From the desk of Pastor Ben

Jesus’ Divine Authority Over The Twelve

“Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”         (Matthew 14:22-23)

With the crowd’s attempt to crown Jesus king, the apostles very likely rejoiced that Jesus was, at last, being recognized as the promised king who would overthrow the Romans and re-establish Israel’s kingdom. Christ Himself had taught them to pray for the coming kingdom (Matthew 6:10), so they reasoned that this was an opportune moment to fulfill that promise. Certainly the ambitious betrayer, Judas Iscariot, would have strongly encouraged such thinking among his colleagues.

But Jesus knew the apostles’ thoughts and the almost sure potential for the crowd to persuade them. So, He commanded them to “get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side.” The Lord did not want them to be swept up by the ill-conceived political plans of the people.

It is fair to think that the apostles probably resisted leaving Jesus and the crowd, both because of the crowd’s enthusiasm for Jesus and because they wanted to be with Him always. In spite of their sin and weakness, the apostles were devoted to their Lord and felt vulnerable when apart from Him. No matter what the reasons for their reluctance, however, the 12 disciples got into their boat and headed for the other side of the lake. Jesus’ firm word of authority was enough for them — He did not have to resort to supernatural force to compel their departure. As men under divine authority, it was a solid testimony that they obeyed.

Ask Yourself:
When have you been most thankful that you put some time and space between yourself and an emotionally charged situation that had the potential to sway your better judgment? What are some of the worst decisions you ever made by going along with the consensus of the crowd?