Getting out of the boat and keeping focus. Part 1

I have been looking over what I have thought were well known Bible stories, as the more I read, meditate and then investigate further I seem to be realising that I don't really know the stories as well as I thought.


This week I decided to go with a friends suggestion of Jesus walking on water.


This story appears in three out of four of the gospels (Doesn't appear in Luke)


I started with the version in Matthew (Ch 14 v22-33)


It starts off with Jesus sending his disciples away in a boat whilst he sent away the crowd. So I looked into the back story. 24 - 48 hours earlier Jesus had just been told of the death of his Cousin, John the Baptist.


(He would have been brought up with this man and been quite close to him, especially when you consider the fact that both of their parents had miraculous pregnancies and it is even noted that Mary spent time with them whilst pregnant with Jesus at Johns birth. )


Jesus decided to retreat to solitude to pray and I would guess to mourn over his friend and relative. But before he got to do that he was approached by the crowd, that we would learn to be the feeding of the 5000 (plus women and children) They had came to crown him as king and I again, would guess to start the uprising against the Romans that the promised Messiah was told to bring. Jesus was still grieving but took his own personal problems to the side and fed the crowd.


So, with that back story we get to the point where the next story begins.


In my version of the Bible (King James (older version)) It says that the Disciples were constrained on to the boat. Constrain was an unusual word for me, so checking it out I found that Constrain is to bind and forcefully move. This would have often been suggested and used by Shepherds hearding sheep. (I found the Shepherd explanation a very interesting one) Clearly these Disciples didn't want to leave Jesus and by the sounds of it probably put up a bit of a fight.
After the Disciples were on the boat, Jesus saw off the crowd that had previously gathered. Again, like a good host seeing off the guests to the party by himself.  But that must have been a task alone, sending off 5000 (+), probably reassuring them on the way telling them about being meek etc; as stated before that they were probably ready for the uprising and revolt, hopefully playing on death of John the Baptist, making Jesus King. ( John 6v 15: Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.)


But a few points came out for me here:


1: Jesus was probably still grieving and still wanting to be isolated. (But instead, realistically, was probably surrounded by 10,000 people)


2: He actually took the time to send the crowd off, he could have quite easily have used his Disciples to help. But again this shows Jesus had time and love for us all and as individuals.


3: The crowd saw the disciples put into the boat and Jesus "alone" on the land. Who would argue with 5,000 (+) witnesses?


OK, so in the next part you see that night fell and Jesus is finally alone and ready to pray.  Jesus had his moment to grieve and pray. Although the storm came and he knew that the disciples were far off and in trouble.


Now, it is this next bit that I find so interesting and actually amazing.


"His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea." (Job 9 verse 4 - 8)


This verse was linked in my Bible, I found this really intriguing.


In this verse from Job it shows the powers of God; it also suggests that who resist him. Had the disciples resisted Jesus?


Strange thought, because initially reading that verse from Job I would have suggested that it is talking about the devil, and resisting him, he too is powerful, we see his power and affects of it daily. But i wondered if it truly meant him, could it mean God.


In my King James version the opening verse in the above actually states something slightly different:


"He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?"


Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? - To harden oneself, here means to resist or withstand him. It refers to the firmness or resolution which one is obliged to adopt who opposes another. Here it means the opposition which man makes to the law and government of the Most High; and the affirmation is, that no one can make such opposition who will not be ultimately overcome. God is so great, so powerful, and so just, that a successful resistance cannot be made.


So, I ask the question again, Had the disciples resisted Jesus?


Yes, I believe so. And hopefully will show why a bit later.


But what also interested me is that the verses in Job are almost prophetic for this event: We are aware at this time it was night (evening fell when Jesus prayed) and due to the stormy weather you wouldn't have seen the sky - "He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars." We then see the just response to the person whose divinity will prove who he is and how we will be able to identify him -"He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea." (We see later on after Jesus walks on water that the storm ends) this would also link well with Matthew 8v 23-27

OK, so the disciples are resisting Jesus.

Well, consider the position the disciples are in, they have up to this point, according to the gospels, witnessed either independently or as a group 20! miracles (check out a previous blog post of mine to check: http://insidemartynsmind.blogspot.com/2011/03/miracles-of-jesus.html)

They have witnessed him do so much, but a few things that you clearly see is that they are still disobedient. They are right at the beginning of this story, Jesus forces them onto the boat, they didn't listen. This is seen in Mark 6:52 "For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened."

They still were unsure of the true person Jesus was. Even in the calming of the storm in Matthew 8v27 " The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” " They still called him just man, even though we see that in Job only one of divinity could control the elements and can tread on water!

Clearly the disciples are on a slippery path, they are resisting the true nature of Jesus and have hardened themselves to the truth.

We see this mentioned in Psalms 73:17-19 "till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors! "
So, ending this part of the post, I will leave you with a question.

After seeing all the things the disciples had witnessed, would you have recognised the truth that was Jesus, or would you let society harden your heart?