Daily Lesson for March 28, 2014

Today's Daily Lesson is from Mark 6:

"47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea."

After feeding the 5,000 Jesus sent his disciples in the boat ahead of him to a place called the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He stayed behind to dismiss the crowd and then pray alone.

But the disciples had a hard time getting making it across the lake to Bethsaida. An adverse wind rose up and drove their little fishing boat in the wrong direction. The disciples strained at the oars all night but could not regain their coarse.

Then Jesus came to them. The Bible says he had intended to pass them by and meet them on the other side in Bethsaida, but seeing that the disciples would not make it to Bethsaida, he came to them late in the night, walking on the water, saying unto them, "It is I; be not afraid."

Many of us feel like we are constantly struggling against an adverse wind. We set out for one destination but the winds kicked up and blew our career or our business or our church completely off course. Where we are is not where we hoped to be - not by this time in our lives anyway. We have floundered too long and at some point it becomes clear that we will never make it to the other side.

The good news about this story is that this is the exact point where Jesus comes to us. He comes walking to meet us not where we set out for but where we are - floundering and off course and very, very late. He comes to us saying, "It is I. I am here with you. Right here with you. Do not fear."

Suddenly the tension is released. The disciples anxieties are eased and so is the reader's. everyone expects the next verse to say something like, "And then they came ashore at Bethsaida." But it doesn't. Instead it says, "Then they came ashore at a place called Gennesaret."

I love that part. They don't make it to Bethsaida - not now anyway. They don't make it to where they were going. They couldn't make. But in the end it doesn't matter because Jesus has come to them and is with them, right where they are. And coming to Genneseret, the Bible says they moored their boat and stepped ashore - not consumed with where they didn't land, but ready to make the most of where they did.