From Chaos to Quiet

Intro.

Everybody, or at least most people, have particular TV shows or movie that they enjoy over others.

What are some of your favorite shows?

I personally really enjoy a good sitcom from the 90’s or 00’s. I really love superhero movies, and on occasion the good

I have begun recently to watch a couple of Star Trek series. In one of them, titled Discovery after the ship it follows, season 1 is about the ship captain attempting to find a way to get in and out of different places as quick as possible. To put it more clearly, imagine if you got on an airplane, and in only a matter of a moment you could be anywhere in the world. This is essentially what the first season is about attaining. There eventually comes a moment when it’s a “now or never” moment, and they have to use their imperfect mode of transporting that quickly for the sake of saving lives.

They come in, win a major battle, rescue the endangered people, and are gone just as quickly as they showed up — nearly instantaneously.

“Instantly...”

Today we are going to be looking at a familiar moment in the life of Christ, and drawing from it the goodness of the Lord so that we may “believe” as is John’s purpose statement for his gospel!

We’ll see how this section of Scripture connects to Star Trek shortly, but the best place to begin is usually the beginning.

John 6:15 CSB

Therefore, when Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

First a peripheral point — Jesus had descended to the people, apparently, as He taught them and fed them. Because now, He has gone back to the mountain from which He came to them. We remember that before, as all the people were coming to Him and His disciples, He was on a mountain with them so that they could rest! Now, He returns to this place as He evades the masses and their foolish attempt.

Now, to one important thing here in v. 15 — What does it say the people were trying to do to Jesus? Make Him king! They tried to force the Lord Jesus into what they thought He should be!

Could it be, that sometimes the Church today still tries to force Jesus into positions we think He belongs in?

What are some examples of how we do this today?

Politicizing Jesus

Fitting Jesus into our own ideologies (Frequently this one results in heresies about the Person of Jesus)

We must be careful not to build boxes for our Lord and Master, and we must be careful to force Him into what we want Him to be.

What did the Jews of the day expect of the Messiah?

A military leader to free Israel from their Roman occupation. Jesus is obviously not this kind of Kind — He is a heavenly King who’s kingship/kingdom is over more than national Israel! He had never intended to reign in Israel in a literal sense, but He reigns with eternal authority as God Himself and the Judge over mankind!

Snapshots of a Miracle

Next comes the first portion of the miracle we are discussing today, and it begins upon nightfall.