Seated upon the grassy plain, in the
twilight of the spring evening, the people ate of the food that Christ had
provided. The words they had heard that day had come to them as the voice of
God. The works of healing they had witnessed were such as only divine power
could perform. But the miracle of the loaves appealed to everyone in that vast
multitude. All were sharers in its benefit. In the days of Moses, God had fed
Israel with manna in the desert; and who was this that had fed them that day
but He whom Moses had foretold? No human power could create from five barley
loaves and two small fishes food sufficient to feed thousands of hungry people.
And they said one to another, "This is of a truth that Prophet that should
come into the world."
All day the conviction has
strengthened. That crowning act is assurance that the long-looked-for Deliverer
is among them. The hopes of the people rise higher and higher. This is He who
will make Judea an earthly paradise, a land flowing with milk and honey. He can
satisfy every desire. He can break the power of the hated Romans. He can
deliver Judah and Jerusalem. He can heal the soldiers who are wounded in
battle. He can supply whole armies with food. He can conquer the nations, and
give to Israel the long-sought dominion.
Page
378
In their enthusiasm the people are
ready at once to crown Him king. They see that He makes no effort to attract
attention or secure honor to Himself. In this He is essentially different from
the priests and rulers, and they fear that He will never urge His claim to
David's throne. Consulting together, they agree to take Him by force, and
proclaim Him the king of Israel. The disciples unite with the multitude in
declaring the throne of David the rightful inheritance of their Master. It is
the modesty of Christ, they say, that causes Him to refuse such honor. Let the
people exalt their Deliverer. Let the arrogant priests and rulers be forced to
honor Him who comes clothed with the authority of God.
They eagerly arrange to carry out
their purpose; but Jesus sees what is on foot, and understands, as they cannot,
what would be the result of such a movement. Even now the priests and rulers
are hunting His life. They accuse Him of drawing the people away from them.
Violence and insurrection would follow an effort to place Him on the throne,
and the work of the spiritual kingdom would be hindered. Without delay the
movement must be checked. Calling His disciples, Jesus bids them take the boat
and return at once to Capernaum, leaving Him to dismiss the people.
Never before had a command from
Christ seemed so impossible of fulfillment. The disciples had long hoped for a
popular movement to place Jesus on the throne; they could not endure the
thought that all this enthusiasm should come to nothing. The multitudes that
were assembling to keep the Passover were anxious to see the new prophet. To
His followers this seemed the golden opportunity to establish their beloved
Master on the throne of Israel. In the glow of this new ambition it was hard
for them to go away by themselves, and leave Jesus alone upon that desolate
shore. They protested against the arrangement; but Jesus now spoke with an
authority He had never before assumed toward them. They knew that further
opposition on their part would be useless, and in silence they turned toward
the sea.
Jesus now commands the multitude to
disperse; and His manner is so decisive that they dare not disobey. The words
of praise and exaltation die on their lips. In the very act of advancing to
seize Him their steps are stayed, and the glad, eager look fades from their
countenances. In that throng are men of strong mind and firm determination; but
the kingly bearing of Jesus, and His few quiet words of command, quell the
tumult, and frustrate their designs. They recognize
Page
379
in Him a power above all earthly
authority, and without a question they submit.
When left alone, Jesus "went up
into a mountain apart to pray." For hours He continued pleading with God.
Not for Himself but for men were those prayers. He prayed for power to reveal
to men the divine character of His mission, that Satan might not blind their
understanding and pervert their judgment. The Saviour knew that His days of
personal ministry on earth were nearly ended, and that few would receive Him as
their Redeemer. In travail and conflict of soul He prayed for His disciples.
They were to be grievously tried. Their long-cherished hopes, based on a
popular delusion, were to be disappointed in a most painful and humiliating
manner. In the place of His exaltation to the throne of David they were to
witness His crucifixion. This was to be indeed His true coronation. But they
did not discern this, and in consequence strong temptations would come to them,
which it would be difficult for them to recognize as temptations. Without the
Holy Spirit to enlighten the mind and enlarge the comprehension the faith of
the disciples would fail. It was painful to Jesus that their conceptions of His
kingdom were, to so great a degree, limited to worldly aggrandizement and
honor. For them the burden was heavy upon His heart, and He poured out His
supplications with bitter agony and tears.
The disciples had not put off
immediately from the land, as Jesus directed them. They waited for a time,
hoping that He would come to
Page
380
them. But as they saw that darkness
was fast gathering, they "entered into a ship, and went over the sea
toward Capernaum." They had left Jesus with dissatisfied hearts, more
impatient with Him than ever before since acknowledging Him as their Lord. They
murmured because they had not been permitted to proclaim Him king. They blamed
themselves for yielding so readily to His command. They reasoned that if they
had been more persistent they might have accomplished their purpose.
Unbelief was taking possession of
their minds and hearts. Love of honor had blinded them. They knew that Jesus
was hated by the Pharisees, and they were eager to see Him exalted as they
thought He should be. To be united with a teacher who could work mighty
miracles, and yet to be reviled as deceivers, was a trial they could ill
endure. Were they always to be accounted followers of a false prophet? Would Christ
never assert His authority as king? Why did not He who possessed such power
reveal Himself in His true character, and make their way less painful? Why had
He not saved John the Baptist from a violent death? Thus the disciples reasoned
until they brought upon themselves great spiritual darkness. They questioned,
Could Jesus be an impostor, as the Pharisees asserted?
