Scripture: Luke 5:1-3
One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Gennesaret when the crowd pressed in around him to hear God’s word. Jesus saw two boats sitting by the lake. The fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. Jesus boarded one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, then asked him to row out a little distance from the shore. Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
Thought for the Day: These are the opening words from Sunday’s sermon text. The Lake of Gennesaret is another way of referring to the Sea of Galilee. It is suggested the the Gospel writer Luke was a bit more of a world traveler, and to refer to this body of water as a Sea does not fit its size. If you have never traveled more than a few miles from the Sea of Galilee (Lake Gennesaret), you can understand why you would might call it a Sea. It looks massive from the shore, but it does not compare to the Mediterranean Sea or Black Sea. Perspective is everything, and if your perspective is shaped by broad and diverse experiences, you are going to see things differently. Speaking of perspectives, it seems a bit odd that Jesus boards the boat, moves further away from the crowd and the sits down to teach. Would people have been able to see him? I can’t say for sure, but visibility was probably not the first thought for Jesus. By sitting, Jesus is following in the tradition of Jewish teachers who, when it came time to teach, would sit down. The act itself made a statement to the crowd. Jesus was not always tied to tradition, but in this case, he was. Does that suggest something important about his understanding of the tradition and the act of teaching?
Prayer: May I follow the example set forth in Jesus. He is your gift to the world, O God, and I want to see him and learn from him and to become a reflection of him. Amen.
