(Gospel of Mark 1:14 - 1:20)
After John was imprisoned, Jesus traveled through Galilee preaching the gospel of God. "The time is come," he declared, "when the reign of God on earth is imminent. Repent of your sins and receive the gospel!"
Walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus caught sight of Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea -- for they were fishermen. Jesus exhorted them, "Come along with me. I will have you fish for people." Immediately they put down their nets and followed him.
A little farther up the shore, Jesus saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in a boat mending their nets. At once he called to them. Leaving their father Zebedee and the hired men in the boat, they, too, came along with Jesus.
Notes
1. Most translations refer to Jesus proclaiming the "kingdom of God." This means little. God is not a hereditary monarch. What it does mean is that he will reign and rule. Obviously, he already reigns in Heaven, so what Jesus is proclaiming is that God will soon reign on earth. Therefore, it is in the best interests of men to repent of their sins and get in his good graces before it happens.
2. Jesus selects his disciples in what would seem an impulsive manner, no job interviews, examination of resumes, background checks, nothing. The impression given is that he has some preternatural knowledge of the men he chooses and knows what he doing when he selects as his disciples simple fishermen with no religious training or experience in evangelizing. The disciples do not hesitate, ask no questions. They are apparently not given any choice in the matter: they are called and must go with Jesus. Does Jesus compel them with some hypnotic power? Why doesn't he give his disciples a chance to follow him freely, of their own volition, at least give them some time to think about what they are getting into? (It makes a better story this way!) So far the disciples seem a great deal like brainwashed cultists or zombies who wander off, leaving their jobs, to follow some stranger who merely calls to them.
3. So far Jesus has acquired 4 disciples, all Galilean fishermen, Simon (who would later be called Peter) and Andrew, brothers, and James and John, another pair of brothers, sons of Zebedee. There is no indication he knew them in the past or that he had any personal connection with them. A back story is totally absent.
4. There is no indication of the passage of time between the baptism of Jesus and the selection of his disciples, only what time necessary for John to get himself arrested and thrown into jail.
Showing posts with label Sea of Galilee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sea of Galilee. Show all posts
Monday, August 3, 2015
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Jesus Walks on Water
(Gospel of John 6:16 - 6:21)
When evening came, the disciples went down to the shore, boarded a boat, and set out across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. By now it was dark, but Jesus had still not rejoined them. A strong wind was stirred up and the waters became very choppy. After the disciples had rowed about 3 or 4 miles, they spotted Jesus coming toward the boat -- walking on the surface of the water! They were alarmed. Only after Jesus had reassured them, "It's only me. Don't be afraid!" did they allow him to come into the boat, which then immediately reached the shore -- the very place they were heading.
The next day the crowd on the opposite shore noticed that only a single boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, who had departed alone. Some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the bread had been eaten (after grace had been said). Convinced that neither Jesus nor his disciples were still there, they boarded the boats and set out to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
Notes
1. The "walking on water" miracle is among the most famous and the one least likely to have a non-supernatural explanation, although many have suggested one, eg. Jesus was walking on some rocks just below water level -- in a stormy, rough sea? Since Jesus was not just seen walking on water, but afterwards came into the boat, one may dismiss the explanation that it might have been his wraith or his astral, rather than physical body that was viewed by the disciples. Levitation is a phenomenon reported of saints and mediums, but no adequate explanation of it has been put forward. With levitation, however, the body is usually in a static pose and rises slowly into the air without the kind of natural and vigorous movement that Jesus exhibited.
2. Why did Jesus choose to walk over the surface of the water, rather than make the crossing in the normal way, in a boat? The miracle produced no benefit to anyone, so one may assume Jesus was merely performing a magic trick, showing off a superhero power, to impress his disciples and further convince them of his divinity.
3. Shortly after Jesus boards the boat it reaches its destination, the other shore of the sea. Was this also a miracle? Did Jesus cause the boat to make more headway than it might have in the heavy weather?
3. By choosing to cross the Sea of Galilee in the way he did Jesus arouses further suspicions of those people he had miraculously fed. They are now more convinced than ever that is the Prophet, and they apparently want a piece of him. Jesus has sought to elude them, but by working another miracle, he only has them on his tail again.
When evening came, the disciples went down to the shore, boarded a boat, and set out across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. By now it was dark, but Jesus had still not rejoined them. A strong wind was stirred up and the waters became very choppy. After the disciples had rowed about 3 or 4 miles, they spotted Jesus coming toward the boat -- walking on the surface of the water! They were alarmed. Only after Jesus had reassured them, "It's only me. Don't be afraid!" did they allow him to come into the boat, which then immediately reached the shore -- the very place they were heading.
The next day the crowd on the opposite shore noticed that only a single boat had been there and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, who had departed alone. Some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the bread had been eaten (after grace had been said). Convinced that neither Jesus nor his disciples were still there, they boarded the boats and set out to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
Notes
1. The "walking on water" miracle is among the most famous and the one least likely to have a non-supernatural explanation, although many have suggested one, eg. Jesus was walking on some rocks just below water level -- in a stormy, rough sea? Since Jesus was not just seen walking on water, but afterwards came into the boat, one may dismiss the explanation that it might have been his wraith or his astral, rather than physical body that was viewed by the disciples. Levitation is a phenomenon reported of saints and mediums, but no adequate explanation of it has been put forward. With levitation, however, the body is usually in a static pose and rises slowly into the air without the kind of natural and vigorous movement that Jesus exhibited.
2. Why did Jesus choose to walk over the surface of the water, rather than make the crossing in the normal way, in a boat? The miracle produced no benefit to anyone, so one may assume Jesus was merely performing a magic trick, showing off a superhero power, to impress his disciples and further convince them of his divinity.
3. Shortly after Jesus boards the boat it reaches its destination, the other shore of the sea. Was this also a miracle? Did Jesus cause the boat to make more headway than it might have in the heavy weather?
3. By choosing to cross the Sea of Galilee in the way he did Jesus arouses further suspicions of those people he had miraculously fed. They are now more convinced than ever that is the Prophet, and they apparently want a piece of him. Jesus has sought to elude them, but by working another miracle, he only has them on his tail again.
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