Tag: jesus christ

Walk on Water? Why? (Matthew 14:22-33)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
Jesus Walks on Water, by Konstantin Alexejewitsch Korowin, 1890 

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (New International Version)

In the New Testament Gospels, we see Jesus for who he is – Son of God and true Sovereign of the universe – seeking to reconcile people to God through his life, miracles, and teaching. In the Gospels we also see Christ’s disciples for who they are – a rag-tag bunch who express both belief and doubt, and experience both faith and failure.

The reality of the Christian life is that it is a sort of three-steps-forward and two-steps-backward kind of experience. The expectation that we will “succeed” and have everything go hunky-dory each time we step out in faith, is far from how things actually work in both the world and in God’s kingdom. Doubt and failure are important experiences for the believer in Jesus.

Without failure, there is no Christian life. Why? Because it means we are still in the boat.

It’s evidence that we never left the safety of established routines and responded to God’s command to step out of our comfort zone, and boldly go where we’ve never gone before.

Our failures may, like Peter, be colossal bellyflops. Yet, Jesus is there – extending grace to Peter and helping him, even in his failure of faith. Failure does not define us; it isn’t our identity. Jesus is Lord over everything, including storms, hardship, and trouble. 

Yes, there are a lot of scary things in life. Learning to ride a bike was scary. Driving for the first time on an icy road was scary. Getting married and having kids was scary. Admitting a fault, mistake, or weakness is scary. Being vulnerable with another person is scary.

It can even be scary to be at church. Why? Because we might fail, and it may crush us.

The fear of failure, however, need not control our lives. Why? Because grace overcomes everything.

We all find ourselves, at times, caught midway between faith and doubt. But to know this situation is to experience grace. If the worst scenario you worry about in your head would actually come to pass, it will still never change the reality that God loves you! And it will not stop Jesus from extending his hand to you in a life-saving grip of grace. 

Fear melts away when we keep our eyes on Jesus. So, we must focus on Christ, instead of fixating on the waves around us. The truth sets us free. Therefore, let’s notice five truths about Jesus that help us overcome the fear of failure and embrace a life of faith.

1. Jesus is a person of prayer

Jesus was deeply dependent on his heavenly Father. His life exhibited the necessities of simple prayer and obedience. If Jesus found the need for solitude and prayer for his life and ministry, how much more to we need it!? 

The Lord had his disciples get into the boat and go out on the lake. Jesus knew they were about to face a storm. The boat ended up getting thrown around by the waves. Even though the disciples were doing God’s will by going out on the lake, they were not spared from adversity.  

Jesus wanted his disciples to experience the storm. Why? Because it is through the storm that we learn faith.  

Faith is developed through experience and adversity. Faith that never endures distress, never grows and matures. Faith must be exercised – and if it isn’t, it atrophies and becomes useless. 

Show me a person with great faith, and I’ll show you a person that has gone through a boatload of adversity and hurt, having allowed Jesus to grace them with healing.

2. Jesus is present with us, and this presence brings an end to fear

Being in the middle of a lake during a storm did not prevent Jesus from being present with the disciples – he just walked on the water to be with them. Even though the disciples had just participated in the miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand, another miracle was not on their radar – which is why they did not recognize Jesus and were afraid when they saw him.

While afraid, we don’t see Jesus, even when he’s right in front of our faces. Why? Because we don’t expect him to be there and mistake him for a ghost.  

When the disciples cried out in fear, Jesus responded. I used to have a factory job, training workers. When the training was completed, I had the trainees evaluate our time together. The top response I received is that my presence helped them to learn their job – the freedom to fail time and time again without judgment. Having me there to rescue them, when things got too much, built confidence that they could do it on their own.

3. Jesus desires those who follow him to imitate him

Jesus walked on water. Jesus invited Peter to walk on water. Peter was not chided by Jesus for getting out of the boat, but for doubting that he could continue in the miracle that was happening. 

