The opening story of chapter 5 has always intrigued me. Did Jesus just know where the large school of fish was? Or did He sovereignly guide them to the place where the nets would be let down? Or (this is my favorite possibility!) did He simply create the fish in the nets after they were let down into the water? In the end, it really doesn't matter which explanation is true. The point is that Jesus is exalted! The pinnacle of the story is vs11, "They left everything and followed Him." This shows the supremacy of Christ above all things, and in some ways is the pattern that we must follow as well. When we come to Christ, we leave our sin, our old way of thinking, our former loves and desires, etc. This may seem like a high cost, but when we consider what we get in return (i.e. Christ), can you really call this a "sacrifice"?
I've commented before about following the pattern of Jesus in prayer. 6:12-16 tells us that before Jesus called the 12 apostles, He spent the entire night in prayer. How much more should we be dependent on our God by means of prayer before we make any decision, whether major or minor!
There are interesting "woes" in chapter 6 from Jesus. He pronounces a woe on those who are rich, full now, laugh now and when people speak well of you. Here are my thoughts on these. Rich - those who only have earthly riches will be eternally poor, therefore woe to them. Full now - those who know fullness (whether financial, physical, emotional, etc.) only in this life will spend eternity suffering in a God-less emptiness, therefore woe to them. Laugh now - those who laugh now when they should be in sorrow unto repentance will experience eternal sorrow in being separated from the only true source of lasting joy--God! Therefore, woe to them! Well-spoken of - those who only have praise from men in this life will regretfully never hear the "well-done" from God, therefore woe to them! This is a call to us to extend our point of view beyond this life and consider the life to come.
6:38 has been quite an encouragement to me in my life. No matter how much you give, you can never out-give God! What a reassuring promise!
6:46 is quite the indictment, isn't it? The point is this - if we do not do the things that He tells us, then we demonstrate that in reality He is not "Lord" of our lives. If He is not our Lord, then we are not His people. Once again, here is a warning to those who would profess to be a Christian, yet do not have the proof of their genuineness in their lives.
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