When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!" Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
It interests me how the Lord often withdrew to be by himself. Passages like this gives us a peek into what it must have been like to be Jesus. People were constantly pressing in on him.. every day they wanted more of him.. more signs.. more healings.. more miracles.. more teachings.. and in this passage they wanted to make him king. Small wonder why he needed times of solitude. Yet things change when he discerns that his disciples are in trouble.
Such is the image that Jesus paints of the God who hears the cries of struggling people - deep waters cannot stop him.. strong winds will not delay him.. rough waves do not hinder him as he travels to his friends. Can you imagine struggling in that boat.. feeling the pull of the waves and the spray of the waters? What would it have like to look up and see the image of a man coming towards you? And how welcome would Jesus' words be to you?
Come Lord Jesus and bring peace to the ship of my life.
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I don't have the scripture at my fingertips, but when I was doing my study on the Spiritual Disciplines for a workshop I was giving and was on the discipline of solitude I found a verse where Jesus took a boat "alone" to a private place after the death of his cousin John the Baptist. Since I am a visual person.... I love the scene of Jesus, alone, rowing the boat to a remote place where he could greive alone. Where he could have some solitude.
ReplyDeleteYou comentaries on these verses should be in book form as devotionals.
Keeping Ann in my prayers, and hoping the Lord touched her and she's breathing better today.
Love and Hugs