Week 4: Signs and Wonders
Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-56, John 6:16-21
Today, we read about Jesus walking on water. It’s a pretty wild thing to do, but in this miracle, we actually see two characteristics of Jesus on display.
1. Jesus is God’s AUTHORITY on Earth
Mark 6:50-52 tells us that Jesus has authority over sins and over creation. Remember in John 1 we read, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:3-5). Jesus has come to show that all authority belongs to God and God alone, and that Jesus Himself is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
In what area of your life do you need to believe Jesus has ultimate authority? Or where do you need to surrender your false authority to the one who actually holds authority?
2. Jesus is God’s GLORY on Earth
Jesus came to point the world back to the One True God. Proving that there is only one God who is truly glorious, we see glimpses of this truth manifested in the miracles and ministry of Jesus. Despite glimpses of His glory, how often do we let doubt creep in, leading us to forget God's glorious majesty? Or are we not even in tune with the daily glory God is displaying all around us? These are the miracles the disciples recall - it is moments of God’s pure glory witnessed that drive the disciples to cling to such a gospel. It is the very fuel of their lives that leads many of them to martyrdom, exile, and persecution, many rejoicing in being counted worthy to endure.
How often do we walk through life with a loose grasp of God’s glory, that we cower away from enduring the promised life of suffering?
Where do you need to remember moments of God’s glory displayed in your own life? Where do you tend to let them go too fast for worldly glory or false authority?
