The Life of Christ

• The word “Bethsaida” means house or place of fishing.

• Since fishing was the primary trade in these regions, most of the key cities along the lake had a “ Fisherton ” district associated with them, such as Capernaum.

• Most cities today located next to a large body of water also have a “Fisherman’s Wharf” community; it was the same in those days.

• Peter lived in Capernaum but moored his boat in Bethsaida.

Jn. 6:15 Jesus therefore perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Following this miracle, there was much talk of how to make Jesus their national king.

• The feeding of the 5000 became the turning point of popular enthusiasm.

• In the minds of the typical Israelite, Jesus could not be the Messiah, unless He was also Israel’s King.

• At last, a miracle has exceeded the giving of manna in the wilderness — in their thinking, this was a true sign that Messiah has come.

• Edersheim tells us that the coming Deliver, the Messiah, must do as much as the first Deliverer, Moses, had done. 28

• Thousands were now determined to proclaim Him king.

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Mk. 6:45-48a 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. And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 And when it was evening, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.

This is the second major storm the disciples have encountered in just a matter of days.

• Matthew's account (14:24) adds that the boat was battered by the waves.

But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary (Mt. 14:24).

• This time Jesus was not with them on the boat, which meant there was nobody to wake up to calm the waters.

• All they had was His prior word to “go to the other side of the lake” (Mk. 6:45).

All they had was His earlier word to “go to the other side of the lake” (Mk. 6:45).

• Have you ever noticed that when we fail a test, it won’t be very long before we get to take the same test over again?

28 Alfred Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971), Second Book, p. 34

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