(Text and Audio)
Title: The Men of Gennesaret
It’s funny how we see different types of writing in the Gospel of Matthew. In chapter 13, we studied 8 parables and their meanings in depth, and it took us 4 months to work through our study of that one chapter.
Today, after a mere 4 sermons, we will conclude chapter 14. Now, the main reason for this is both the type and the arrangement of the material in chapter 14. We have looked at the death of John the Baptist, and the subsequent reaction of Jesus to this. He tries to move to a new region, but the people follow him, he has compassion on them and feeds the 5000. Then we sends his disciples out on the boat at night while he goes up on the mountain to pray, leading to the account we looked at last week with Peter walking on the water, and then today, we see Jesus arrive in a new region “Gennesaret” and how the people will react to him there.
(Show Picture)
Verse 34 “Gennesaret” This was a very lush and fertile region on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Also called the Sea of Tiberius) that the disciples and Jesus had just crossed.
Mark 6:53-56 Almost an identical parallel.
Verse 36: The concept of only touching his hem to be healed has been recorded elsewhere, most famously in the story of the woman with the blood flow for 12 years. If you recall, when we studied that miracle back in Matthew chapter 9 we noted that in restoring that woman he was not only healing her physically, but allowing her to be rendered “clean” according to Jewish law so that she was able to once again join her people in synagogue worship.
- Jesus was recognized by the men of Gennesaret.
As his ministry, teaching and miracles were growing over time, word of this “Jesus” was spreading like wildfire amongst the people. It is not unreasonable at all to presume that news of the feeding of the 5000 which took place probably less than 48 hours before Jesus lands at Gennesaret had already spread to this region.
We read in verse 35 “And when the men of the place recognized him…”
POINT: To have any real encounter with Jesus, we must be able to recognize who he is.
This ability to recognize Jesus is a two fold process: First, it involves us (those who already recognize him) to share the truth of his identity.
Not just a teacher, not just a prophet, not just a historical figure. But rather, the Son of God, the Messiah, sent to die, that we may live through Him.
Secondly, the ability to recognize Him demands that people have ears to hear, and eyes to see.
The first part is on us, we must share who He is. We must not remain silent when someone wants to say “I like the teachings of Jesus, I like the impact that his moral compass has had upon society, but I don’t think he was the Son of God or anything.”
Unless something changes that person, sadly, will never encounter Jesus, precisely because they lack the correct information to identify him.
Illustration: Imagine I told you that a man had a briefcase with 1 Million dollars in it. And he was willing to give that one million dollars to any person who came up to him and called him by his name.
Would that information help you? No. You could spend the rest of you life walking up to strangers with briefcases and annoy them by guessing their name. And, probably once or twice a year, you might actually guess someone’s name correctly. But that is no guarantee you are even talking to right man.
These are the people who are calling Jesus a great teacher, a great moralist, but not the Son of God. They have some of the information, but not enough to help them. No one has ever gotten to heaven because they were influenced to have good morals by their Church’s teaching of Jesus.
In fact, I believe that’s one of Satan’s craftiest deceits throughout the ages: He convinces people, both those in and those outside of the Church, that behavior warrants salvation. We know this simply is not true.
- Jesus was welcomed by the men of Gennesaret.
I think it’s worth observing how differently Jesus is received by these people of Gennesaret than how he was received by the noble people of Gergesenes. If you remember, in that account (which we studied back in Matthew 8) Jesus heals the two demon-possessed men and allows their demons to enter into a herd of pigs that then run themselves off the cliff. That passage ends in Matthew 8:34 like this: “And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged him to depart from their region.”
We might be tempted at this point to say, “How times had changed for Jesus!” But I think the more proper thing to conclude is not that times had changed, but that the region had changed.
Certain people groups recognized, and believed in the power and teaching of Jesus immediately, others never quite got it, though they were exposed to the same level of miracles and teaching by Jesus.
POINT: Some people have ears to hear, others do not.
- They believed in Jesus’ Power
The greatest proof of this is their reaction to Jesus’ arrival. What did these people do? They went out into their surrounding region, gathering all the sick and brought them to the feet of Jesus.
It goes without saying, that if these people did not believe in Jesus’ power, they would not have gone to such lengths to bring their needs to him.
But they did believe, they did gather their needy, they did bring these people to him, and Matthew records it this way: “And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.”
Perfectly well. Not just better, not just healed. They were made perfectly well. Their is no deficiency in our Lord’s ability to heal. It does not just last for a season. As we are saved and healed by Him, so are we also necessarily preserved and prepared by Him.
Close:
As we draw to a close this morning, let me return for a moment to the illustration of the man with the suitcase. I want to offer you a word of pastoral encouragement about the importance of sharing the full account of the Gospel with others.
Of course, salvation is in the hands of a Sovereign God. No one here disputes that. But that same sovereign God has commissioned you and I as ambassadors to correctly, accurately, and fully share His gospel message.
If I said to you, “There is a man with a briefcase who will give you 1 million dollars if only you state his name.” I wouldn’t be lying, but also wouldn’t be helping you either.
If I told you his name was Jesus, that would help, but you’d still be at the mercy of having to find him.
If I told you that he was sitting in the passenger seat of a black Ford Mustang in the parking lot of the Taco Bell on Claremont avenue, and he was there right now, how many of you think you’d be able to find him within the next hour?
And if I told you that his briefcase had something infinitely more valuable than 1 million dollars in it, I’d be giving you full counsel.
Now, you’d still have to believe my testimony, and be moved to act upon it, but that’s between you and the man. My job is done, I’ve told you who he is, where to find him, and why this should interest you so much.
Whether or not you act on that information declares whether you have ears to ear, and eyes to see the Truth.