When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Mark 6:53-56
Have you ever gone in the opposite direction from where you intended?
That appears to be the case here. Late the previous afternoon Jesus had sent the disciples sailing to go ahead of him to Bethsaida. I’ve been by the ruins of Bethsaida many times—it’s on the northeastern part of the Lake of Galilee.
So, if they were headed for Bethsaida, how did they end up at Gennesaret, the fertile plain on the northwestern shore of the lake? Verse 48 gives the clue: “The wind was against them.”
Sometimes the winds of life take us to places we didn’t plan to go. But that doesn’t mean we are out of God’s will. Getting blown to unintended locations may be God’s pathway to open doors.
Consider again the exhaustion of Jesus and the Twelve. One day earlier the disciples had listened to Jesus teach most of the day, and then served to control and feed the crowd of 5,000 men along with women and children. Next they spent all night rowing in the face of a strong wind—getting nowhere. Jesus Himself had been up on a hillside praying through the night.
So, lots of work and prayer—and no sleep or rest.
Have you ever had that experience? You deserved a break from what had exhausted you. Just at the moment you thought it was coming, something else intervened and you had to draw upon reserves of strength physically, emotionally, and spiritually that you didn’t know you had?
That was the case with the disciples of Jesus. With no sleep, they were back dealing with crowds that thronged Jesus everywhere He went. It didn’t matter where—in town, out of town, in the country, in small places, and in bigger places. Everyone was trying to get to Jesus!
The people didn’t gather to see the disciples, they came because of Jesus. That’s a lesson for the church today. Do people recognize Jesus is present? Or do they hear the church sermonizing, lecturing, politicking, encapsulated in its own programs and activities?
Our mission is to help people get to Jesus!
Look at the contrast between the beginning of Mark 6 and the end. As we entered the chapter, Jesus’ own hometown rejected Him. As we end the chapter, people from everywhere are welcoming Him. The crowds thronging to Jesus show us that people respond when their needs are met. Living in a day when there was no decent medical help, Jesus presented their only option for a cure.
The long and short of it is that when word gets out that the church of Jesus Christ, His body, meets the needs of people, they will flock in. People with needs respond to Jesus. They may not always stay with Jesus once their needs are met—but that doesn’t prevent Jesus from helping them.
A Prayer: Lord Jesus, You didn’t have a smart advertising campaign to draw people. You just went about doing good—using the power God had given You on behalf of others. Help me to use the abilities You have given me to help others also.
Excerpted from Dr. Wood’s forthcoming book, Fearless: How Jesus Changes Everything, available in September from Vital Resources.
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