Sunday March 11, 2012 - Mathew 14 - Gennesaret

We did a quick summary of the latest events in Christ’s ministry. We talked about the gut wrenching news Jesus received about John, the feeding of the 5,000, and then the healing of folks who reached out to touch him at Gennesaret.
We shared how Gennesarets were not exclusively covenant folks but instead were outside of the covenant. They would carry the label – pagans.

When we read about the religious folks getting hung up on his disciples not washing their hands properly, we discussed at how tempting it is to miss the work of the gospel by getting focused on petty differences. We asked ourselves if we at times perhaps seek petty differences to hide from the power and call of Christ on our lives.

When we read about the disciples sharing that they were concerned about the Pharisees being offended, we shared how the disciples appear to some extent more concerned about how they fit in with the religious folks and less concerned about the incredibly unprecedented miraculous acts of Christ – 1. Feeding the 5,000. 2. Healings at Gennesaret.

We were challenged to ask ourselves are their times where Christ is working in our lives and we ignore His presence because of our concern of His person and grace appears offensive to the influential.

We read in Mathew 26:31-33 where Jesus said that when he goes to the cross all His disciples will be offended.

We acknowledged that perhaps when Jesus asks us to take up a cross of another, even an enemy, we are offended and choose to distract with petty things so we don’t have to bleed mercy in love for those who persecute us.

We mentioned I Corinthians 9:19-23 as a theme to this passage. Jesus calls us, through His grace in us, to be all things to all people. We acknowledged that this challenge will always be offensive until we’ve gone to the cross, seen the heart of God poured out through Christ crucified for us. We then suggested that we will be free from being personally offended when and only when we have been crucified with Christ and no longer live but Christ lives in us.