The same day the religious leaders revealed they would reject Jesus, He walked to the Sea of Galilee—perhaps to the cove above. The cove has amazing acoustical properties and allows for many hundreds to hear a lone voice on the shoreline.
Why hide truth? Concealing truth showed mercy, for the more revelation rejected comes greater condemnation. Jesus’ parables give us a principle that God reveals more truth when our hearts are willing to hear it and obey it (Matt. 13).
Jesus came home to Nazareth and His townsfolk took offense at His teaching. Christ said a prophet is not accepted in his own hometown. Why not? Familiarity breeds contempt.
For those of us who love Jesus, familiarity can also breed ignorance. For many of us, there’s not a story about Christ we haven’t heard. Our quest as Christians is often to know more, not to grow more.
Too often, we chase after information more than transformation.
As we read the gospel stories about Christ, let’s resist the urge to think we’ve “got it” because we know it—when the goal instead is to live it.
The “secluded place” Jesus retreated to likely was this large plain along the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee. Here He told His disciples to give the crowd of thousands something to eat—an impossible task with only five loaves and two fish.
We will always find life and ministry impossible to accomplish. There is never enough money, time, energy, or people to accomplish the impossible tasks before us.
But the Lord means that we bring what we DO have to Him in dependence, and He multiplies our meager resources to meet the needs in abundance.
These timely reminders can empower us if we apply them today.
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