Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Mark 6:51-52 records the conclusion of Jesus’ walking on the water: “And He went up unto them in the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” The miracles continued, for “the wind ceased” and, furthermore, “immediately the ship was at the land” (John 6:21). Somehow, though, the impact of all of these events escaped the befuddled disciples. However, the words and works of Jesus did have a cumulative effect on His obtuse followers. The purpose of Jesus throughout this passage was to increase the faith of His disciples. He taught them that they could rely on Him even when He was not physically present. He also showed them that serving Him required persistency and hard work (rowing in a storm). “In the world ye shall have tribulation” (John 16:33b) was the promise that Jesus would later give to them and to us. His direct interaction with Peter (Matthew 14:28-31) was another means of challenging not only his faith but also that of the others. His triumph over the storm and over time and space brought them safely to their destination – something that would surely sink in some day. Verse 52 is the end of this vignette, but it is not the end of the story.