Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
When was the last time you were simply overwhelmed? Your eyes couldn’t believe what they were seeing, your mind couldn’t grasp the unexplainable? It’s important we break out of the mundane of our lives by experiencing the miraculous, the outrageous from time to time, right? As we’re ‘walking with Jesus’ toward His Easter, it happens fairly often doesn’t it? So, here we go, let’s step into another amazing, overwhelming experience with Jesus today!
All four Gospel writers give us a glimpse into the remarkable miracle which occurred that day as the crowd grew larger and larger, and Jesus was teaching the people God’s truth and healing some of the sick among them. Finally it was getting late in the day and most people’s stomachs were growling.
The disciples of course said “This is a remote place and it’s getting late. Send the people away so they can go to the village and get food.’ But Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat.’ (Matt. 14:15,16) Now that seemed simply preposterous, ridiculous. None of them had any food with them, and certainly no one had the ability to multiply food for such a huge crowd. Truthfully, the disciples had had enough of people for one day, they wanted some quiet time with Jesus.
John tells us the disciple Philip said “Eight months wages wouldn’t be enough to buy bread so everyone here could have just one bite!” Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up and said “Here’s a boy with five small barley loaves and two very small fish, but how far will that go among so many people?” (John 6:7,8,9)
I love that! These were practical guys, who looked out over the sea of thousands of faces and they knew this was no time for imaginations or empty promises or even artificial hopes. This was a time for honest, practical reality. The day had been long, the people were hungry and the crowd was gigantic. Send them away… they are resourceful people, they’ll find the food they need, and then they’ll go home for the night.
But Jesus was still grieving the horrific death of his friend John the Baptist, and it appears Jesus wanted to counter that wickedness, that selfish violence, with a huge show of God’s generous love and power. So Jesus urged the people to sit down, then He called that little boy Andrew had found, and I can only imagine the conversation they must have had. Maybe it was something like this… “So my young friend, I see you came prepared today with a lunch for yourself, but look at all the people. Most of them didn’t. They’re hungry and tired. Guess what I’d like to do? I’d like to feed them… all of them, but guess what? I didn’t bring a lunch for myself either, so I have an idea. Would you be willing to share your food with Me and all of these people today? I think if we pray over your little lunch, God will feed all of us with it!”
I’m imagining Andrew, who had found the boy, is listening and shaking his head wondering what in the world he is about to experience? I can see the little boy looking into his lunch sack, only five little biscuits and two little fish, barely bigger than minnows. Then he looks at the crowd, then he looks at Jesus, then back into his little sack. And then he handed his lunch sack to Jesus, and Matthew describes what happened next: “and looking up to heaven Jesus gave thanks and began breaking the loaves and fish. Then He gave them to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people. They ALL ate and were satisfied and the disciples picked up 12 baskets of food left over. The number of those who ate was about 5000 men, plus women and children!” (Matt. 14:18-21)
As you and I stand on the hillside and watch this remarkable miracle of multiplying food and thousands of hungry people having more than enough to eat… how do you describe what you are seeing? Can you see the young lad standing next to Jesus watching his little lunch feed an army of people? How often do you imagine the little boy grabbed Jesus hand and pulled Him down to ask… “What’s happening here? How did you do that with my little lunch? When is it going to be our turn to eat? What if the food runs out before you and I get any?” And then baskets, 12 big baskets of left overs brought back to Jesus. I wonder if then Jesus said, ‘Ok, now it’s our turn. Help yourself!’
Can you hear Jesus shouting, ‘has everyone had enough to eat?’ And the whistles and cheers from all over that hillside as the people expressed their amazement, their thanks, and then they began walking down the hill toward home, shaking their heads knowing there’s simply no way they’ll ever be able to explain this to anyone who wasn’t there! Soon they were all gone… except the disciples. I wonder what they asked Him? “How did you do that?”
But Matthew writes, “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on head of Him to the other side of the lake, while He went up on the hillside by Himself…” Once again God the Son, and God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit needed some time together to reflect on this remarkable day. Tragedy had been turned into triumph. Starvation into surplus. Grief into gladness and celebration. Despair had once again been defeated and these people would never forget this day!
Evening turned into night, Jesus reflected, talked with His Father, looked out over the Galilean countryside… the lake with a few small boats fishing at night, the flickers of lamps in the homes of the villages, the warm breezes, the bright stars.
And then the warm breeze started picking up, a stiff wind, thunder, a storm was brewing and Jesus could see His disciple friends out in the middle of the lake straining to keep their little boat upright and afloat. What should He do? Leave them to fend for themselves, calm the storm from His hillside vantage point? No, this time Jesus wanted them to experience something new… Him IN their storm. They would be faced with many more storms in their lives, and often they would feel God was far away from them in their storms, so this night Jesus wanted them to experience something unimaginable and they’d never forget the power of Jesus walking on the waves, coming to join them IN their storm!
May I urge you friends to listen to the audio, dramatized Bible at the conclusion of our “Walking with Jesus” today, and experience the amazement of Jesus walking on the waves in the storm! What suddenly overcame Peter and led him to call out to Jesus “If it’s really You, tell me to come out to you on the water!’ “Come on” Jesus shouted in the storm.” Matthew was there, in the boat, so he records his eyewitness memory of this preposterous moment: “Then Peter got down out of the boat, and walked on the waves and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out ‘Lord save me’!
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter. ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt’? And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those in the boat worshiped Him saying ‘Truly YOU are the Son of God.” (Matt. 14:28-33)
And what would you have done my friends, what would you have said? As you watched this unexplainable event in the storm, how would you have explained it as you later recounted the events of this day with Jesus? As their little boat slowly drifted with the wind toward the approaching shoreline, was it quiet as they all sat in stunned silence, or were they talking all over each other in their astonishment?
What they didn’t know was that Jesus was preparing them for other storms which He knew were coming in their futures, storms which would require the courage of remembering the power Jesus demonstrated this day.
How about you my friends, is there a storm brewing on your horizon, or have you been in a storm for some time? Are you alone in your storm or are others battling the wind and waves with you? And where is Jesus? Out there watching you from a distance, or is He walking on the waves toward you in your storm? And what’s your plan?
Are you ready for the power of Jesus to help you in your storm, or are you going to keep fighting it by yourself? What do you think Jesus would like to do right now for you?
Here’s a song to help you. . .
Today’s Scripture is Matthew 14:15-33.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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