GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 6:54
Who?
After becoming ill with fever and muscle weakness in August 1921, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s condition worsened over several days. Physicians ultimately diagnosed his condition as poliomyelitis. Paralyzed from the waist down, Roosevelt spent most of the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He did learn to walk with the aid of steel braces on both legs, but it was difficult. Biographers, however, report that even in a wheelchair, when he entered a room, people recognized him. Writers describe this as “presence.”
I attended a reception for an internationally known evangelist. He was tall, stood erect, and had a warm smile—his crusades were frequently televised. It was easy to recognize him.
After their most unusual boat trip across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and his disciples landed at Gennesaret, an area south of Capernaum on the western shore of the lake. “And as they got out of the boat, immediately they recognized him.” (Mark 6:54) It is unlikely that any of the 5,000 or so people who heard Jesus’ teaching and ate the miraculously supplied meal at the northeastern area of Bethsaida, on the eastern side of the Jordan River had made the nine-to-ten-mile walk to Gennesaret—it was possible but not likely. Nonetheless, when Jesus left the boat, people recognized him. None of the writers suggests that Jesus dressed differently from everyone else, or had any physical characteristic that set him apart, such as height or appearance, yet people recognized him. Jesus had been in the area teaching and ministering, and that likely contributed to his immediate recognition.
For every follower of Jesus, life and ministry should leave a positive effect so that they will be recognized.
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