Note: I originally posted this in June, 2006. I’ve previously alluded to a redesign/reboot of the Gazette in which some content didn’t get carried over into the new package; this is an example, with a few minor tweaks.
Those of us who believe in God understand that since He created time and space, He’s not bound by them. I think that characteristic is pretty high on the list of qualifications for Supreme Being. There are a few practical examples in the Bible of how God can control time, but I haven’t found so many that show a similar command over space (the dimension, not the general area way up there).
But I was reminded of this while reading in the sixth chapter of John, specifically where John is describing the miracle of Jesus walking on the water. We tend to focus on that amazing feat, which is mentioned in verse 19 of that chapter. However, have you ever really paid attention to what happens next?
Let me set this up for you. Earlier in the day, Jesus had preached to thousands of people at Tiberius, which is sort of on the southwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. This is where He took five loaves and two fish and fed all those hungry folks…with lots of leftovers, to boot. Afterwards, the grateful crowd decided to make Him king (ironic, huh?) and so He made Himself scarce.
His disciples decided they also had somewhere else to be, and so they set out in a rowboat, headed for Capernaum, which is about 10 miles across the lake as the gull flies, up to the north. They had rowed “three or four miles” when Jesus strolled up to the boat, scaring them half to death. But He spoke to them, calmed their fears, and they let Him into the boat…a totally unnecessary gesture to my thinking, since He was obviously faster and more seaworthy than them. And here’s where it gets really good. Verse 21:
They were willing therefore to receive Him into the boat; and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Say what? At one moment they and the boat were six or seven miles away from Capernaum; in the next instant, they were…there. Is that not the coolest thing? I just wish John had recorded the reactions of the disciples, because I would have been, like, “wow…do that again!”
Next time you’re in worship mode and acknowledging God as Creator and Ruler over all that was and is and ever shall be, you might just use this verse to reinforce that reality. I know it helps me to remember Who’s in control.
There are other examples of how Jesus tended to ignore what we call immutable laws of nature, such as His apparent ability to make Himself invisible to those who would impose their will on Him before He was ready to permit it. I’ll let you research those examples. [Hint: The gospel of Luke is a pretty good starting place.]