus.
So, in this event, we see Jesus recognized, revealed, and well respected, but now, perhaps more importantly, we sense and know with certainty that He has complete…
Authority.
Our Gospel lesson said “… all who touched it (Jesus’ cloak) were healed.”
Mark spoke of the awesome power and authority of Jesus as He walked among the towns and villages of Gennesaret. The people not only presumed they knew who Jesus was, but apparently, they really did KNOW who He was.
We need the faith of these people in Gennesaret. We must be willing to step out in faith, trusting the Lord to meet our needs according to His will.
And I am not just talking about us as individuals. The same is true of our congregation. We must trust the Lord to bring us a pastor, who can guide us right into a bright future. Continue to pray with confidence, and know with certainty that God’s will be done.
The people of Gennesaret were asking, literally begging, Jesus to meet the needs of their loved ones.
And I for one, really appreciate the willingness of our Fellowship at Crown of Life to always intercede on behalf of others.
I pray we never lose our desire to pray for and help meet the varied needs of others.
But we must not limit our prayers to physical needs. We must be willing to earnestly pray for the unsaved, and for the Lord to equip us to be effective in sharing our faith.
We must be willing to pray for the needs of our nation and the world at large. Jesus has the power to provide what we need. We must do our part and seek Him.
For we know Jesus has …
All Power.
Like the woman with the issue of blood, these people only needed to touch the hem of His garment for healing.
One touch and they were made whole … as Jesus recognized their faith and granted them healing.
I continue to be amazed at the power of Jesus Christ, our Lord. One touch is all it takes. We come to Him by faith for salvation, and He immediately and eternally transforms our lives.
All who come to Him by faith are offered His gift of grace. He doesn’t always choose to heal physically, but He certainly has the power to do so. One touch from the Master, and lives are never the same.
This passage challenges all who read it to develop and show great faith. It is difficult at times to walk by faith, but we must trust the Lord to provide for us.
Since you know Christ as your personal Savior, I encourage you to lift your needs to Him in prayer today and every day. Then, simply trust and abide by His response … for He will respond, after all … that is a promise of His. Amen