CHAPTER 33
Jesus Can Protect Us
How do you view Jesus
WHEN Jesus grew older and learned how he had been protected when he was little, do you think that he prayed to Jehovah and thanked him?— What do you think Jesus may later have told Mary and Joseph when he learned that they had saved his life by taking him to Egypt?—
Of course, Jesus is not a baby anymore. He isn’t even living on earth as he once did. But have you noticed that now some people seem to think of Jesus only as a baby in a manger?— This is true at Christmastime when in many places pictures are seen of Jesus as a baby.
Even though Jesus is no longer living on earth, do you believe he is alive?— Yes, he was raised from the dead, and he is now a powerful King in heaven. What do you think he can do to protect those who serve him?— Well, when Jesus was on earth, he showed how he could protect those who loved him. Let’s see how he did that one day when he was out in a boat with his disciples.
It is late in the afternoon. Jesus has been teaching all day by the Sea of Galilee, which is a large lake about 13 miles (20 km) long and 7.5 miles (12 km) wide. Now he says to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So they set out in a boat and start to sail across the lake. Jesus is very tired, so he goes to the back of the boat and lies down on a pillow. Soon he is fast asleep.
What is Jesus saying to the wind and the waves?
The disciples stay awake to keep the boat on its course. Everything is all right for a while, but then a strong wind springs up. It blows harder and harder, and the waves keep getting bigger. The waves begin splashing into the boat, and the boat starts to fill up with water.
The disciples are afraid that they are going to sink. But Jesus is not afraid. He is still asleep in the back of the boat. Finally, the disciples wake him, and say: ‘Teacher, Teacher, save us; we are about to die in this storm.’ At that, Jesus gets up and speaks to the wind and the waves. “Hush! Be quiet!” he says.
Right away the wind stops blowing, and the lake becomes calm. The disciples are amazed. They have never seen anything like it before. They begin saying to one another: “Who really is this, for he orders even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”
Do you know who Jesus is?— Do you know where he gets his great power?— The disciples should not have been afraid when Jesus was there with them, for Jesus was no ordinary man. He could do wonderful things that no other person could do. Let me tell you about something else that he once did on a stormy sea.
It is sometime later, on another day. When it becomes evening, Jesus tells his disciples to board a boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the sea. Then Jesus goes up into the mountain by himself. It is a quiet place where he can pray to his Father, Jehovah God.
The disciples get into the boat and start to sail across the sea. But soon a wind begins to blow. It blows harder and harder. It is now nighttime. The men take down the sail and begin to row. But they are not getting very far because the strong wind is blowing against them. The boat is rocking back and forth in the high waves, and water is splashing in. The men work hard trying to reach shore, but they cannot.
Jesus is still alone in the mountain. He has been there a long time. But now he can see that his disciples are in danger in the high waves. So he comes down from the mountain to the edge of the sea. Jesus wants to help his disciples, so he starts walking toward them over the stormy sea!
What would happen if you tried to walk on water?— You would sink, and you might drown. But Jesus is different. He has special power. Jesus has a long walk to reach the boat. So it is about dawn when the disciples see Jesus coming toward them over the water. But they can’t believe what they see. They are very frightened, and they cry out in their fear. Then Jesus speaks to them: “Take courage, it is I; have no fear.”
Why did Jesus perform miracles?
As soon as Jesus gets up into the boat, the storm stops. The disciples are again amazed. They fall down before Jesus and say: “You are really God’s Son.”
Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to live back then and to see Jesus do things like that?— Do you know why Jesus did those miraculous things?— He did those things because he loved his disciples and wanted to help them. But he also did those things to show the great power that he had and would use in the future as the Ruler of God’s Kingdom.
How does Jesus protect his followers today?
Even today Jesus often uses his power to protect his followers from Satan’s efforts to stop them from telling others about God’s Kingdom. But Jesus does not use his power to protect his disciples from getting sick or to cure them when they are sick. Even all of Jesus’ apostles eventually died. John’s brother James was murdered, and John himself was put in prison.
It is similar today. Whether people serve Jehovah or not, they all can get sick and die. But soon, during the rule of Jesus as King of God’s government, things will be different. No one then will ever have to be afraid, because Jesus will use his power for the blessing of all who obey him.
Other texts that show the great power of Jesus, the one whom God makes Ruler in the Kingdom of God, are Daniel 7:13, 14; Matthew 28:18; and Ephesians 1:20-22.
