Worship God’s Son

December 28, 2014 Background Scripture: Matthew 14:22 – 36 Lesson Passage: Matthew 14:22 – 36 Jesus performed many miracles during his earthly ministry. According to the Apostle John, most of Jesus’ actions are not recorded because the earth cannot contain all of the books that would be required to record all of Jesus’ actions. However, when we consider what has been recorded of the miracles of Jesus, it is easy to reach the conclusion that none of the miracles were performed to impress people. In fact, many times the religious and secular leaders sought to test Jesus by requesting a sign. Jesus refused to do miracles as a sign to impress people. On the other hand, Jesus worked miracles because he had compassion for people and he wanted others to have faith and believe in him so they could have eternal life. In our lesson today, Jesus had sent his disciples on a journey across the sea while he went to a secluded place to pray. The disciples encountered a storm while traveling on the sea which prevented them from reaching their destination. From his place of seclusion, Jesus saw the disciples struggling against the storm and walked out on the water to where they were. Fear gripped the men as they saw Jesus walking on the stormy sea. They doubted that it was Jesus and thought that it was a spirit. After a brief exchange which led Peter to get out of the boat and walk on the water towards Jesus, Peter was rescued and he and Jesus joined the other disciples in the boat. The storm ended when Jesus got in the boat and they were miraculously and instantly on the other shore. The disciples’ irrational fear when they thought Jesus was a spirit out on the water turned into reverent fear of Jesus’ divine nature and they worshiped him as the Son of God. The disciples’ destination was the land of Gennesaret. Apparently the disciples told the residents of Gennesaret about Jesus’ identity. Those residents gathered all of the sick among them and brought them to where Jesus was located so they could touch the hem of his garment and be cured. Here we see some of the acts that John said were too much to write. As many persons as touched the hem of Jesus’ garment were made completely well. Each person undoubtedly had their own story. Some may have been born with afflictions while others perhaps contracted them later in life. Whatever the case might have been, each person had a story to tell. The healing of the sick in Gennesaret reminds me of the priority we often place on physical needs and desires. Matthew does not tell us if any of the healed was saved as a result of the miracle. We are only told that they were healed. How many times have we encountered the Son of God through prayer and was only concerned with physical needs and desires rather than our spiritual needs? The sick of Gennesaret sought the hem of Jesus’ garment. Today, many of us seek a blessing from the hand of the Savior. The real blessing comes from seeking his face and worshiping the Son of God. Robert C. Hudson December 22, 2014