Finally Jesus gets a break.
The crowds have dispersed. He puts his disciples back in the
boat and watches them set off for home. He stays in that deserted place, climbs
the mountain, and prays.
He has an expansive view of Galilee and the lake. He can see
the progress they make as they paddle the small boat toward the opposite shore.
Evening falls and a wind picks up. By the moonlight, Jesus watches them
struggle and strain against the elements. He recalls an earlier time on this same
lake, when their boat was being swamped and they feared for their lives.
He descends and heads toward them. By early morning, he is
within earshot, coming to them across the sea itself, miraculously buoyed atop
the waves.
They know he has command of the wind and the sea, but when
they see him walking on the water, they are frightened beyond belief. They are
sure it a ghost coming to finish them off.
Then they hear his voice. “Take heart. It is I. Do not be
afraid.” He nears them and climbs into the boat. The wind and the sea cease
their raging.
They, however, do not take heart. They are not encouraged,
nor calmed. If they had understood anything about him and his power, that
understanding is now lost. He has done things beyond miraculous, entering the
realm of the fantastical and magic. He has multiplied bread and defied the laws
of the physical world.
Put plainly, they have no idea what to make of the one who
now sits in their small boat.
When they reach the other side, they disembark, and Jesus
resumes him ministry, picking up right where he left off.
Text for the day:
Things to think
about:
Jesus does spectacular and unimaginable things.
Jesus’ power extends beyond the physical world.
Things to do:
As you hear the news today, imagine Jesus on the rough sea
asking the world to take heart.
Jesus, in the midst of our fear, encourage us all.
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