The disciples had that day witnessed
the wonderful works of Christ. It had seemed that heaven had come down to the
earth. The memory of that precious, glorious day should have filled them with
faith and hope. Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts, been conversing
together in regard to these things, they would not have entered into
temptation. But their disappointment had absorbed their thoughts. The words of
Christ, "Gather up the fragments, . . . that nothing be lost," were
unheeded. Those were hours of large blessing to the disciples, but they had
forgotten it all. They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts
were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict
their souls and occupy their minds. God often does this when men create burdens
and troubles for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already
danger was fast approaching.
A violent tempest had been stealing
upon them, and they were unprepared for it. It was a sudden contrast, for the
day had been perfect; and when the gale struck them, they were afraid. They
forgot their disaffection, their unbelief, their impatience. Everyone worked to
keep the boat from sinking. It was but a short distance by sea from Bethsaida
to the point where they expected to meet Jesus, and in ordinary weather the
journey required but a few hours; but now they were driven farther
Page
381
and farther from the point they
sought. Until the fourth watch of the night they toiled at the oars. Then the
weary men gave themselves up for lost. In storm and darkness the sea had taught
them their own helplessness, and they longed for the presence of their Master.
Jesus had not forgotten them. The
Watcher on the shore saw those fear-stricken men battling with the tempest. Not
for a moment did He lose sight of His disciples. With deepest solicitude His
eyes followed the storm-tossed boat with its precious burden; for these men
were to be the light of the world. As a mother in tender love watches her
child, so the compassionate Master watched His disciples. When their hearts
were subdued, their unholy ambition quelled, and in humility they prayed for
help, it was given them.
At the moment when they believe
themselves lost, a gleam of light reveals a mysterious figure approaching them
upon the water. But they know not that it is Jesus. The One who has come for
their help they count as an enemy. Terror overpowers them. The hands that have
grasped the oars with muscles like iron let go their hold. The boat rocks at
the will of the waves; all eyes are riveted on this vision of a man walking
upon the white-capped billows of the foaming sea.
They think it a phantom that omens
their destruction, and they cry out for fear. Jesus advances as if He would
pass them; but they recognize Him, and cry out, entreating His help. Their
beloved Master turns, His voice silences their fear, "Be of good cheer: it
is I; be not afraid."
As soon as they could credit the
wondrous fact, Peter was almost beside himself with joy. As if he could
scarcely yet believe, he cried out, "Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto
Thee on the water. And He said, Come."
Looking unto Jesus, Peter walks securely;
but as in self-satisfaction he glances back toward his companions in the boat,
his eyes are turned from the Saviour. The wind is boisterous. The waves roll
high, and come directly between him and the Master; and he is afraid. For a
moment Christ is hidden from his view, and his faith gives way. He begins to
sink. But while the billows talk with death, Peter lifts his eyes from the
angry waters, and fixing them upon Jesus, cries, "Lord, save me."
Immediately Jesus grasps the outstretched hand, saying, "O thou of little
faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Walking side by side, Peter's hand
in that of his Master, they stepped into the boat together. But Peter was now
subdued and silent. He had no reason to boast over his fellows, for through
unbelief and self-exaltation
Page
382
he had very nearly lost his life.
When he turned his eyes from Jesus, his footing was lost, and he sank amid the
waves.
When trouble comes upon us, how
often we are like Peter! We look upon the waves, instead of keeping our eyes
fixed upon the Saviour. Our footsteps slide, and the proud waters go over our
souls. Jesus did not bid Peter come to Him that he should perish; He does not
call us to follow Him, and then forsake us. "Fear not," He says;
"for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the
rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou
shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the
Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour." Isa. 43:1-3.
Jesus read the character of His
disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on
the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,--to show that his
safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of
temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely
upon the Saviour. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that
Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his
need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to
teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the
great test came upon him.
Day by day God instructs His
children. By the circumstances of the daily life He is preparing them to act
their part upon that wider stage to which His providence has appointed them. It
is the issue of the daily test that determines their victory or defeat in
life's great crisis.
Those who fail to realize their
constant dependence upon God will be overcome by temptation. We may now suppose
that our feet stand secure, and that we shall never be moved. We may say with
confidence, "I know in whom I have believed; nothing can shake my faith in
God and in His word." But Satan is planning to take advantage of our
hereditary and cultivated traits of character, and to blind our eyes to our own
necessities and defects. Only through realizing our own weakness and looking
steadfastly unto Jesus can we walk securely.
No sooner had Jesus taken His place
in the boat than the wind ceased, "and immediately the ship was at the
land whither they went." The night of horror was succeeded by the light of
dawn. The disciples, and others who also were on board, bowed at the feet of
Jesus with thankful hearts, saying, "Of a truth Thou art the Son of
God!"
No comments:
Post a Comment