The Picnic

Jesus, and his disciples, travel to the far side of the Sea of Galilee. (This quite possibly happened on the same trip, when Jesus freed the demon-possessed man The location described – the modern day Golan Heights – is approximately the same.) And, possibly, it is a different trip, and the people from the surrounding villages come to this area, because of that miracle.

The people come to a deserted place, and only one person brings any food. After discussing this problem with the disciples, he has people sit, borrows the one person’s lunch, thanks God, and proceeds to pull enough food from the one person’s lunch bag – with enough food for one person – and feeds 15,000 people with it. (The disciples only counted the men, and there were 5,000 of those. So, I am assuming an equal number of women and children.)

Somebody realizes that if they put Jesus in charge, he could provide for everyone. They were choosing to “follow” Jesus from self-interest, not love, or a realization of truth, that Jesus was God’s Messiah. So, Jesus withdrew from there.

And when the disciples returned by boat, Jesus walked on water to re-join them.

And the next day, the people also crossed the water by boat, to find Jesus. And Jesus calls them on it. The sought Jesus, not from love, loyalty, a commitment to truth, or even curiosity. They sought Jesus to avoid working to feed themselves.

Jesus urges them to seek “eternal” food. “Food” that will fill their spirit, and soul.

The people asked how to do God’s works. (Are they asking how to get right with God? Or how to do miracles?) Jesus tells them, God wants them to believe in, and follow, God’s Promised One. And they ask for a sign. This always amazes me. The just saw Jesus feed 15,000 people with one person’s lunch, and now they need another miracle. Gosh! Anything but give their hearts to Jesus. Or are they just fixated on themselves, and their needs? They cite God feeding Israel manna.

Jesus says He is true food. He is God’s provision for true life. Provision for the body is important. But it is a relationship with the Father that provides for the inner life, as well as eternity. We need that fuel at least as much as physical food. Giving our allegiance to Jesus gives access to the Father’s fuel. And mankind is short-sighted, self-indulgent, and motivated only by self-interest.

The Demon-Controlled Man

They sailed to the Gerasenes. This was outside of Israel, inhabited by gentiles. (Notice the pigs. Jesus went on a short-term mission trip.)

There was a demon-controlled man living in the area. The people in the area could not control him. He broke out of everything they tried.

The demons in the man saw Jesus get out of the boat, recognized him, and knew they were in trouble. The man ran up to Jesus, and said: “Don’t hurt us, Jesus!” Jesus allowed the demons to enter 2000 pigs nearby.

The men, who watched the pigs, ran into the city; and everybody in the city, came out. The man with the demons – who nobody could control – sat calmly, and normally, with Jesus.

And they began to get frightened, because there was something bigger than demons, and pigs, here. They begged Jesus to go home.

The man, who had the demons, asked Jesus if he could go with him. Jesus told him to go home, and tell his family and friends, all that God did for him. And the man told his story to the entire area.

God is the ideal Father. He invites all people to a stored relationship, and to return to his family. He wants to encourage, and bless, his family.

But he loves all. He wants all to be restored to relationship. And he wants to encourage, and bless, all.

Without allegiance to Jesus, there is no restoration, no relationship. Without relationship, people are not restored to fulfillment of their design. So, God could feed everyone, house everyone, and their lives would still not be complete.

But he will give healing, and provision, in order to facilitate some giving allegiance.

The man sought to follow Jesus. Maybe Jesus did not let him join his merry band, because he was a gentile, and would not be accepted among Jews. But Jesus made him whole, and gave him a mission. One he carried out, exceeding his assignment. Not all who say they follow Jesus, do half of what he assigns them.

The Storm

Jesus had spent the day teaching people along the sea. When it starts getting dark, he says to the disciples: “Let’s sail to the other side.”

They get into a boat, and begin sailing. And Jesus lays down, and goes to sleep.

