Who Do You Think Jesus Is?

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We meet Jesus here, busy as always, interacting with people in the northern country. As a good Jew, He attended synagogue wherever He was. He both needed to worship God and be where He could reach the most people. Now in Nazareth, His words, His works, and His wonders amazed the town, but they couldn’t believe He was the Messiah. Their rejection saddened Jesus and He marveled at their unbelief.

But some believed He was Messiah. Jesus sent out His disciples with the message of repentance and gave them power over unclean spirits to prove their message was from God. “Travel light, He said. These are urgent times. Be completely dependent on God to provide for you as you seek out ‘the lost sheep of Israel.’” Many turned from sin to God.

When Herod heard about Jesus’ popularity and His works, he thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead. If you remember, John courageously denounced sin in Herod’s life—for adultery with his brother's wife. This enraged his wife, Herodius, who then plotted to kill John. Herod cowardly fell into her plan, and John’s head was delivered to her on a platter.

When the disciples returned to Jesus, full of stories from their ministry trips, Jesus wanted to get away with them to a quiet place. But the crowds watched them sail away and ran around the lake to meet them on the other side.

Just when you’d think Jesus would be frustrated, instead He looked on them with compassion. All people are sheep to Him. He alone is the true Shepherd. He first met their spiritual needs by teaching them. Then He met their physical needs by feeding them—a miracle meal for thousands from a little boy’s lunch. This may have been the first time many in this crowd ever felt full.

After the miracle, Jesus sent the people home and told the disciples to cross over the northern end of the lake and meet Him in Bethsaida. Jesus wanted time alone to pray.

What should have taken them no time at all took the disciples hours to cross the lake. A wind had kicked up, and they fought the waves all night. They thought they would surely sink. But around 3 a.m., Jesus saw them rowing against the storm, so He went out to them, walking on the water. He saw them rowing against the storm . . . Just as He sees you today. He knows your problems. You are not alone in the darkness.

When they got to land, the crowds were again waiting for Jesus to heal them. And once again, He did. That’s why no one—not even Jesus’ enemies—ever denied His healing miracles.

As we look at what Jesus was busy doing in Galilee (teaching, healing, raising the dead), we shouldn’t forget the crisis that was stirring behind the scenes with the religious leaders.

The pressure Jesus faced in these days was humanly unbearable. He shouldered the burdens of the crowds, the tensions of the times, the long busy days, the weakness of His body. Everything He did was done to help people believe in Him. This crowd summed it up well, “Jesus has done it all and done it well.”

Friend, He still does all things well today.

1. What does the reaction of Jesus’ hometown to His words and the miracles He performed tell us about our own human natures?

2. How could God allow John the Baptist to be killed by Herod? What does it teach us about how God works?

3. Our efforts can be like the little boy’s lunch. It isn’t about what we bring to the table, but about what God can do with it. What can you bring to God for Him to work a miracle with?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teachings on Mark 6 and Mark 7.