BS4C - MIRACLES FOR THE DISCIPLES
Jesus had chosen twelve ordinary Jewish men to be his disciples from a variety of backgrounds. He had his reasons for choosing each one and now had three years to teach them their mission in life. Jesus was gambling everything on the fact that these men would continue his ministry after he had left the earth to return to the Father. There was no other back up plan. Therefore, the training of these men was always uppermost in Christ’s mind and I believe that many of the miracles that Jesus performed was for their benefit more than for the individuals or the crowds.
The Miraculous Catch of Fish
As a new Rabbi Jesus needed to first catch for himself some disciples or students and this miracle was used to catch four of the twelve men he would choose. The scene was Jesus standing on the shore speaking to a huge crowd that had gathered. Jesus probably kept backing up to make room when the water began lapping at his ankles. That’s when he notices some fishing boats drawn up on the beach and gets into one of them. Jesus then asks Simon to push the boat out a few yards so that He could be heard by everyone. Simon agrees.
Luke 5:1-3
The fact that Jesus just got into Simon’s boat without asking shows that there was some familiarity between them. This natural amphitheater was perhaps a recurring teaching spot and no doubt Simon had heard Jesus before.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Luke doesn’t record what Jesus spoke to the crowds. Instead, he records what happened to Simon. While in Simon’s boat Jesus noticed that there wasn’t any fish in it. What did he tell Simon to do?
Luke 5:4
We can almost imagine Simon smiling at this amateur for asking that question. If fish don’t bite at night they certainly aren’t going to during the day. But perhaps to humor Jesus, how did he respond?
Luke 5:5
Simon and his brother Andrew did as Jesus requested with their partners in another boat (James and John) looking on with a smile. But soon it was “all hands-on deck”. Why?
Luke 5:6-7
When Simon realized what had happened, instead of jumping for joy what did he do when they got back to the shore?
Luke 5:8-10a
Although Simon had heard Jesus before teaching the crowds, nothing had clicked within him --- until today. And what Simon saw was his own sinfulness next to the righteousness that he saw in Jesus. Christ’s life was like a light that shone so bright Simon suddenly saw his soul for what it was: poor, black, and tawdry. It was a moment of revelation for this burly fisherman who was now on his knees begging the Lord to go away from him! But how did Jesus respond?
Luke 5:10b
Instead of sternness and censure in Christ’s eyes, Simon looked up to eyes that were accepting and full of love towards him. And then the surprise comes!
Luke 5:11
Without a further word recorded, Simon, Andrew, James, and John left their boats forever. It was the start of a sea-change in their own lives and the birth of the Christian church.
This very personal miracle for these four fishermen doesn’t end with them. Here is how it translates to us today and shows us a snapshot of what the gospel is. It’s a miracle that shows redemption in four movements.
In the first movement, we see God taking the initiative. He somehow moves into our situation with his grace and power. We like to think that we take the initiative by seeking for God, but God is always ahead of us looking for ways to reach us. In this miracle he uses Simon’s boat and notices its lack of fish.
In God’s second movement, we become aware of our own sinfulness and moral depravity. We thought we were doing well, but now we see ourselves as we really are. We have mixed feelings. Jesus attracts us and yet he disturbs us so that we want to get away from Him.
It’s then that we experience in some way Christ’s acceptance. This is the third movement in redemption when despite who we are, God does not cast us off. Instead, He offers us a chance to rebuild our lives and to do it with Him. He lays down no conditions except that we come to Him and stay with Him. We don’t need to worry how life will go because “His yoke will be easy for us and His burden will be light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
The final and fourth movement in redemption is Jesus inviting us into a great adventure of faith with Himself. He doesn’t require us to understand a lot of theology first – only to say “yes” to Christ. This is what it means to be a Christian. Peter, Andrew, James, and John perhaps had little understanding in their heads about what saying “yes” to Jesus would mean. For that matter, they had only a little understanding of who Jesus was. But they had experienced a taste of God’s love and power and holiness and all they knew was that they wanted to be with Jesus in the adventure He was inviting them into. That first “yes” was only the start of a life of obedience to Christ. Every “yes” is a plunge of faith into knowing and experiencing more of what Christ has for us.
For as unworthy as we are, God accepts us and calls us and nothing further happens until we say “yes” to Jesus and follow him.
