1 Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to His own city. 

Matthew 9:1-8 (NASB)

Cross back over

After the Sermon on Christian living (Sermon on the Mount), Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee just a few days ago and now heads back across. This is not a quick trip to the nearby town. This would have taken quite some effort and time. 

Two major things happened on this trip: 1) The disciples had their faith boosted seeing Jesus is Lord over creation when their boat almost sank (Matthew 8:23-27). 2) He healed two men possessed by demons (Matthew 8:28-34). Why does He return so quickly?

Go where He sends you

What’s the message? We go where the Spirit of God directs us. But you ask, “How do we know?” Excellent question! If you are an employee, how do you know what your employer expects of you? If a student, what does the teacher expect of you? You have to know them and communicate with them. You have to seek to know their will. Followers of Christ know His will through a relationship with Him. How do we maintain that relationship? Reading, studying, memorizing, meditating on and applying His Word and praying to Him are the key ways. We also do it through being an active part of the body of Christ and corporate worship.

Jesus our example

Jesus, as a man, needed to daily and moment-by-moment commune with the Father to get direction for His ministry. I believe the Father revealed parts and pieces as needed, just in time. Sure, Jesus knew the final event and the purpose for which He came, but He didn’t know everything since He laid aside His glory. “When the Son of God became a man, He remained fully God, but He also took on a true human nature. Jesus retained all the attributes of divinity, yet, as a man, He voluntarily restricted their use. This was part of the “self-emptying” or self-renunciation spoken of in Philippians 2:6–8.” (gotquestions.org)

It could be like this: Jesus got up early to talk to the Father (as He did daily) and the Father said, “You’re done here for now, go across the Sea to the Gadarenes. I have work for you to do there.” So He (and His disciples) went. The storm arose and He calmed it – and took the teachable moment to boost His disciples faith. When He arrived, two demon-possessed men approached Him, recognized who He was, pleaded He wouldn’t punish them early, and Jesus said “Go”, and they left. The work is done. The Father told Him to “Go back” and He did.

“Go!” theme

This theme of “Go” is strong through these recent accounts. In addition to this demon account, we have the centurion who understood authority (.e.g., he tells a servant to go and he goes). He believed Jesus could heal his deathly sick servant. In Matthew 8:13, Jesus tells him, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.”

So with Jesus as our example, Go!

RЯeflection

• As followers of Christ, do we go where He goes? Do we go where He tells us to go? Do we do what He tells us to do? It doesn’t necessarily mean “go into missions or, go to seminary to be a preacher”, etc. 
• Take time, maybe right now, to ask the Lord where He wants you to go and what He wants you to do. It could be to just continue as is. It could also be a wild, crazy step that takes way more faith than you have. Maybe somewhere in between. But be sure to desire to obey and seek His will and then obey.