Impossible

Today's Scripture

An actual first century boat recovered from the Sea of Galilee

What a ride it must have been to accompany Jesus, huh? I do think though that we might romanticize it a bit and not think of how jarring and challenging it was to have your perception of all of reality changed right in front of you. This came crashing down on me today as I read this line from the Gospel: "They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened."

Hearts were hardened? Really? Yes, and we see it in our own experience as well. Permit me for a moment to give a bad example. Imagine that a friend, someone you liked and respected began doing amazing magic tricks at events that you attended together. They make things disappear; they levitate a table - everyone is abuzz. You however are lost in your thoughts thinking 'how did they do it?' You are thinking about wires and trap doors and mirrors - because you know that 'magic' is not real. If magic were real, then your friend would not be a magician, but a sorcerer, or someone with other-worldly powers. Are they the only one? Are there others that can do this? Have you seen other magic and not believed it, but it was real? What else was your friend capable of? And the questions would roll on and on.

If you accept that your friend is 'magical' then there are a lot of things you have to begin to question about life and how things work. As you wrestled with this, your heart could be described as 'hardened' or 'unbelieving'. It was a popular theory a number of years back that the 'miracle

of feeding the five thousand was that everyone pulled out their secret stash of food and shared it, and they really had more than everyone realized. I'm sure this is one of the options that the apostles considered as they talked in the boat. I can imagine it: "Did you see anyone show up with more bread? I just kept going back to Jesus and He handed me more."

While they were rowing against the wind, they were spiritually rowing against the wind of their doubt. They couldn't seem to overcome the idea that what had happened was impossible. They rowed and rowed and could not get anywhere. Then Jesus comes on the scene - in yet another impossible act - walking across the waters of the Sea of Galilee. (try to find some wires or mirrors here fellas). As He gets in their boat, the physical winds die immediately, and the wind and waves of doubt should die with it. But this is precisely where we get the 'hardened hearts' line.

It is one thing to believe the miracle it is another to allow that to change what we believe about every other thing, and the nature and fabric of the universe. If we really believe, then we will change our priorities, we will change how we spend our time and our money. We will change how we behave; we will give up much of what we have become comfortable with for the sake of what He wants. That seems like a lot of work - so instead we row and row and row against the winds of unbelief. Are you tired of rowing yet? Are you ready to accept in your heart the impossible? He is the master of all that we see. Invite Him into your boat and see what happens.