The God of the Other Side

Kathie

Since I was a teenager, I’d been traveling to the Holy Land to take part in intense rabbinical study trips. I was always hoping to learn more truth about the Scriptures and gain an even deeper understanding of what the Word of God said in its original Hebrew and Greek texts. On one trip led by Rod VanSolkema and his wife Libby, Rod began telling us the story from Matthew 14 when Jesus told His disciples to get into their boat and meet Him on the other side of the lake before He came walking to them on the water.

I had always assumed that Jesus meant “the other side” to simply mean the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Once Rod taught us that “the other side” also meant something very different from and more profound than just a physical location, the story took on a much deeper meaning. The area Jesus was telling his disciples to meet him was the Decapolis—villages inhabited by people who worshiped many gods and idols. They sacrificed babies to the gods Moloch and Chemosh and others and participated in all manner of sexual perversion. They were the opposite of a devout Jew and were considered unclean. We can only imagine how the twelve disciples reacted when they heard Jesus basically tell them to go to the ancient-day equivalent of Sin City!

What would we do today if Jesus asked us to do the same? Would we be as confused and terrified as the disciples were two thousand years ago? Or would we trust that He had a purpose for everything He said and did, and maybe if we followed Him He’d lead us on the adventure of a lifetime?

Rabbi Jason

I went into bustling downtown Manhattan with my parents when merely walking along the crowded sidewalks, or at the subway station, or crossing the street, was overwhelming—especially to a waist-high six-year-old. Yet, because my dad or mom had a firm grip on my hand, I knew I was safe. We would make it to the other side. I kept a clenched hold on their hands, never wanting to drift from their sides, not taking any chances.

My parents guiding me was a shadow of Adonai guiding us. All-loving, all-knowing, and all-seeing, He takes us by the hand and goes to the other side with us. It might be a dangerous journey or through a dark storm, but as we clench our hands in His with trust, He will faithfully lead us. And not wanting to drift from His side, we gain a deeper intimacy with Him.

In another way, Yeshua went to the other side for us, and He calls His followers to meet Him where all the broken, lost, and desperate souls are and to serve them with His love. This calling is bigger than us. We can’t do it on our own. Yet, while Yeshua calls us, He also takes our hands and guides us. Yeshua is the God of the Other Side. He is the one who never passes by but crosses over to meet us where we are. As we mature in Him and decide to go with His plan and not our own, He always goes with us to the other side.

Respond

What has Jesus done to prepare you to bring the gospel to “the other side”?

How does Jesus’ promise to be with you as you share His good news of salvation with the world motivate you to step out in faith?

How does sharing your faith in Jesus strengthen your faith?