What was the highlight of your day?
Alright, I don’t know about you, but the size of the Sea of Galilee surprises me. It’s interesting to read about the “calming of the storm” in the gospels in relation to the actual size of the sea. Could a body of water with a circumference of 53 km really cause that big of an issue? Well, as we were boating today and the wind started to pick up, you could see how it could get quite dramatic out there!
Since we’re talking about the Sea of Galilee, consider with me the story from Matthew 8:23-27 – the “calming of the storm.” It’s what Dr. John talked about on the boat today. Jesus is sleeping on the boat while his disciples are freaking out because of an intense storm – so intense that “the boat was being swamped by the waves.” The disciples literally think they’re going to die, so they awake Jesus in a panic, asking that he’d save them. Jesus comes back with, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” And then he calms the sea. It’s their rhetorical question after this that’s the key to understanding this story: “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
This passage isn’t about Jesus “calming the storms of your life.” It’s about the stunning realization and discovery of the nature of Jesus! This Man can calm the winds and the sea!
You might be one of those on this trip who have yet to worship Jesus as Lord. You might be one of those with a fuzzy or distorted understanding of Jesus. Or, like me, you might be one of those who needs a fresh picture of Jesus. I hope this story captures us. I hope the fact that we’ve literally been on the Sea of Galilee helps us know this ancient story’s truth.
I hope our hearts ask in wonder: What kind of Man is this?
Not only is he the Man that can calm the winds and the sea – he’s also the One who created the Mount of Beatitudes we stood on today, who established the ancient city of Capernaum we strolled through, and who designed the cliffs of Caesarea Philippi we saw.
And when we ask: What kind of Man is this? I hope we can say with Peter, “The Christ of God,” as he said in response to Jesus’ question in Caesarea Philippi.
Anyways, that was an incredible day. So excited for tomorrow!
Isaac
PS – Your “biblically aware” Scriptures are as follows: for Nazareth, read Matthew 2:19-23, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 2:39-40, John 1:46, Acts 22:6-8; for Jericho, read Joshua 2:1-24, 6:1-27, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 10:25-37, Hebrews 11:30; and for the Jordan River, read Matthew 3:1-17.
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