As I understand it, the topography, around the Sea of Galilee, funnels the wind down to the water’s surface. So, it is possible to have sudden, fierce, storms. And that’s what happened on this trip. A bad storm strikes the small boat. The disciples – many of whom are seasoned fishermen, some on that sea, used to storms – began to grow frightened at the storm’s severity. They began to fear being swamped, and drowning in the storm.

And Jesus slept.

They woke him finally, and said: “We’re all going to die!!”

Jesus stood up, looked the storm in the eye, and said “Ssh!” And the wind, and the waves, became still and quiet.

And Jesus asked: “Where is your faith?”

People everywhere have faith. The disciple’s faith was in their experience at sea, and the soundness of the boat. But the storm was bigger than both.

Jesus’ faith was in the Father, who is bigger that all things.

People have trials, problems, issues, frustrations, storms, emergencies, and catastrophes. They have faith in their skills, plans, bank accounts, and support system. (And it is not bad to have any, or all, of these. Indeed, Father thinks it is wise, and good, to have these.) And some have faith in their God-experiences. But they are all-finite. Because they are finite, they will all fail at some point.

Only one will not fail. Only one is worth putting our faith on.

Jesus’ trust, and reliance, was ultimately in his Father. God puts us into family, gives its, talents, and abilities. All this to support and help us. But, we need to view these things as temporary gifts. Our faith needs to rest on God, our eternally present Father.

The Fast

After John’s anointing, Jesus went into the wilderness. He fasted for forty days. As he had a practice of getting alone to pray, it seems likely that this was an extended time to prepare for his upcoming ministry.

While in the wilderness, the enemy cam to tempt him. Scholars generally divide temptation into three areas. Scripture gives three examples of the temptations. Jesus faced one for each area. And Jesus responded with quotes from Scripture.

Scripture says that Jesus was tempted in every way that people are tempted. Yet he did not sin. Because he was without sin, he was a sacrifice without spot or blemish. Because he was without sin, he was our example in dealing with temptation. (Prayer and scripture.)

Jesus began his ministry demonstrating how to defeat the devil. And demonstrating how he is able to defeat the devil for all of us.

The enemy deceived the first people to break their connection with Father. It is God’s heart to bridge that connection, restore right relationship with his family.

He is ready, willing, and able to defeat the enemy. And he is preparing to take that step.

The Herald

God has revealed his plans with prophetic words, and pictures. God has revealed the Promised One with fulfilled prophecy, and a army of worshiping angels.

And God said he would send a prophet to be a herald of the Promised One.

John proclaimed the need to choose a new life path. And he proclaimed that another of God’s messengers was coming. John immersed people in water, as a symbol of this choice they were making. The Promised One would immerse people in the Holy Spirit, as a result of the choice, and as an enabling to live a new life. The Spirit is the primary component of man’s restoration to his original design, as well as the primary component of man’s restored relationship to the Father.

Jesus came, and was baptized by John, though Jesus never sinned, but to declare Jesus’ alignment with the Father, and to declare Jesus’ position as God’s Promised One. For, as he arose from the water, God declared, and John heard an audible voice: “This is my Son.”

Although, John did not fully understand God’s plan, he did recognize God’s choice, and he continued to proclaim Jesus as the Promised One.

God does not want his children to walk in the dark. He wants them to know who to follow, and who to trust.

The Birth

Finally, the moment in history arrived. The angel, Gabriel, appears to Mary, and proclaims that it was time for God to send the Promised One. And, because God said in Scripture – a prophetic indicator – that the Promised One would be born of a virgin, the Holy Spirit would come, and create the baby in her womb. And Mary agreed in obedience.

Then, because of a Roman ordered census, she and Joseph, her espoused husband, traveled to Bethlehem – another prophetic indicator. The baby was born in humble circumstances. Mary needed to use, an animal feeding trough as a cradle.

In one way, it must have seemed that nothing of consequence had happened. An ordinary birth, in an ordinary town, to ordinary parents. But an angel army appeared to a group of shepherds. A star appeared to a group of scholars in the East. And prophetic words were spoken to two older people, proclaiming the arrival of God’s Anointed One.

In reality, the world system has just flipped upside down, and inside out.