My husband and I have recently started watching a show called The Chosen. It tells the story of Jesus. While they've taken some creative license, they’ve done a very good job at giving color and humanity to the characters of the Bible.
So far in the series, we’ve seen Jesus perform two miracles: filling Peter and Andrew’s nets with fish and turning water to wine at the wedding. These two miracles have something in common; Jesus required a small act of faith before performing them. For the fishermen, Peter was skeptical about this stranger telling him how to do his job. He hesitated, but he eventually cast his net and was not disappointed. At the wedding, when Jesus asks the jars be filled with water, one of the servants says “I think you’ve misunderstood. We need wine, not water.” They reluctantly comply and lo and behold they have some amazing wine to serve the guests.
For what we can assume is for the sake of brevity, the Bible doesn't go into detail about the disciples' and servants' reactions to being told to do a strange and seemingly futile task. They may have been immediately obedient, but it's also quite possible they reacted much like you or I would. It's possible they initially resisted. They likely had questions. But for the miracle to take place, Jesus required them to step out in faith. Luke 5:5 says
Simon [Peter] answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Here we find a clue that Peter was likely skeptical, but ultimately obedient.
In both these scenarios Jesus asked for them to participate in the miracle He had already planned to do. He didn’t make fish fall out of the sky. He asked for Peter to cast his own net. Similarly, He didn’t make wine appear out of nothing. He required a small act of faith. He wanted them to align themselves with and participate in His plan. In Matthew 17:20, Jesus says
“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Imagine what God can do through you if only you have a little faith.
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