Feeding The Crowds
Jesus was in mourning because of hearing news about his cousin John the Baptist.
Matthew 14:6-12
This prompted him to go by boat to a solidary place to be alone for a while. But the crowds couldn’t get enough of Christ’s teaching and followed after him around the perimeter of the lake. By the time Jesus landed guess who was there?
Matthew 14:13-14
We can almost guess what the disciples were thinking to themselves. “Can’t you leave Jesus alone to mourn his cousin? Give the man some space!” But, what did they see in Jesus’ response?
Reread Matthew 14:14b
This was the first thing the disciples needed to see. People aren’t interruptions. They are the reason the Father had sent Jesus and his heart reached out to them even in the midst of his own pain. Instead of having some “time alone” Jesus ministered all day to the crowds who surrounded him. Finally, towards evening the disciples made a practical suggestion.
Matthew 14:15
But Jesus would have none of their practicality!
Matthew 14:16
Jesus saw here an opportunity for his disciples. He would present them with a test. “YOU give them something to eat!” How did they respond?
Matthew 14:17
There is a human way of seeing things and then there is a Kingdom of God way. Jesus needed to teach them (and us today) the difference between the two. The disciples were looking at physical logistics – big crowd and only little food. What was the first thing they needed to do?
Matthew 14:18
Jesus had (and still has) the power of God within Him to meet any situation by drawing on the storehouses of God. Therefore, our first step is always to bring the need to Jesus. As you read these next verses make a list of what Jesus did.
Matthew 14:19
Just think how differently Jesus acted from what the disciples or you and I would have done. We would have prayed like this: “Father, you see what is happening here. We are overwhelmed. We only have five loaves and two fish which is a drop in the bucket compared with what is needed. What should we do? We are powerless.”
This is the kind of faithless prayer that Jesus needed to teach his disciples NOT to pray! We are never powerless with the Spirit of Jesus within us. Jesus coolly takes the little they have and looks up to His Father with thanks. Then, he just started to break the food up so it could be distributed through the disciples. As Jesus was thankful for that “little” and did his part, then God was able to multiply the provisions with what result?
Matthew 14:20-21
We can never out give God. He gave them 1 basket per disciple of leftovers!
Now turn over to chapter 15 in Matthew and we have this same scene again – another test perhaps to see if his disciples had learned something the first time. What was the situation?
Matthew 15:29-32
Once again, we see Christ’s compassion to the very needy people who were coming to Him for teaching and healing. After three days he was concerned that they would collapse on their way back home. How did the disciples respond this time?
Matthew 15:33
Sadly, it seemed they hadn’t learned anything from the first time. So, what did Jesus ask them?
Matthew 15:34
Jesus never begins with what we don’t have and we needn’t pretend we have more when we don’t. But we must bring HIM what we do have ---however little that may be. And so, the disciples brought him seven loaves and a few small fish.
What did Jesus do next?
Matthew 15:35-36
Hopefully the disciples (as well as you and I today) can see the exact same pattern as the first time. Jesus takes “the little”, gives thanks to God for it, and then breaks it up to distribute through the disciples. And what were the results this time?
Matthew 15:37-38
Everyone eats and is satisfied, but since we can’t outgive God, He leaves the disciples with 7 baskets of leftovers --- that’s one basket for every loaf of bread they started with!
I remember the first time these miracles became real for me. My business was as a sales representative selling jewelry to jewelers in America. My income was only commission. It was based on what I sold, which is proportional to the number of appointments I was able to get. I planned my weeks carefully so I would have maximum appointments. However, despite my planning, on one two-week trip everything fell through and I was left with only one appointment – and it was a small account at that. It certainly wouldn’t pay the bills.
Like the disciples, I was learning to take what I did have to Jesus. And so, with one appointment I went to Him, thanked Him for that one and asked Him to multiply it and show me what to do with the rest of my time. As I prayed an idea came to me about an area, which I had never had time to develop. I suddenly saw that the way had been cleared for me to go there. During the next two weeks I opened one new account after another so that the abundance of new accounts far exceeded the average of one per week. It was my time for seeing that there is a whole storehouse in Heaven available for me if I will take what I have and allow Jesus to multiply it. That storehouse is still available for all of us.
