Walking on Water. Mark 6:45-52.
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was along on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, For they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Dear Holy Nation,
As we have already seen, Mark is on a quest to demonstrate the divinity of Jesus to the reader. At the same time, he is also communicating the extent of spiritual blindness in even the closest of Jesus’ companions.
Separation (v. 45).Jesus sends his disciples away and remains with the crowd. The disciples get into the boat and row away, while Jesus proceeds to dismiss the crowd. Jesus wants to be alone for some time and also wants the disciples to reflect on what they have seen and heard. Time alone is important if we are to make sense of life and focus on our priorities.
Struggle (vv. 46-48). Both Jesus and the disciples were involved in struggles at this point. But the struggles were very different. On Knees (v. 46). Jesus’ struggle was one of prayer. He had wanted to be alone so that he could commune with his Father. This was the secret of Jesus’ power and effectiveness in ministry. Against Nature (vv. 47-48). The disciples were focused on the task of conquering the wind that was pressing in the opposite direction. They inched along painfully, making little progress. Yet none of them had grasped the fact that they could appeal to Jesus and he would help them, even when he was far from them.
Scare (vv. 49-50).Jesus decided to leave the disciples to their ignorance and lack of faith for the moment. He started to walk across the sea, intending to pass them by. But they saw him. It was “the fourth watch of the night,” which was from 3:00 AM to 6:00 AM. It was beginning to get light but not enough for one to identify objects clearly. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on water, they concluded it must be a ghost and cried out in fear. Jesus calmed their fears when he spoke to them.
Surprise (vv. 51-52). Despite having seen Jesus’ exceptional ability to do wonders, the disciples were still incredulous when he got into the boat and the wind stilled. They were so blinded by years of following tradition that a miracle before their eyes did not change their hardened hearts.We should each examine our hearts. When we find it difficult to accept what God has done, when it plain for all to see, it is time to cry out to God, “Help my unbelief!” (9:24).
Your Loving Pastor Chris.