Thursday, October 20, 2016

Thursday, October 20 - Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21, Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, John 6:22-71, Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:1-23 ~ Jeannine

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, John 6:16-21, Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, John 6:22-71, Matthew 15:1-20, Mark 7:1-23

I had a couple thoughts while reading these verses...

Jesus Walks on Water
I've always found this story intriguing.  I try to put myself in the position of the disciples who are out on a boat in the middle of a crazy storm and then they see this man walking towards them. He must have appeared like a ghost because in all the wind and waves they would likely not have seen him coming...he would have likely just appeared there.  And that would be a strange and terrifying sight. I think I would have just stood there speechless and yet somehow Peter has enough wits about himself to ask Jesus to prove that He is actually the Lord and have him come walk to Him on the water.  What a strange situation this would be.

Many Disciples Desert Jesus
I don't know if I've every read this and caught the fact that Jesus has many disciples and at this point most of them left His side, leaving only the 12.  This section reminds me of Matthew 7:13-14 which says “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.  Jesus was asking them to believe in Him and His power and I think this scripture shows how so many people will see and hear and still choose to walk away from Him. It's definitely a choice. Some will choose to follow through faith, not always knowing or understanding all the answers. And some will choose to turn away because they can't know or understand all the answers. And the ones that choose to follow will be small compared to those that walk away.

Tomorrow's Bible In a Year PassageMatthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30, Matthew 15:29-31, Mark 7:31-37, Matthew 15:32-39, Mark 8:1-10, Matthew 16:1-4, Mark 8:11-13, Matthew 16:5-12, Mark 8:14-26, Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-21, Matthew 16:21-28, Mark 8:31-9:1, Luke 9:22-27

1 comment:

Tammy said...

The sight of Jesus walking in the water would have been frightening indeed! I love Peter's bold faith. It's also important to remember that it was when he took his focus off of Jesus and onto his problem, that he began to sink. Focusing on the problem does not help us. We need to look to the One who is our shelter from the storms of life around us.