Stilling the Storm
Jesus had a lot to teach his disciples about living in the Kingdom of God. He knew that after He was gone, they would receive His Spirit, so that they could continue to do what He asked of them. Despite appearances at that moment, they would bring results far beyond their expectation.
Then he showed them that a big part of their ministry would be not only healing sick bodies, but also providing for practical needs such as food. Jesus wanted them (and us) to see that there is no lack in the Kingdom of God.
Now, in this miracle we see another thread of awareness that the disciples needed to know: Jesus has power over the natural world and with Him in our boat we can overcome.
Jesus had been teaching by the lake to huge crowds all day and now evening had come. What did he ask his disciples?
Mark 4:35-36
The Sea of Galilea was not just a little lake. It could be utterly calm one minute and then almost without warning there can be a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed combined with heavy rain. That seems to be the case here. They left shore in calm weather but by the time they got to the middle what was the condition?
Mark 4:37
This typifies what happens with many of us who follow Jesus. Things start out relatively calm with an excitement about what will happen next. Then, suddenly things get out of control – beyond our ability to handle it -- and we panic.
Mark 4:38
Panic came because fear had gripped the disciples. They had been fighting the storm by themselves trying to keep the boat from being swamped. Now, when it looked hopeless, they finally decided to wake Jesus up who was sleeping like a baby in the stern. He had been oblivious to the whole episode and was probably a little surprised by their question: “Don’t you care if we drown?”
Once asked, Jesus acted immediately – but not as they thought he might. What did Jesus do?
Mark 4:39
This verse is pregnant with meaning. The disciples could only see the natural elements at play: a furious squall with winds and waves so strong and high that they were in danger of death. Jesus however saw what was behind the winds and the waves. He could see demonic forces that wanted them all dead and were using the natural elements to do it. That is why he rebuked the wind and spoke to the waves. He was speaking to Satan’s henchmen that were causing this dangerous situation.
What the disciples didn’t know at the time was that Jesus had complete authority over demon spirits that often-caused havoc in people’s lives. Since demons are living beings without a physical body, He spoke to them and they had to obey.
Jesus had God’s Spirit inside of Him that opened His spiritual eyes to be able to tell that this storm was not from natural causes. At this point in his disciple’s training, (before they were given the Holy Spirit) He expected them to have faith in Him and not in their own abilities. This is evident in the question He asked them.
Mark 4:40
What was the two-fold response of the disciples?
Mark 4:41
Jesus, always the skillful teacher, was drawing out of them the fact that they didn’t yet believe that He was the Messiah. Despite hearing Him teach and seeing His miracles day after day, they weren’t ready to rely on Him to keep them safe. The fact that Jesus was God who had come to earth, still wasn’t registering.
This miracle touches a cord in any of us who follow Jesus and have felt swamped by circumstances beyond our control. We do our best to handle things on our own and finally when our resources are gone, we wake Jesus up and ask a similar accusing question. “Don’t you care that my business is about to fail? I am doing this for you. How can you let me fail?”
Jessie Penn Lewis was a saintly woman living in the 18th century in England. It was unusual for a woman to have speaking engagements but people were eager to hear what she had to say. In one of her books, she talked about what she would do if suddenly she was unable to get to the meeting she was to speak at. Maybe her coach driver couldn’t come to get her, or maybe she had suddenly become sick.
Mrs. Penn-Lewis said she would get quiet with the Lord and pray something like this: “Lord, if this situation that keeps me from speaking with the people is from you, then I accept it gladly. But, if Satan is behind this, then I don’t accept it. Please show me which it is.”
Then she would get herself quiet and calm with Jesus and listen in her spirit. She testifies in her book that if the sickness she suddenly acquired was from Satan, it would lift and she would be able to go to the meeting.
Jesus wants us aware that not everything that happens to us is from natural causes. We have an enemy who wants us fearful, wants us to fail, and ultimately wants us dead – at least in regard to our service for the Lord.
To have faith in our crisis means that we know two things:
A. That our boat won’t sink when Jesus is with us in the boat. And….
B. The storm will not last forever.
Therefore, it’s best to always bring Jesus into our situations first, rather than trying to handle things on our own. He wants to be included in everything we are about.
Next Study: BS4D- Miracles for Individuals