It was a long day. Crowds of people were following Jesus,
and they were excited to learn what He would teach them! Jesus taught some
great lessons, and pretty soon it was supper time. The people were getting
hungry! They were pretty far out in the countryside, and the disciples
suggested, “Hey Jesus, why don’t You dismiss everyone so they can go get
something to eat?”
Jesus replied, “Nah, no need. You can feed them.”
“Um, Jesus?” they said, “Do you know how much that would
cost?! There’s no way we could go get enough food to feed such a huge crowd!”
So Jesus answered, “What have you brought to eat?”
When they checked, they managed to get together five small
loaves of bread and two fish. Hardly enough to feed a crowd that probably had
more than 10,000 people in it! There were 5000 men in the crowd, but when you
add in the women and children, that’s a lot of people! They had the people sit
in groups on the grass.
Jesus took the measly supply of bread and fish and looked up
to the sky. He thanked God for the food and broke the loaves of bread. Then He
started breaking the bread. And breaking more. And more. He kept breaking bread
and passing it around, and pretty soon the whole crowd had food! They ate
enough that everyone was full! Not only that, but when everyone was done
eating, the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of leftover bread and fish!
When they were done gathering the leftovers, Jesus told the
disciples to get in the boat and go to Bethsaida on the other side of the lake.
After they left, Jesus told the crowds they could go home, and then He went to
a hillside to pray. While He was praying, a storm started brewing. Later that night, Jesus looked out onto the lake, and He could see the
boat, about in the middle. The waves were crazy wild, and Jesus could tell that
the disciples were having a hard time with the oars, trying to stay on course
and not be knocked upside-down by the wind and the water! So Jesus set out down
the hill.
The disciples, meanwhile, were having a horrible time
keeping the boat under control. It was almost dawn, and they still hadn’t heard
from Jesus. It was all hands on deck as everyone was trying desperately to keep
the boat afloat. Then they saw it. Someone was walking toward them…on the
water! People don’t walk on water, so it couldn’t be a person. That left only
one option. It must be a ghost! They were already terrified of the wind and the
waves, and now here was a ghost coming toward them! What would it do when it
got there? They panicked! Then they heard a familiar voice coming from the “ghost.”
“WHOA, DUDES!” came the shout over the loud ruckus of the wind and waves. “IT’S
JUST ME! DON’T FREAK OUT!” That was definitely Jesus’ voice, but how could He
be walking on the water?
So Peter had an idea. “Lord, if it’s you,” he shouted, “tell
me to come to You on the water!”
Jesus shouted, “Be my guest!”
So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water! He was
staring at Jesus, but then he started to realize what was happening. The wind
was making the water go everywhere, and people can’t walk on water! Peter
looked down at the water…and started to sink. He cried out, “LORD, HELP!!”
Jesus reached out and took Peter’s hand, and he said, “Oh
come on, Peter, where’s your faith? Why did you doubt?”
As soon as Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, the wind
died down. Just like that. The disciples couldn’t believe it!
The sun was coming up as they reached the other side of the
lake and let down anchor at Gennesaret. People in that area recognized Jesus
and quickly got a crowd of people together who were sick and hurt. Wherever
they went in the nearby villages, anyone who touched Jesus’ robe was healed.
© Steven Sauke
Marker on Paper
Marker on Paper