Jesus isn’t merely interested in disciples being able to regurgitate his teaching. Why? Because he wants us to exercise our learning through actual deeds of faith.  

Once the command of Jesus was given to Peter, “Come”, then walking on water became only a matter of trust.

“Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.”

G.K. Chesterton

We understandably get nervous when a crazy Jesus and an unpredictable Holy Spirit call us to change by getting out of the friendly confines of the boat. Why? After all, we might fail. 

However, it is at those times that we bank on God’s Word and promises. The Apostle James said that if we find ourselves lacking wisdom to deal with the unpredictable and unknowable, we are to ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and will be given to us. (James 1:5)

Christ Walking on the Sea, by Natali Fedorova

Peter responded to his predicament by crying out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out and saved Peter from his own doubt and lack of faith. Jesus called Peter a “little-faith.”

Many people have lived too long with the notion that God is some stern angry deity who is constantly displeased with sinful people, and that only through perfection will God ever be happy with us. The truth is that Jesus wants us to imitate him; and, when we fail, he is there to pick us up. 

4. Jesus has the authority to settle the storm when he is ready to do it

Jesus is King. Christ is Sovereign of the world. He will bring the crisis to an end according to his own good pleasure and good timing. Rather than spending all our emotional capital by worrying or conniving to get out of a situation, we can trust God and keep our eyes on Jesus.  Our job is to believe; God’s job is everything else.

5. Jesus’ power led the disciples to acknowledge who he is

Worship happens when we see Jesus as he really is, the Son of God. Flat, dull, boring worship comes from flat, dull, boring Christians who are unable to see the power of Jesus in their lives. We discover the power of God when we are in a situation which requires God’s strength to deliver us. Grasping Jesus as the Son of God is more than a verbal confession of faith; it is being able to trust him, like getting out of a boat in the middle of a lake.

We are to live by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20). It doesn’t require much faith to pray that Aunt Mable’s bunions will feel better. It only requires a little faith to give a dollar when you have ten dollars. It takes no faith to discuss the weather and steer clear of hard conversations.

But it does require faith:

  • to pray for a miraculous healing every day without giving up for a little boy who is racked by epilepsy, and trust God to spare his life
  • to write a check for $100 to someone in need when you have exactly $100 in your checking account, and trust God to provide for you own necessities. 
  • to go off the grid of the routine schedule to have a difficult discussion about social justice, and trust God to act on Christ’s teachings. 
  • to live as though the mission of God in this world is the most important thing we could ever do, and trust God to step out and do it.

It would be great if we could pray and act without ever doubting or failing, yet the only way to do that is to never step out of the boat. Instead, live life. Trust God. And see what happens.

Holy God, help us, your people, to embrace the life that is truly life by stepping out of the boat.  May Jesus define our lives instead of letting failure define us. May we accept the grace that is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we are bold to pray. Amen.

Formed with Virtue (Romans 1:8-15)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because your faith is being reported all over the world. God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. (New International Version)

Gratitude, service, prayer, encouragement, and duty. These are the qualities which defined the Apostle Paul; he sought to embody them every day of his life.

These virtues can define us, as well. If we seek to develop and exhibit each one, then we will find true community and satisfying relationships. And these very qualities were what Paul longed for in the Roman Church – because the believers were too often characterized by ingratitude, serving only those who were like them, a lack of prayer, discouraging others, and a warped sense of duty.

Jews and Gentiles were together in one church. It wasn’t going to be easy to get along and work side-by-side, but Paul was absolutely committed to it. Since the Apostle was both a Jew and a missionary to Gentiles, his heart deeply desired a mutual ministry in which the Christians thoroughly loved one another and had each other’s backs.

Gratitude

For that to happen, the practice of thanksgiving is needed.

