WHAT DID YOU SEE/HEAR BEFORE FOLLOWING?

After defeating the devil in the wilderness, we see our Lord Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee and asking certain fishermen to follow him with the hope of making them fishers of men. According to the account of Matthew, after the selection, Jesus gave a long lecture which is recorded in Matthew chapter 5 through to Matthew chapter 7. By Matthew chapter 8, we see Jesus closing service and mingling with His congregants as He descends from the mountain. We also see several healing testimonies until we get to the eighteenth verse of Matthew chapter 8.  All this while, the Bible stresses the fact that He was being followed by a crowd and His disciples.

Now at the shores of the same sea of Galilee where He called certain people to follow Him, He asks to be transported to the other side (Matthew 8:18). To this, a Scribe, who was also following Him, quickly opts to follow Jesus on the trip. And Jesus’ quick response was, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then, another of the disciples asked for permission to go and bury his father. In other words, he should be permitted to go home for his inheritance before he embarks on the journey. To this, Jesus said, “Follow Me and allow the dead to bury their own dead.” 

Before we continue, let me quickly share Jesus’ responses to these two men from the message bible. It will bring home what I have to share.

MATTHEW 8:20 (MSG)

Jesus was curt: “Are you ready to rough it? We’re not staying in the best inns, you know.”

MATTHEW 8:22 (MSG)

Jesus refused. “First things first. Your business is life, not death. Follow Me. Pursue life.”

Wow! Anyway, my point of interest in this passage is found in the 23^rd verse of Matthew 8. The Bible says, "When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him." This verse got my attention. As I meditated on it, I said, "What happens after this decision cannot be the fault of Jesus, but those who chose to follow Him." Jesus never pointed or called out specific names to join Him in the ship/boat. He made a general call like any evangelist would. But, His statements to the two men needed to be pondered on before making the decision.
When Jesus sat in that boat/ship, He was saying, “If after hearing all that I said minutes ago, you still feel/know that you are ready to ride and die with me on this journey, join me. If not, please stay here or go back home.” The few who thought they were ready quickly made their way into the boat/ship. Every single being on that boat/ship was there because he/she wanted to. None was forced.  None was called. None was bribed. Everybody was there at his/her own will. Why they were there were either based on what they thought they had heard or what they thought they had seen in Jesus.  

Like the scene in Titanic, they wave their wives, children, friends, and relatives goodbye. The journey was calm until the inevitable happens. A violent storm arose on the sea so that the boat was being covered by the waves. As human as they were, they became terrified. They began to question their decision. Were they right when they accepted to follow this weirdo who performs miracles and speaks at length of a mysterious kingdom they knew nothing about? Were they hypnotized? Where is the man we got into this boat with? Where is He? Hasn’t He heard our screams? Hasn’t He sensed our fear? 

As they quickly searched the boat/ship, they annoyingly find this weird man comfortably sleeping. What they thought was about to be the cause of their death was this man’s rocking chair. Like a baby, He was enjoying the way the waves kept swaying the boat on its axis. (I am very sure they were ready to throw Him into the sea like it was done to Jonah. That wouldn’t have been wrong because He later said He was greater than Jonah.) Since that was a bad idea, they decided to wake Him up and let Him know the situation at hand.

Jesus woke up and all He could say was, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” The message bible puts it this way, “Why are you such cowards, such faint-hearts?” Then He got up from His comfortable bed and rebuked the winds. Immediately He rebuked the wind, the sea was totally calm. (NB: He did not stay in bed to rebuke the wind when He woke up. No! He got out of bed and rebuked the very wind which was rocking Him to sleep because of the faint-hearts He had on the journey.) They couldn’t believe it. What did they just see? Were they seeing right or were they dreaming? Did they really hear those words from His mouth? A man can actually speak to the elements of this world for them to comply? Why didn’t they think of that? 

I can go on and on with this passage. But I am very sure most of you got the head and tail of this article halfway through it. For those who didn’t, all I am saying is this, “Before you chose to follow Jesus, He told you the advantages and the disadvantages. He did not compel or bribe you to follow Him.  He did not promise you riches or an extravagant lifestyle. One thing we are sure of is this: JESUS IS IN THE BOAT WITH US. He may not be visible or in plain sight, but He is around. He may be sleeping but He is on the boat. The boat may toss and turn, but He is in the boat with us. The boat may have the waves entering, but He is in the boat with us. Do not question your conviction. Do not question your decision. He is in the boat with YOU. Whatever you saw and heard is true and if you would stay in the boat with Him, you will see and touch them when you get to the other side. Do not accept those evil thoughts of jumping out of the boat. You cannot swim back to the shore. You may get there, but the fact is: it would be your lifeless body. Stay! JESUS IS IN THE BOAT WITH YOU. If your faith is wavering, just call Him; He knows what you must say and do. Jesus is in it with you until you get to the other side.”

Remain in the blessings of the Lord as you remain in Christ.

MD.