King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 8 notes
1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.
4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.
9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
13When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
Likely these were very poor people and could not afford a ship 🛳.
Likely also because it was a multitude, they walked in groups to Jesus.
Of course Jesus, being famous, needed some respite and went alone to a desert 🏜 place away from the public view.
14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.
It's almost like he was surprised they had gone to such an extent to track him 🖲, and felt compassion for them.
15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.
Today we send the multitudes away with nothing and on an empty stomach.
To make matters worse, we do not heal them; we fake the power and take from them.
We have wolves on the pulpit acting 🎭 as sheep 🐑 and devouring them.
16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.
17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18He said, Bring them hither to me.
19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.
22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
I'm sure final ministration and prayers. The kind that happens in church after a major revival.
That was the main point of going into a desert 🏜 place, but there again the multitudes had found him...
So now, having sent them away, he sought solitude again on the mountain ⛰, and this time he got it.
24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
I don't even know what to say or where to begin from.
So the faith it took Peter to walk on water 💦 was little faith to Jesus. So what is great or big faith to Jesus?
Let me run a search global.
Matthew 8:10 KJV
When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
Matthew 15:28 KJV
Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
So these are the examples, men and women who exhibited great faith according to Jesus.
A grand total of 2 souls.
It seems to me that Peter's inability to sustain faith to the end was what earned him little faith.
'Cause I think 🤔 and you'd agree 👍 with me that walking on water is no small feat of faith, but continuing in that faith as the tempest grows stronger 💪 shows how strong one's faith is.
So if the faith of Peter was great, he would have stood in the midst of the storms and not allowed doubt 🤷♂️.
"Why did you doubt 🤷♂️?" was Jesus's question 🙋 and key 🗝 to grade Peter's faith. On the merit of that question, his faith was little.
If Peter walking on water had little faith, then we today really have very little faith...
Because our faith is ever so often shaken by the minutest of opposition.
If your faith remains whiles everything is cool and rosy 🌹 but shakes when things seem not to work out,
then indeed you have little faith.
Oh Lord, I will have great faith. So help me to.
32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.
35And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;
36And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.
Perfectly 👌 whole...