Where Is Jesus Going?

"And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them" (Mark 6:48)

One of the most overlooked facts about that night on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus came to His disciples walking on the water in the midst of a storm concerns the reality of where He was headed when He found them floundering in the midst of the storm! Clearly, as John Mark has recorded, Jesus was not headed for their boat but for the opposite shore. You may recall that where Jesus was going was where He had sent them the evening before following the feeding of the 5,000:

"And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away" (v. 45)

So Jesus was not heading toward their boat when He appeared on the horizon that night, but rather toward the same destination which He had given to His disciples! Surprisingly perhaps, He was not on the surface of the sea that night to once again bail them out of trouble, but rather to reach His intended objective.

It is so in our lives as Christians today, beloved, a truth that many of us still have to learn. Jesus does not "trail along" after us in life, stepping in to help whenever we mess up. He is rather on a mission of His own and that mission He has plainly outlined for us to understand:

"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work'" (John 4:34)

Just because Jesus did end up getting into the boat with His disciples early that morning, beloved, does not mean that He is following us around so that He may "rubber-stamp" whatever it is that we want to do in life. He only got into the boat because Peter had called out to Him and asked to join Him out on the water. Otherwise, as Mark makes clear, He would have kept right on going.

It is vital, then, for us to answer for ourselves this question - "Where is Jesus going?" It is not He who is desirous of joining us in what we are doing. It is we who need to find out where He is going and join Him in that! Just as He said to the disciples of John when they asked where He was going - "Come and see" (John 1:39) -so today He invites you and me to join Him in what He is doing for the Father's kingdom! Where is Jesus going? Find out and join Him!

Ron