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34 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. ~ Matthew 14:34-36
Today, we close out our study of Matthew 14 where we have witnessed the beheading of John the Baptist, the feeding of the 5000, and the Lord Jesus walking on the water and calming the winds and the waves of the storm. This chapter presents a clear contrast between the earthly power of men and the divine power of the Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter reveals the power of the Lord Jesus and we are shocked at it because it is not about domination or control, but about compassion, provision, and salvation.
In v.34 of today's passage we read, "When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret."
After the feeding of the 5,000 the Lord Jesus reached the peak of His popularity. The people, even the disciples, wanted to anoint Him as king. But He rejected their political and economic definition of a kingdom. It was at that point that the Lord Jesus and His disciples crossed over the Sea of Galilee and arrived in the land of Gennesaret which is not a town, it is a plain that is located on the northwestern coast of the Sea of Galilee. The Gennesaret was a lush land with many different types of crops. It had four springs which watered the entire area. It was a beautiful area due to its rich soil. It provided the picture of the life of the believer who walks with God. In keeping with the previous miracle, Gennesaret was a small little piece of land that yielded a lot. Humble beginnings very often lead to great results. When the Lord Jesus takes control of a life, the results are potentially huge.
Thomas Merton once said, "Our Christian destiny is, in fact, a great one: but we cannot achieve greatness unless we lose all interest in being great." For our own idea of greatness is illusory, and if we pay too much attention to it we will be lured out of the peace and stability of the being God gave us, and seek to live in a myth we have created for ourselves. And when we are truly ourselves we lose most of the futile self-consciousness that keeps us constantly comparing ourselves with others in order to see how big we are."
In v.35-36 of today's passage we read, "35 And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, 36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well."
The people in the area of the Gennesaret provided a contrast to the people of Nazareth who lived in unbelief. Once the people of the Gennesaret saw the Lord Jesus and they recognized Him, they immediately ran and brought their sick to Him and He healed them. These people believed in Him. In contrast, due to their unbelief, the Lord Jesus did no mighty works in certain places like Nazareth. Our faith is only as good as its object. In the Bible we are clearly given two foundations upon which we should build our faith. The first foundation is the Bible. In Romans 10:17 we read, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." The second foundation of our faith in the God of the Bible is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:13-14 we read, "13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." Without His resurrection we would have no salvation from sin, and no hope for the future.
Everyone in the area of the Gennesaret who were sick were brought to the Lord Jesus who then healed them. Previously, the Lord Jesus had traveled there and had healed many. The people were so confident of the power of the Lord Jesus they thought to themselves that if they just touched His hem they would be healed. Perhaps they had remembered the woman who grabbed His robe and was healed.
What the Lord encountered at Gennesaret were those who were convinced of their need for Him. That is exactly why they sought Him out. On the contrary, those who see not their need for the Lord, they have no regard for Him. Pride inaugurated sin and we see it over and over in the Scriptures. It is most often the small, the humble who seek the Lord. Humility is the bedfellow of true belief. Without a proper understanding who we are as sinners and what has happened to us at the hands of the evil one, we will never turn to the Lord for help.
I heard it again today, "What about those who have never heard?" That is a bogus question. You see, God created us all with a conscience and He has given us a lot of evidence of His existence through creation. We all have had the same experiences when we have laid our head on the pillow at the end of another day. We know there is the God who has reached out to help us so many times. Our problem is we like the way of sin and it is our inability to turn away from our sin that keeps us from Him.
