Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Hello, dear ones.

It was a rather crazy day…including a lot of effort to prepare material for that truck on which I was to install graphics. He never showed up at the appointed time. I left messages on phones. Later in the day I finally learned that they had already had graphics done somewhere else…and had forgotten to tell me. Nice.

Blessings. Love, Dad/Ray.

Their motivation for seeking out and following Jesus is revealed. I guess there’s nothing really wrong with that as an initial motivation—as long as they come to recognize that all these miraculous signs were not an END, but A MEANS TO AN END. And what is the END to which miraculous signs should be a MEANS? To recognize and accept that Jesus is the Christ of God and man’s only hope of eternal life (salvation).

While the crowd may have expected to behold more miracles done to the sick, they never dreamed they would get in on a miracle feast. Apparently that miracle on the heels of preceding miracles generated a movement within the crowd that determined to make Jesus their king. They probably were not as concerned with whether or not He was the Messiah as they were with the fact that He did super-duper miracles that could meet all their medical and material needs. Free lunch! Free health care! What a deal! They figured they couldn’t find a better candidate to serve as their king.

More miracles were yet to come for the disciples. While they were trying to make their way across the sea in very difficult condition, Jesus came walking up to their boat—on the water! You have to admit—that’s not natural—like supernatural! Then when He got into the boat, suddenly, without warning or explanation, they found themselves near the shore of their destination. I have to conclude that it was all done with the divine intention of confirming WHO Jesus was.

Jesus’ disciples went on from these miracles to mature and serve in their conviction that Jesus was indeed man’s only hope for salvation from sin. Why? BECAUSE THEY WERE DISCIPLES!—FAITHFUL, BELIEVING, DEDICATED DISCIPLES. So I simply recommend that we make sure that we are that—DISCIPLES in the truest sense of the word—not following those who follow Jesus just for the superficial show and material benefits.