Title Gennesarets/Matthew 14:34-36
This article is also recorded in Mark 6:53-56. The content of this text is that Jesus visited the town of Gennesaret and healed the sick there. Gennesaret was a fertile plain located between Capernaum and Tiberias on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. The plot of this text is that Jesus visited the place for the first time, and the people of that town were amazed and moved to meet Jesus. Let's look at some lessons from this text.
1. I thought it was Jesus.
Verse 35 says, “The people there knew that it was Jesus.” When Jesus and his companions entered the town of Gennesaret, the people in that town thought it was Jesus, which means that they recognized the existence and work of Jesus. In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples one day. “Who do people in the world say I am these days?” “Some say Elijah, others say John the Baptist.” “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The truth and depth of your faith is determined by who you know and who you believe in Jesus. There are three levels of faith.
The first step is to know. But the fact of knowing itself is not enough. If you compare it to a marriage relationship, you can think of it as a stage in which a man and a woman meet, greet each other through someone's introduction, and start dating. It is unreasonable to meet only once, feel love, or decide to get married. It is said that the love of young people these days is instant love, so it is made on the spot and decided on an instant.
The second step is to believe. It is only at this stage that trust and love are established. It is at this stage that faith, love, confession, and deep fellowship are established. However, this step alone is not enough.
The third step is dedication. Only when you enter this stage can you fulfill your mission, become an evangelist, and drink the cup of martyrdom. A mature faith is established when you go through the stages of knowing, believing, and committing.
2. It has been notified throughout.
Verse 35 says, “He reigned throughout his neighbourhood.” They were so moved by the unexpected visitation of Jesus that they notified the surrounding area to announce the fact and have people gather. To spread the word means to spread the word everywhere, and to spread the word means to spread the news of the coming of Jesus. That is what evangelism is.
The evangelist has something to tell you. It is to announce Jesus. It is to announce Jesus. Evangelism is to announce, "I met Jesus. I believe in Jesus. I believe in Jesus and have changed. Believe in Jesus too." A woman who went out to draw water from a well in Suga City met Jesus and was forgiven of her sins and saved. The woman went into the town because of her emotions and started spreading rumors about Jesus saying, "I have found Jesus. I have found the Messiah." In John 4:39, many of the townspeople who heard her came to believe in Jesus. But in verse 41, it says, "Because of the word of Jesus, more and more people believed." And in verse 42, it says, "Now we do not believe because of your words, because we have heard with I know," he said.
I just need to make known and preach Jesus. I believe in Jesus because of him, not because I speak well or others believe because of my persuasion. Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” Another thing an evangelist should know is to make the church known. The Lord established a church and made it possible to preach the gospel through that church.
There is a right attitude toward the church.
One should be cherished. Paul said that the church was purchased with the blood of the Lord (Acts 20:28) and that it is the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). Those who do not value the church do not honor the Lord.
Both must serve. To serve the church with sincerity is to serve the Lord. The reason is that the church is the body of the Lord and is a precious community purchased with blood.
The three must not leave the church. As each member of the body is attached to one another, and as if the member is detached from the body, it is meaningless, so members of the church should not leave the church. The church must be attached to Jesus and the members must be attached to the church.
Four must obey. In Matthew 18:15-17, there is a method of admonishing a person who has sinned. At first, I counsel alone, and if they do not listen, I take two or three witnesses and advise them. If they still do not listen, I inform the church so that they can counsel in the name of the church. If you do not listen, then treat them like a Gentile or a publican.” Those who disobey the church's counsel or discipline should serve idols, sin, and treat them like Gentiles or tax collectors who do not know how to repent.
Members of the faithful church should cherish and be proud of the faithful church. And we must serve and obey this church. If you look at the history of the world church, the church has sometimes made wrong judgments or decisions. But that does not mean that no one has ever succeeded or succeeded in challenging the authority of the church, despising it, and trying to destroy it.
Why? This is because the great Elder Man-sik Cho had the humility and virtue to acknowledge and obey the authority of the church and leaders. I need to think about how I would have behaved if I had been humiliated like that.
