For 29 years Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph and Mary, had remained under the social and political radar of the Jews as well as their Roman rulers.  Then, “in the fullness of time,” He came to His cousin John to be baptized by him.  Following His baptism he fasted for 40 days.  During that trying time He was severely tempted by the devil (the serpent, the dragon, Satan) and defeated him.  Soon afterward He began to preach the kingdom message that would be His trademark.

His first assignment was to call those whom God chose to become His disciples who would preach what He told them to preach and do what He told them to do.  He said to them: “Preach, saying that the Kingdom of Heaven (church era) is at hand.  Heal the sick, cast out devils, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead; freely you have received, freely give” (Mat. 10:7,8).  Prior to this, Jesus had preached what became known as “the sermon on the mount” in which He laid out His Father’s plan for those who would become His church (Mat. 5,6,7).  Immediately afterward He began to heal the sick and cast demons out of those who followed Him.  His days were filled with preaching and performing miracles.  All the while the 12 disciples were with Him, learning God’s ways and Truths from Him and watching Him perform miracles.  There was a reason for this concentrated educational program.  Jesus knew that He would only be on earth another 3 1/2 years and He wanted His disciples, who would become apostles (sent ones), to be fully prepared to carry on His ministry following His death.  They were to preach His message and perform His miracles.  They would also leave behind written accounts of their ministries so that future disciples/apostles could learn what they had learned and do what they had done.  Let us study some of the things Jesus said and did so as to duplicate them if called upon to do so.

The miracles and messages of Jesus fill the four Gospels.  Most church people are well aware of them and will recognize them when they are discussed.  Many realize that the original disciples/apostles duplicated the ministry of the Messiah in both words and deeds.  However, not every one knows Christ’s attitude toward future disciples/apostles relative to those mighty acts.  For example, in Mark 4:36-41 we find Jesus and His disciples in a boat on the Sea of Galilee when a storm came up in the night.  The wind and waves soon had their vessel filled with water and about to sink.  Fearing for their lives and not knowing what to do, the disciples awakened Him and told Him that they were all going to die.  Jesus rebuked the storm, causing a “great calm” to come on the area.  Now hear what He said to the disciples: “Why are you so fearful?  Why do you have no faith?”  The disciples did what everyone else does when reading the story.  They marvelled, saying, “What kind of MAN is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”  The disciples totally missed the point Jesus was making.  HE EXPECTED THEM TO CALM THE WIND AND THE SEA AND NOT TO BOTHER HIM WITH SUCH TRIVIAL MATTERS.  Though they knew that Jesus was a MAN exactly like themselves, they failed to realize that they could, through faith, do what He had done.  Actually, He EXPECTED them to still the storm.

I have done what Jesus did, only in reverse.  Instead of stopping rain, I brought rain  My wife and I were visiting her brother and his family in Arkansas while a severe drought was plaguing the area.  There was not so much as a whisper of breeze as we stood outside their house.  While out there I secretly prayed that God would send a good, soaking rain on the area.  Within minutes a huge, black storm cloud began to formed in the west.  Just as suddenly a strong wind rose up behind the storm and began pushing it directly at us.  But God knew that I needed to be tested.  The storm was headed in our direction and was perhaps a mile away when suddenly the wind shifted toward the north, causing the storm to go in that direction.  I watched as it circled around the city we were in, then once again headed east, leaving us without so much as a sprinkle.  But I knew my God and assumed that He would send another storm our way.  But He had a treat in store for me.  As I watched the storm move eastward away from us, He spoke to me, telling me to look at the trees.  Their tops were bending westward.  The Lord had reversed the wind again and it was now blowing in our direction.  I watched as the cloud stopped, then and headed directly at us.  Within minutes we were in a deluge as rain soaked the thirsty ground.  My faith, which He had given me, brought that rain.  Without it there would have been no rain that day.  The fact of the matter was: HE EXPECTED ME TO EXHIBIT THE FAITH THAT IT TOOK TO HAVE HIM SEND THE RAIN.  HE EXPECTED TO USE THE FAITH HE HAD GIVEN ME.  THAT WAS ONE OF MANY SUCH MIRACLES HE HAS WORKED THROUGH THE FAITH HE HAS GIVEN ME.  KNOWING THAT I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, I ALWAYS STAND IN AMAZEMENT AT THE WONDEROUS WORKS OF THE ALMIGHTY.

Another episode serves to prove that God expects His disciples to believe His Words and act on them.  Faith without works, the Apostle James tells us in chapter 2, is dead faith, which indicates a dead believer.  The episode under examination involved Christ’s feeding the multitude with only a 7 fish and a few loaves of bread (Mat. 14:14-21).  Note what Jesus said to the disciples who spoke about going into a village and buying food: “They need not depart.  YOU GIVE THEM FOOD TO EAT.”  Once again, they missed His point altogether.  He expected them to know that they could provide food for probably 20,000 people.  His lesson of the sea storm had been perfectly taught but not perfectly learned.

Therefore, there was another lesson He needed to teach.   Surely this one would show the disciples who and what they were.  Following the feeding of the multitude, the disciples headed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee as night was coming on.  Jesus sent them on ahead while He stayed behind to pray.  They assumed that He would follow later in another boat.  Later in the night as they were making their way across the water a storm suddenly arose.  As they toiled with the ship, Jesus came walking across the sea a considerable distance from them.  Seeing His form, they thought He was a spirit and became afraid.  He called out to them: “Don’t be afraid; it’s Me.”  Peter responded: “If it is You, call me out to You.”  Jesus told him to come out on the water to where He was.  Notice that Jesus did not walk to the ship, which He could have done.  But then a particularly powerful lesson would not have been taught.  Peter, his faith coming to fore, stepped out of the ship and onto the water.  Soon he was walking out to where Jesus waited for him.  Suddenly Peter’s faith drained away and he began to sink.  Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, saying: “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  PETER HAD WALKED ON WATER AND JESUS WAS ACCUSING HIM OF HAVING LITTLE FAITH!  No doubt He expected Peter to walk with Him to the other side of the sea.  Instead, the two men WALKED BACK TO THE SHIP ON THE WATER.  AND PETER HAD “LITTLE FAITH!”  Which raises a question: HOW MUCH FAITH DID JESUS EXPECT PETER AND THE OTHERS TO HAVE?   The answer: EXACTLY AS MUCH FAITH AS HE HAD.  JESUS EXPECTED ALL OF THE DISCIPLES TO HAVE HIS LEVEL OF FAITH.  I BELIEVE HE EXPECTED ALL 12 OF THEM TO WALK ACROSS THE SEA WITH HIM.  REMEMBER JOHN 14:12–THE THINGS JESUS DID, THE SAME WILL A TRUE BELIEVER DO, “… AND GREATER THINGS THAN THESE WILL HE DO.”   L.J.