John 6: 14-21
After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world. Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached shore where they were heading.
A Thought
After seeing the miraculous sign of the people being fed, the crowd wanted to take Jesus by force to make him king. This reminds me of Jesus in the wilderness when Satan offered Jesus the kingdom of this world without having to humble himself, to suffer and give his blood to pay the price of our sin by his death and resurrection. So Jesus chose to withdraw to a mountain by himself, probably to pray. Without God we are nothing. When we are puffed up, we are not honoring God and are not very useful for his kingdom. We must learn from the examples Jesus taught his disciples. We must withdraw from temptation, be humble, pray and keep our eyes on Jesus. When we see Jesus we have no need to fear. We can trust him to calm the storm and lead us to where we need to be.
Our Prayer
Father thank you for the perfect life of Christ that not only brings us back in a right relationship with you as your children: He is our way to live a holy, righteous life by his example. Awaken us by your Spirit to know and honor you as our God in all we say and do. We ask in the name of Jesus, amen.