We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 4:14-15, NIV)

In truth, gratitude is a spiritual practice which requires cultivation and attention. One of the best ways, in my opinion, of doing this is to keep a gratitude journal – actually hand writing what we are thankful for each day. And, when it comes to others, developing the habit of saying the words, “Thank you,” “I am so grateful,” and “You are so kind, I appreciate it.”

It’s hard to be a spiritual curmudgeon and grump through life whenever gratitude shapes our relationships. Gratitude has the practical effect of curbing our critical tendencies; it helps us as value people by thanking them often and clearly for who they are.

Service

To serve God and others is a way of offering resources, time, influence, and spiritual gifts for the betterment of humanity. This is how we love our neighbor as ourselves.

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Jesus (John 12:26, NIV)

By orienting our lives around service, we begin to see other people’s needs and meet them – since we are taking the time and energy in getting to know them. As servants, we learn to “walk the talk” and embody what we profess. And, if we couple service with gratitude, we are able to whistle while we work and avoid bitterness.

Prayer

We all pray and pray for others. The real trick is to remember one another in prayer and persevere in it. For that to happen, we must allow God to heal our distracted selves and bring integrity to our fragmented lives.

“We should make a gift of our hearts, emptying them of ourselves, that they may be filled with God. Our almighty Father becomes one with us and transforms us, uniting Creator and creature.”

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)

By centering our identity firmly in Christ, we open ourselves to remember and intercede for others.

Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)

Along with gratitude and service, our prayers take a focused shape of supporting others in need of healing, care, courage, patience, etc. And we replace any tendency to control or manipulate with a prayerful trust in God.

Encouragement

The Apostle Paul had a deep longing to help others grow into their God-given potential. He sought to empower others by sharing his life with them. Paul desired everyone to give themselves for the common good of all.

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. (Hebrews 3:12-13, NIV)

None of us can make it in life without the help and encouragement of others. So, we need authentic relationships for mutual help and support, to learn from each other, and garner wisdom from those who have walked with God many years.

Encouragement is greatly moved along when gratitude, service, and prayer accompany it, so that an encouraging community of people are a loving group of folks for whom others want to be around.

Duty

A sense of obligation is a good thing. It turns our privilege and power into a force for good in the church and the world. In reality, we are stewards of God’s gifts and resources given to us. This enables us to have a healthy practice of duty to our fellow humanity.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Matthew 6:19-20, NIV)

Through infusing our duty with gratitude, service, prayer, and encouragement, it becomes a delight to freely give of ourselves and our stuff, without a begrudging attitude. Generosity becomes a way of life, and we avoid becoming unhappy misers.

“If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small.”

C.S. Lewis

Conclusion

In the Roman Church of Paul’s day, the relational dynamic had not yet broken down to the point of Schadenfreude, that is, actively delighting in another’s misfortune – but they were on their way. To mitigate and stop this from happening, Paul modeled a genuine spirit of thanksgiving, loving service, remembering prayer, healthy encouragement, and generous duty.

We would do well to follow his example of virtue, and be shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Generous God, I give thanks to you for the gifts you have given me – life, family, friends, time, talents, and possessions. All that I have comes from you. Help me to remember this and rejoice in your goodness.

Walk with me, my God. Help me on my spiritual journey, so that I may constantly renew my relationship with you and all the good people in our parish and beyond.

Renew in me your Spirit. Give me the strength and courage to become a better follower of Jesus, in whose name I am bold to pray. Amen.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment
The Feeding of the Five Thousand, by John Reilly (1928-2010)

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

“Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (New International Version)

Miracles still happen

I know of a woman who once brought a pan of lasagna to a community meal at her church, thinking that only 25-30 people would be fed. However, 70 people showed up. Her immediate thought was to go buy more, but she didn’t have the time.

So, here is what the dear woman did: She looked up to heaven, gave thanks, and started dishing out the lasagna – until every last person was fed. She confided in me that “every time I put my spatula down there was food to put on it!”

The story of Jesus feeding thousands of people is not just a nice account that happened a long time ago; Jesus is still in the miracle business. Christ can take our meager resources and turn them into something with a large impact on a lot of people. 

