Living in the Image of God M04S09
We discuss faith and human effort based on Christ interactions with his disciples during two storms on Sea of Galilee. In the first event, the disciples panicked in the storm and shifted focus from work to pray for miracle. He released a miracle to end their ordeal and scolded them for lack of faith. In the second event, the disciples focused on work but got distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to keep working and released a miracle to end their ordeal. The interactions convey a message that God sees and encourages human effort of those that work on his task. If your task is motivated by seeking to fulfill God’s purpose and your methods and approach are consistent with Living in the Image of God: then, your task belongs to God. Focus on doing what you can humanly do. He sees your struggles and difficulties and will guide you to victory when and how he chooses. He has never lost a battle and will not ever lose one, including yours.
In this bible study, we discuss human relationship with God regarding faith, prayer, and human effort; based on Christ interactions with his disciples during two storms on the Sea of Galilee. In each event, Jesus sent the disciples to sail to a destination on the other side of the lake from their location: “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side’” [Mark 4:35]. Similarly, in the second event: “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd” [Mark 6:45]. Therefore, the account of each event begins by establishing clearly that the task of sailing to the other side of the lake was assigned by God to the disciples. He was with them physically during the first storm. In contrast, during the second storm, he was not with them physically at the beginning but joined them later.
Christ interactions with the disciples during the storms reveal God’s view of human behavior during a hardship associated with seeking to fulfill his purpose. The study enables an understanding of how faith, prayer, and human effort work together to help a person navigate through difficulties when working on a task of God. Both storms ended with a miracle. However, in the first storm, the disciples had panicked and shifted focus from work to pray for miracle. Jesus released a miracle to end their ordeal but scolded them for lack of faith. In the second storm, in contrast, the disciples focused on work but got distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to keep working and released a miracle to end their ordeal.
The interactions convey a message that God sees and encourages human effort in his tasks and will guide you to victory. He sees your struggles and difficulties and will intervene with miracle as he chooses. Therefore, if your battle belongs to God, focus on doing what you can humanly do. He will guide you to victory in his way and at his time.
We discuss Christ interactions with the disciples during the two storms to understand God’s promise for those that encounter difficulties while seeking to fulfill his purpose. Further, we discuss criteria for evaluating your task and any associated battles to determine if they belong to God.
Sea of Galilee
Both events occurred on Lake Galilee (also known as the Sea of Galilee), shown on a map here: north is at the top of the map (for more details, see this link). The map shows the disciples’ direction of sail during the first storm. They had completed a program at Capernaum near the north shore and Jesus directed them to sail southward across the lake to the Region of Gerasenes. Their direction of sail during the second storm appears to be generally eastward. They completed a program on the west shore and Jesus asked the disciples to sail to Bethsaida near the north-east shore.
Encounter with Storm: The First Event
On the day leading to the first storm event, Jesus spent a full day teaching a large crowd near the north shore of Lake Galilee. In the evening, he directed his disciples to sail across the lake to the other side: “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side’” [Mark 4:35]. Note that the disciples received direct instruction from God, in human form as Jesus, to sail to the opposite side of the lake from their location. Therefore, the account begins by establishing clearly that the task of sailing to the other side of the lake belongs to God. That is, God directed the disciples to sail to a destination in the Region of Gerasenes near the south shore of the lake.
Jesus was in the boat with them, but he was asleep. A severe storm occurred as they sailed. The boat was filling with water. The disciples encountered difficulties and threat of failure as they sailed through the storm. In desperation, they awakened Jesus, fearing he was not aware of their battle [Mark 4:37–38]: “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’”
The disciples had awakened Jesus because they were afraid. That is, they gave up on human effort to pray for a miracle. Jesus released a miracle to clear their way, but scolded them for lack of faith [Mark 4:39-40]: “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’”
Encounter with Storm: The Second Event
The second storm occurred following an event in which Jesus fed 5000 people in the wilderness. After the feeding and related interactions, he sent the disciples to sail to Bethsaida while he went up on a mountainside to pray. The disciples encountered a severe storm. They worked feverishly to keep the boat advancing through the storm. Jesus saw their effort. He could not see them physically because they were out on the lake while he was on land and it was at night. However, as God, he saw them. He walked on water toward them but they were distracted by the manner of his presence. He encouraged them to continue working. Then, he joined the boat and calmed the storm.
Like in the first storm, the disciples received direct instruction from God, in human form as Jesus, to sail to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake: “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd” [Mark 6:45]. Therefore, like the first event, the account of the second event begins by establishing clearly that the task of sailing to the other side of the lake belongs to God. That is, God directed the disciples to sail to Bethsaida near the north-east shore of the lake.
Also important is that Jesus was not with the disciples physically as they sailed. He went up on a mountainside to pray as his disciples sailed away on the lake: “After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray” [Mark 6:45]. He was on land, the disciples were out on the lake, and it was at night. Therefore, he, as human, could not see them. However, as God, he saw them straining against the wind [Mark 6:47–48]: “Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them…” Therefore, the account provides a clear message that God sees the human effort of those that work on his task.
Further, the account indicates he considered their effort would be sufficient to get them to the destination and wanted to go on ahead of them. However, they were distracted by the manifestation of his presence [Mark 6:48–50]: “…Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.” Their effort was threatened because they were distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to continue working. Then, he intervened to end the storm.
Faith and Human Effort Based on the Storms
We can understand the following, based on Christ interactions with his disciples regarding the two storms. If you are working on a task of God, then your battle is his battle. Focus on doing what you can humanly do, even as you pray. God will guide you to complete his task, and will intervene with miracle if and when he chooses.
In the first event, the disciples panicked and shifted focus from work to pray for miracle. He released a miracle to end their ordeal but scolded them for lack of faith. In the second event, the disciples focused on work but got distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to keep working and released a miracle to end their ordeal.
Further, because Jesus was not with the disciples as they sailed during the second event, the event provides a clear message that God sees your human effort and is aware of your battles. He saw them as they struggled through the storm, notwithstanding that he, as human, could not see them physically. Another message from the second event is that God could determine that your human effort would be sufficient to accomplish his goal for you. Also, he will intervene to shore up your effort against a threatening event, when and how he chooses. He was about to go by them when they got distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to keep working, climbed into the boat, and calmed the storm.
Whose Battle Is It?
God promises to guide to victory those that fight in his battle. Recall David’s battle cry as he was about to take on Goliath: “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” [1 Samuel 17:47]. Your battle belongs to God if your task is motivated by seeking to fulfill God’s purpose, your target outcome is consistent with God’s purpose, and your methods and approach are consistent with Living in the Image of God. Then, he promises to guide you to victory when and how he chooses. He has never lost a battle and never will lose any, including yours.
Summary of What We Learned
We discussed faith and human effort based on Christ interactions with his disciples during two storms on the Sea of Galilee. In the first event, the disciples panicked in the storm and shifted focus from work to pray for miracle. He released a miracle to end their ordeal and scolded them for lack of faith. In the second event, the disciples focused on work but got distracted by the glory of his presence. He encouraged them to keep working and released a miracle to end their ordeal.
The interactions convey a message that God sees and encourages human effort of those that work on his task. If your task is motivated by seeking to fulfill God’s purpose and your methods and approach are consistent with Living in the Image of God: then, your task belongs to God. Focus on doing what you can humanly do. He sees your struggles and difficulties and will guide you to victory when and how he chooses. He has never lost a battle and will not ever lose one, including yours.