Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat
and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. Matthew 14:22
Discovery Channel. It takes you inside the wildest, most amazing, and craziest phenomena in the world. Take some time to go read Matthew 14:22-33. It's the age-old story of Peter walking on the water, taking his eyes off Jesus, then sinking, and I dare say that if the Discovery Channel were in existence in Biblical times, whoever got that on film would have won some serious photo-journalism awards.
I always refer to good ole Peter subconsciously as the "open mouth-insert foot” disciple of the New Testament. Maybe it’s because I relate to him so well. I often have good intentions, my motives are pure, but sometimes my flippant mouth gets me in trouble. Maybe you can relate? I’m sure I can’t be the only one with a tendency to speak first and think later….
Well, in passing during our Life Group on Sunday, we discussed the story of Jesus (and Peter for a short time) walking on water. The comment was made that everyone faults Peter because he took his eyes off Jesus and became afraid, thus failing at his quest to walk to Jesus. But the truth is, Peter was the only one who had faith enough to step out of the boat. He heard Jesus’ voice, confirmed it was Him talking, and then Peter took the first step of faith. Granted, he got scared and started to sink, but the fact remains that none of the other disciples even stepped out of the boat in faith.
This morning as I sat down to have my quiet time, I decided to re-visit this old story and see if God has any new truths for me to see. I think personal discovery is one of the coolest things about how God speaks today. I love how I can read a passage (maybe even something I’ve read and known about since I was a kid) and then discover God in a fresh way...just by looking and asking Him to show me what He wants me to learn. That’s kind of how I feel about this passage after studying it again. When I finished writing about all God was showing me, the "blog" turned into way too many paragraphs for a blog, and my husband (who is always chastising me for being too wordy) would have my head if I actually put it all into one blog.
So over the next few days, I'm going to focus on a few of my discoveries. Discoveries to me, anyway. I'm sure they're not profound; I've never claimed to be a scholar...just someone who is always looking for Jesus in the every day and ordinary. And to be honest, my little "discoveries" - I"m quite sure they're not new. But nonetheless, they are new and fresh to me.
Right off the bat, the first thing I discovered was that verse 22 says “Jesus made the disciples get into the boat.” Some versions say He compelled them. He bade them to get in the boat. Did you catch that? In other words, "they got told." It wasn't a choice.
I find that so interesting. Of course Jesus knew the disciples were about to go into a storm. Hello! He’s God! But even with this knowledge, He sent them directly into the would-be rough waters. Can you relate? How many times in your life have you known you’re exactly where God wants you, yet you’re going through some pretty time times? Just like He did with the disciples, God knows about that storm. He knew about it before you went into it, and He’s big enough to get you through it. Maybe even like the disciples, He gave you the push-off to head right into the storm, leaving you scratching your head trying to understand why.
Can you just picture Jesus at the shore with the disciples in the boat, giving that final shove to push them on their way? “Have a great trip! I’ll see you in a little while!” Smiling. Waving goodbye. "Bon Voyage!” I wonder what went through Jesus’ mind as He gave that final push, as He said goodbye to them, knowing exactly where they were headed. Oh to know the mind of Christ!
We all know this fact: Nothing takes Jesus by surprise.
{Sidebar. Can I rant for thirty seconds? And if you read fast, it will be even less! It drives me crazy, and I mean totally crazy when someone will tell me, “God’s got this.” It’s kind of my little hot button...well, one of them anyway. My mind starts to spin. Maybe it's because I find it insulting that someone feels the need to tell me that. Really? I know He’s got this…you don’t need to remind me! That's elementary, my dear Watson! That little expression is so overused today, and it’s said so flippantly that it drives me crazy. End sidebar.}
OK, I feel better now. Thank you. Hopefully you were a fast reader and didn't have to endure too much of my ranting.
You see, the real problem is NOT that we don’t know that "God’s got this." It's not that I don't realize "God's got this." The real problem is the transfer of knowledge from the head to the heart. Everything fits together nicely and neatly in our mind, but when it comes to reconciling that rational part with our emotional heart, well, that's where the conflict is. The transfer of control of the mind's peace, to rest in the knowledge that we stand on, well, that is the difficult part of going through a storm.
So Jesus pushed the disciples off into the boat with full knowledge of what was to come. And that’s exactly what He does with us. Sometimes we’re exactly in His will, doing exactly what He’s asked us, and we still go head on into turbulance. Trials in life are not always because we’ve sinned or made a bad choice. Sometimes it’s just because that’s what God’s plan is for us.
I don't know why I've never noticed this little detail before about Jesus making the disciples get into the boat. When you think about it, it's actually not a "little" detail at all. It sets the stage for everything that is to come. It should be flashing at me "TAKE NOTICE!!!" Yet, I've never heard a sermon preached on it. When I've read the passage before, it never "jumped out at me." I totally missed it all these years.
And so that's my Discovery #1. Jesus sometimes pushes us right into the eye of the storm. Stay tuned for more. Or better yet, go Discover for yourself and look for what God wants to say to you.
--- Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com