In a city, surrounded by – and interacting with (or preparing to interact with) – people...
High up on a mountain – or in another secluded location – alone with the Heavenly Father...
By the shore of the Galilean Sea, or by a lake or other sizeable body of water...
When he’s alone, he’s always praying to the Father, and interceding for others through prayer...
When he’s by bodies of water, he’s always teaching and preaching, and showing the way to others…
The way to think
The way to behave
The way to be true followers of God
In the mountains, or when he is high and lifted up, he’s always the one human being in the scene who is closest to God, both figuratively and literally.
When he’s with the people, he’s always more concerned with others than he is with himself, and he follows the last two portions of the J.O.Y. model (Jesus, Others You) – he places others before himself. We are to place Jesus first, others second, and ourselves last.
When he’s by bodies of water, he’s speaking to us about our daily lives, and our spiritual lives. Again, Jesus is concerned with every aspect of our lives, down to the smallest little details…he wants to show us how to “be”…
This past week, at Vacation Bible School, our children learned about the "Beach BE-attitudes," and the theme was about the Beach, so I surveyed the Scriptures, and noted that Jesus spends an incredible amount of time on the beach, or by a body of water. This morning, in the hope of being reminded of what it means to follow the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Jesus, I've merged the lessons the children learned with passages from the Gospels that are prime examples of the Beach BE-attitudes:
Be Kind - Matthew 14 - Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand - 13When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Be Obedient - John 21 - Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish - 1Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: 2Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. 5He called out to them, "Friends, haven't you any fish?" "No," they answered. 6He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards. 9When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught." 11Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." None of the disciples dared ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Be Forgiving - John 21 - Jesus Reinstates Peter - 15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." 16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." 17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. 18 I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." 19Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, "Follow me!"
Believe - Matthew 8 - Jesus Calms the Storm - 23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" 26He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. 27The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