As Joo Kyung-ga Baker said, "Humility is like the steps of the temple. Going down, you know yourself, and going up, you know God." When Franklin, an American politician in the 1700s, was young, he smashed his forehead at the threshold while visiting the house of his senior, Gorton Marquee. It is said that the senior who followed me advised, "If you bow your head, you won't stumble. When you are in the world in the future, keep your head down. That way, you won't be hit hard."
I pray that grace will overflow to those who humbly obey and follow the authority of the church and the word of the Lord.
3. They brought him to Jesus.
Verse 35 says, “Bring all the sick to Jesus.” It is not just about notifying and notifying. They brought people to Jesus directly who needed to meet him. Here, we discover the passion and devotion of the Gennesaret people who are responsible to the end. There will be many kindnesses that we can extend to our neighbors or friends. There are also people who can help you when you are in financial trouble. Sometimes we eat together and drink tea. It is possible to help in difficult times and to rejoice together in happy times. But the best kindness and service is to bring them to Jesus. The reason is to invite them to the feast of life and salvation. There are so many people around us to bring to Jesus. Making Jesus known to them and bringing them back is an absolute task for Christians.
According to meteorological experts, the Earth where humans currently live is warning that the ecosystem is being jumbled up due to El Ni o and La Ni o events. Heavy snow, heavy rain, storms, droughts, floods, etc. are unpredictable. But more serious than that is the chaos and chaos of the spiritual world. Heretic cults are on the rise, and faith mixed with convenience is eroding the church and its members. On the other hand, secular culture and corrupt culture are making us all sick. In addition, they are unable to find a place to rest their minds due to the economic ordeal they are experiencing under the rule of the International Monetary Fund, an international financial institution.
We must lead them to Jesus. where should we go. What should i do. We must bring to Jesus those who hesitate and hesitate and find their way. That's what we should do.
4. He made me touch even the edge of Jesus' clothes.
Verse 36 says, “But I begged him to let him touch even the edge of Jesus’ robe, and everyone he touched was healed.”
If you look at Matthew 9:20 and below, there is an account of a woman who had been suffering from a woman's disease that continued to bleed for 12 years, touched the hem of Jesus' robe and was healed. She touched and was healed. To hold or touch your hand, you must come close. These days, video conversations and video conferencing are possible. In Seoul, Paris, London, and Washington, where leaders were each located, it became possible to have a conversation and hold a meeting while watching a monitor displaying a moving image. However, it is incomparable to when personality meets personality, holding hands, drinking tea together, looking into your eyes, and listening to your breath. I must touch the hem of your robe and you must come to me. And no matter how close you get, when you touch it, you have to trust it.
In the case of the woman who suffered from bleeding for twelve years in Matthew 9, he said, “I said in my heart that if I just touched the outer garment, I would be saved” (9:21). The Lord said to her, “Take heart, daughter, your faith will save you. I will," he said. Even the text says, “Everyone who touches his hand is healed.” Many sick people must have flocked to the Lord's side because of the full notice and because he brought the flocking sick to the Lord. And they would have told you to touch the body or clothes of the Lord. But those who believed and touched were healed, and those who did not touch were not healed.
One day Jesus met a man who had been blind since birth. He spit on the ground, made mud, put it on his eyes, and said, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' In John 9:7 it says, "Then he went and washed, and came with bright eyes." He, too, would have died living in a dark world as a blind man if he had not believed and went.
In Mark 9:23, he said, "If you can, what do you mean? Nothing is impossible for those who believe." The father of the demon-possessed child heard this and said, "I believe. Help me in my unbelief." I did.
We have a lot of problems. I worry about my problems, my heart aches, and I despair. But the problem is not the problem itself, the problem is how to deal with it and how to solve it. I do not have enough faith to touch the hem of Jesus' robe. Lord, my prayers for help in my unbelief are not enough. And they lack the faith to believe that all who touched them were healed.
Let's learn from the people of Gennesaret. Let us know, believe, inform, notify, guide, and be healed.