Monday, September 21, 2009

Matthew 14 -- Can't Believe My Eyes

I cannot imagine what it must have been like for those gathered around Jesus for the happenings of this chapter. Jesus has just received word about John the Baptist being beheaded, and he withdrew presumably to grieve. Upon his return the crowds pushed around him. As he healed and taught the crowd grew and so did the length of the day. When it was late Jesus told the disciples to feed the people. Can you really imagine watching two fish and five loaves feed upwards of 10,000 people? What was considered a lunch for most individuals feed the multitude that day. I have read the account over and over and it still holds me in awe.

If that were not enough later that evening Jesus walks on water. He sends the boat out while he dismisses the crowd and finds a place to pray. Then wanting to catch up to the gang he simply walks out across the lake to where they are. It should come as not surprise the disciples did not know what to make of the whole thing. It is not everyday someone walks on water. TO be sitting in that boat wondering what was about to happen to them, then the loud mouth Peter stands up and invites himself onto the water.

These are incredible events from our Scriptures, but can things like that still happen? It is easy to lock events such as these away and determine them to not be possible. Increasingly it is difficult for us to believe something unless we see it. Often when something outside our frame of experience happens we cannot believe what we are seeing. God is still into feeding the masses with as little as a few fish and bread, and God is still calling people out of the boat onto the water. The question is not whether God is still doing it, the question is do we believe it can still happen?

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