Miracles by the Sea

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.

In the week leading up to Passover in Jesus’ second year of ministry, we watch Jesus in action and learn from Him the depths of who He is and why He’s come.

By then, Jesus was famous for His miracles. Crowds followed Him not because they believed He was Savior, but because they were addicted to His miracles.

One day in Galilee, Jesus sat with His disciples on a mountainside. But they weren’t alone for long. As the crowds gathered, Jesus put His disciples to the test.

“How should we feed all these people?”

“We can’t. There are more than 15,000!”

“Send them home,” another suggested. One disciple brought a little boy’s lunch to Jesus—and Jesus got to work. Without Him, the situation was hopeless. But five hamburger buns and two sardines plus Jesus can feed thousands.

Jesus took the lunch, thanked His Father, and created enough sandwiches for everyone to have their fill. In a day when people often went hungry, some were full for the first time in their lives. When the people saw the miracle, they conspired to take Jesus by force and make Him their king. It took another miracle for Jesus to get through that crowd.

Later that evening, Jesus wanted to get alone to pray, so He put the disciples in a boat and sent them to Capernaum (just a short distance away). But a big storm blew in and threw the disciples off course. As they battled the waves, the disciples were terrified . . . and then Jesus walked by on the waves!

Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid, it’s Me.” When they took Him into the boat, they immediately were at the shore (vs. 20, 21).

The next day, the crowds looked for but couldn’t find Jesus. Eventually, they found Him on the other side of the lake. Jesus asked them if they wanted more sandwiches—or if they would believe He was the source of the spiritual food they really needed.

Read John 6:35.

Jesus said He is the one who came down from heaven to give Himself as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. When you believe that, then you will have eternal life. He is the Word made flesh, the Bread that will feed us so we can grow.

Most of the people refused to believe in Jesus. But His offer stood: Anyone who comes to Him for salvation will be received. When we accept by faith what Jesus did for us, we can trust and rest in Him for eternal life.

Next, if not Jesus , where else are you hoping to find life?

1. Again and again we see Jesus ask people questions in John’s Gospel, not for His own benefit, but for theirs. Are there any ways you see God do the same thing in your life?

2. It is easy to criticize the crowd for following Jesus just to see a miracle, but we may be more like them than we want to admit. Are there any reasons you might follow Jesus, go to church, or associate with other Christians, other than out of obedience to Christ?

3. What are some things the metaphor of Jesus as the Bread of Life teaches us about His identity in particular and God in general?