For this to happen, all we need to do is follow our Lord’s simple instructions: “You give them something to eat,” and, “Bring them here to me.” Jesus, using a simple act of obedience by the disciples, did one of the most famous miracles in history.

The message of the story is simple, but profound: Jesus can multiply whatever little we have, to accomplish his kingdom work, through us. Jesus could do miracles without us, but he wants us to participate in the work. We only need to bring our few loaves and fish to him.

The compassion of Jesus is the motivation for miracles

Jesus withdrew to a solitary place. But the crowd did not leave him alone. Rather than be annoyed by the situation, Jesus looked at the large group of people and his heart went out to them. So, he went about the work of healing the sick. Please know that God does not begrudgingly deal with you, as if you were an interruption to his day; he has compassion.

The desire of Jesus is for us to participate in the miracles

After a full day of healing, Christ’s disciples came to him as if he was unaware of the people’s need for food. They gave a very rational and realistic answer to the problem of hunger: Dismiss them so they can go out to eat. But Jesus said, “They don’t need to go away; you give them something to eat.” 

I detect maybe a hint of sarcasm in the tone of the disciples reply: “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish.” But their math was way off because they did not count Jesus.  “Bring them here to me,” Christ replied. If we have ears to hear, Jesus is still saying this today: bring them here to me. Through simple prayer and active obedience, we give Jesus what we have, no matter how little or insignificant it seems to us.

Much of what we do in the American church is a reasonable and rational ministry; it has little to do with the impossibility of faith and seeing God work in ways that are incomprehensible to our modern sensibilities.

A Chinese pastor once visited the United States. After seeing our vast resources of money, buildings, and ministries. He said, “This is amazing! It’s incredible what you American Christians can do without God!” 

In reality, we need God – who is in the business of taking our simple obedience and humble participation, and doing the miraculous. And it has always been this way. For example….

Elisha Multiplies the Widow’s Oil, from  L’histoire dv Vieux et dv Nouveau Testament, 1670

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (2 Kings 4:1-7, NIV)

You want me to do what?

What if we were to operate as if God were truly in the business of doing miracles?  Would it impact the way we pray, and the way we act?  What if we understood just enough of Jesus and what he can and wants to do that we would be bold to say: “This might sound crazy, but what if we….”

  • found out everyone who needs food in this community, go love on them, and feed them…
  • used our property to create a community garden and seek to help people grow their own food…
  • came up with a God-sized plan to reach our community…
  • prayed to see a hundred people come to Christ through this church… 

Most of our plans don’t require us to do anything impossible, so we simply settle for the possible.

We too often do nothing out of a sense that God either cannot or does not want to use me or what I have. But it just won’t do to stand afar off and expect God to work without us giving what we have – whether that something is time, money, conversation, food, hospitality, or whatever. 

Our limitations mean nothing to Jesus, so he doesn’t hear us when we say:

  • my home is too small, and it’s not clean enough
  • I don’t have enough money,
  • I’m not smart enough
  • my schedule won’t allow it
  • I don’t have enough resources

You don’t need much – only the willingness to be part of the miracle Jesus is doing.

Conclusion

You want me to do what? Feed thousands? Lead someone to Jesus? Pray in front of others? Work for justice?

Sometimes, the greatest miracle is for people to be open, real, and transparent enough to believe that Christ can do a miracle through confessing my sin, participating in a ministry, or having a spiritual conversation with an unbeliever. 

The question is never, “Can God use me?” It is, “What miracle does God want to do through me and through this church?”

It is no accident that when Jesus distributed the bread that it sounds a lot like communion. The Lord’s Supper may seem irrelevant, as if it is merely remembering Jesus. However, God’s design is much bigger: The Lord wants to do a miracle. 

God wants the practice of our communion together to bring healing and wholeness that the world cannot give. It might be unrealistic to expect that Jesus can use a Table to feed and reach thousands, but we don’t serve a God who is limited to work through rational means.

Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you give us food to sustain our lives and make our hearts glad. We thank you for your countless blessings, especially for the gift of your Son, for the Church, for our faith, and now for this meal we are about to participate in, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

It’s Time for a Change (Matthew 12:38-42)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year ALeave a comment

Later a few religion scholars and Pharisees cornered him. “Teacher, we want to see your credentials. Give us some hard evidence that God is in this. How about a miracle?”

Jesus said, “You’re looking for proof, but you’re looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you’re going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah-evidence. Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish’s belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave.

“On Judgment Day, the Ninevites will stand up and give evidence that will condemn this generation, because when Jonah preached to them they changed their lives. A far greater preacher than Jonah is here, and you squabble about ‘proofs.’ On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’ (The Message)

I believe the greatest miracle and the best evidence of God’s work in the world is a changed life.

I’m not talking about rearranging a few things or tweaking some habits – but a wholesale renovation of the heart. A transformed life is a new life, and not a reconstituted life.

Far too many people put their focus on others changing. They’ve bought into the belief that other people need to see things how they seem them – that everyone else must bend their lives to how they believe things ought to be. But this is really nothing more than sinful pride and hubris, as if the world revolves around me.

Change is for everyone, not just a select few, or for others for whom we believe need to get right or get left. Jesus made a lot of waves with the religious establishment by hobnobbing with the least, the lost, and the lowly of society.

Christ actively sought out the marginal folks, healing many of them from sickness, disease, and sin so that they could be united with God and no longer remain on the fringes of society.

If you’re not in the transformation business, then healing a bunch of low-life people means nothing to you. For the religious leaders of Christ’s day, Jesus was not flexing any real Messiah muscle for them; he was not beating up Roman gentiles and kicking them out of Palestine. So, they wanted a sign from heaven that would authenticate the proper Messiah credentials of Jesus.

But a sign already exists: The sign of Jonah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a big fish, so Jesus would be in the earth for three days and nights. The death and resurrection of Jesus is needed, and when faced with this information, the only appropriate response is to change, to do a complete U-turn in life.

Jonah was all but dead. But God caused the great fish to belch up Jonah onto the land. He went forth a changed man. The experience of having stomach fluids work on a person for three days and nights will certainly change you! Jonah was spiritually and physically different – bleached completely white and an incredible sight to see.

Yet another sign exists: The Queen of Sheba’s sign. When she encountered King Solomon, she was overwhelmed with the experience. It changed her. So therefore, how much more ought we to change when encountering Jesus?

The appropriate response to Jesus is a changed life. Jesus was looking for status quo malcontents, for a desire to change. The process of change is hardwired into creation – from seasons of the year to the seasons of people’s lives – all are designed for a sustained process of time to revolutionize us.

Jesus modeled this for us. He switched his address of heaven and moved into our neighborhood in order to bring us new life. Jesus continually extends the invitation to change. All he asks is to let God do the work of change within us, to be patient with the construction of the soul he is doing, and to persist with daily routines of faith.

Yes, it’s time for a change. But change for change’s sake is not the point. Change that reflects godly values is the point. And in order to realize this good sort of change, we must be attentive and hear Holy Scripture, seek the mind and heart of God, and be willing to let Jesus come and have the run of the house.

We must unlearn before we learn. We need to let go so that we can take up. Change involves the humility to admit when we are lost, ask for help, and go in a different direction. New life is not rebranding oneself but is akin to being born again.

Almighty God, we desire to be transformed by you and allow the life of Jesus to be expressed in and through us. We desire to walk in the light of your Spirit. Reveal to us those things in our lives that need to change. Allow us to discern between flesh and spirit so that we can choose a healthy holy path.

Continue to give us spiritual awareness. Transform us into something new altogether. May our old life and old ways disappear, and may new life emerge that will bless both the church and the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.