After Jesus miraculously fed 12-15,000 people, he realized they wanted to start a revolution with him as their leader (Matt. 14:21; John 6:15). Not wanting himself or his disciples to get distracted by political or social issues, he sent them to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in a boat. For believers, good concerns should never overshadow the greatest concern—the mission of Jesus to save people (Luke 19:10). Having only one boat, the disciples weren’t sure how Jesus was going to join them but as they rowed away, he went up into the hills to pray (John 6:22). As the Sea of Galilee is about 8 miles across and 700 feet below sea level, cold eastern air can rush over the mountains and onto the lake in minutes creating treacherous conditions. For any boat too far from shore, winds can blow the vessel out to the middle of the lake, capsizing it and killing the sailors. God often allows storms to soften people’s hearts!

At this point, Jesus is two years into his public ministry and at the height of his popularity. He has been healing people all over Israel of incurable diseases and handicaps, driving out demons, and restoring sanity and wholeness to thousands. Word about him is spreading to the common man and to secular and religious rulers, both Jewish and Roman. All kinds of people are being exposed to the saving Light (John 1:29; 8:12)! In an attempt to escape the relentless crowds, Jesus takes a boat to a deserted place by Bethsaida (Luke 9:10-12). However, people hear about it and follow him there. The crowd coming from the Decapolis and surrounding area was about 5000 men plus women and children, making the size 12-15,000 people (Matt. 14:21). People have a need to be near the Greatest!

The disciples had just arrived on land from almost dying on the Sea of Galilee in a storm. This event taught them to trust Jesus with their lives. At the shore, the crowd sees ‘them’ but recognizes ‘him’. The goal of a disciple is to point people to Jesus (Gal. 2:20)! A new relationship with Jesus is a new identity from Jesus. Being a disciple is finding your identity in your teacher. The more you’re taught the more you know, and the more you know the more you should do. As believers, our identity is in Christ not money, music, relationships, a political party, sports teams, our background, or color of skin. What God is doing on the inside is greater than anything that’s on the outside (John 1:12, 13; Gal. 3:26-28)!

As Jesus got out of the boat on the shore of Capernaum, he was mobbed by people who wanted his attention and those needing to be healed. In the crowd was a woman who suffered from continual bleeding for 12 years. As Jesus called her ‘daughter’, she may have been in her twenties and had dealt with this issue all her adult life since the start of her menstrual cycle. God’s design of femininity creates beauty as well as challenges. This condition would’ve caused her to be anemic, sick, and emaciated. Also, she would have felt public shame as it probably kept her unmarried and made her ceremonially unclean, keeping her from worshipping at the Temple (Lev. 15:19, 25). Sadly, medical knowledge of the day was more superstitious than helpful. It ended up harming rather than helping her and made her broke. Humanity’s difficulty is God’s opportunity!

After God mercifully rescued Israel from slavery in Egypt, He led them to the Promised Land by Moses and gave them Laws to follow as His covenant family (Ex. 19:5; Deut. 6:22-25). These Laws were made to bless people by safeguarding them physically and allowing connection with God spiritually. God’s boundaries are regulations of mercy not restrictions of meanness (Deut. 4:5, 6, 40)! Observing the Sabbath day (Heb. shabbâth, ‘intermission, rest’; Saturday) was one of the most serious obligations. Which, if broken on purpose by doing work, could result in death (Ex. 31:13-15). On a Sabbath, the disciples were hungry. Walking in a field, they picked heads of grain, shucked them in their hands and ate them. Seeing it, the Pharisees rebuked Jesus for letting them ‘work’ on the Sabbath by ‘harvesting’ and ‘making’ a meal. Yet, this was allowed in the Law as it was part of unforeseen, necessary action (Lev. 23:22; Deut. 23:24, 25). Jesus corrected them by saying priests do work on the Sabbath and David ate bread meant for the priests and received no punishment (1 Sam. 21:6). God’s grace is for the good (Ps. 145:8)!

In the first century, the nation of Israel was under Roman rule. The Jews hated the Romans because their authority was brutal. And they were heavily taxed to support Roman control, making most Jews feel like captives in their own country. Entering Capernaum, a centurion (Gr. hekatontarchēs, ‘captain of 100 men’) stationed there sent Jewish elders to implore Jesus to come heal his servant (Gr. doulos, ‘indentured servant, slave’). As a man paid to have control over people, he still cared for others—including building the Jewish synagogue. The centurion realized that for all his authority, in some things he was powerless and was at the mercy of a Jew. Difficult social situations can set the stage for powerful Gospel presentations!

As Jesus returned from the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a large crowd greeted him (Luke 8:26). In the crowd was a man named Jairus who was a ruler (Gr. archōn, ‘first in rank, chief’) of the synagogue in Capernaum. This privileged position was appointed by elders and his responsibilities were all the affairs of the synagogue. A typical first-century service would include 10-11 men who would recite prayers and various parts of the Law and Prophets as well as a teaching from a Rabbi (Luke 4:16, 17). Being responsible for the accurate teaching of God’s word, he would stand next to the man reading scripture in case he made a mistake. As it’s rare for a person in the general public to be named in the Bible, Jairus was probably a well-liked, well-known man viewed by many as their spiritual father and pastor. God’s men take God’s word seriously (Titus 1:9)!

A few hours earlier in Capernaum, Jesus told his disciples they were going to across the Sea of Galilee. On the way, a storm erupted where if Jesus hadn’t done a miracle, they would’ve downed (John 8:24). On shore, Jesus encounters a naked, demon-possessed man living in tombs, unrestrained and out of control. Though the man is in an evil, ritually unclean, and humiliated state, Jesus goes out of his way to reach him. No one is too lost or broken for Jesus to seek them out (Luke 19:10)! Still wet from the storm, the disciples had experienced Jesus as God over the natural, and now they will experience Jesus as God over the supernatural. God has supernatural love for the natural sinner (John 3:16, 17; 1 Tim. 1:15)!

After Jesus did a rigorous, non-stop tour of regional Galilee preaching and healing, he decided to escape the crowd by crossing the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:1). Entering a boat, his disciples followed him onto it and he then unveiled the direction and destination (Matt. 8:23). Sometimes you don’t know where you’re going until you decide Who you’re going with! When God sets the course, He has already gone ahead of you and is with you (Ps. 23:4; Is. 41:10; Matt. 28:19, 20). The disciples trusted Jesus’ direction and were willing to go wherever he was going. The worst decision is one that relies on personal desires or data to decide on your destination (Prov. 3:5, 6).

After travelling and teaching around Galilee, Jesus returned to his home in Capernaum where earlier he had moved the family (Matt. 4:12, 13). Hearing Jesus was at home, people came from all over the region to hear him and packed his house so full, there wasn’t even room outside (Mark 2:1, 2)! People will ‘drive’ to a church that’s alive! People are built to connect with God as truth. God connects with people through His word as truth. When God’s word is preached, people know they’re hearing truth from God (John 8:31, 32; 17:17). While some will reject truth, many will accept and be blessed. Personal subjective truth is only universal truth when it aligns with divine objective truth (1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Cor. 2:13, 14)!