Mark 6:45-56, CEB - Right then, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and go ahead to the other side of the lake, toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After saying good-bye to them, Jesus went up onto a mountain to pray. Evening came and the boat was in the middle of the lake, but he was alone on the land. He saw his disciples struggling. They were trying to row forward, but the wind was blowing against them. Very early in the morning, he came to them, walking on the lake. He intended to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost and they screamed. Seeing him was terrifying to all of them. Just then he spoke to them, “Be encouraged! It’s me. Don’t be afraid.” He got into the boat, and the wind settled down. His disciples were so baffled they were beside themselves. That’s because they hadn’t understood about the loaves. Their minds had been closed so that they resisted God’s ways.
When Jesus and his disciples had crossed the lake, they
landed at Gennesaret, anchored the boat, and came ashore. People immediately recognized
Jesus and ran around that whole region
bringing sick people on their mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went—villages, cities, or farming
communities—they would place the sick in the marketplaces and beg him to allow
them to touch even the hem of his clothing. Everyone who touched him was healed.
Coming off the
feeding of the thousands, Jesus herds his disciples into a boat. Remember, he had been trying to get them some
rest when the crowd showed up. In the
hustle to take care of this enormous need, Jesus does not forget that his
apprentices need rest and that is his intention. He would send the crowd home while they got
some time away by themselves.
They are still out
on the lake, when Jesus is ready to go meet them on the other side. He sees them struggling a bit, but it seems
He was going to let them work through it, because Mark reports that Jesus had
intended to walk on pass them. Mark is
the only gospel writer to include this detail, and we’re not really sure why he
does. It’s possible that Mark wanted to explain
that Jesus is not walking on the water in order to show off. The disciples had gotten a head start and so
Jesus is simply taking the “short cut” across the lake instead of the many more
hours it would take to walk around. Walking
on the water was the practical solution, not an occasion to show off.
In any case, the
plan changes when Jesus inadvertently terrifies His disciples. They take Him for a ghost and they scream. Jesus comes to them to calm their fears. He gets into the boat with them, calms the
winds, and helps them to the other side of the lake.
Mark, as we have
talked about before, is mostly a “just the facts” author who seldom offers
extra commentary. But here, he does:
His disciples were so baffled
they were beside themselves. That’s
because they hadn’t understood about the loaves. Their minds had been closed so
that they resisted God’s ways.
It is baffling that the disciples were baffled. By this time, Jesus doing the miraculous had
become commonplace for them. Jesus
traveling companions had seen countless healings, demon exorcisms, and even a
resurrection. He had commanded storms to
cease and he had just fed thousands of people with two baskets of food. Seeing Jesus walk on water seems like a rather
minor party trick in comparison. But Mark breaks from reporter-mode to make
sure we know that these disciples were “beside themselves” because they had
somehow not understood what happened earlier in the day with the crowd of
hungry people.
I’m baffled myself until
I remember how many times that I have totally missed the miraculous because I
had been “thown off my game” by a barrage of distractions and/or busyness. I can identify with getting so consumed with
the work I’m engaged in that I become oblivious to the fact that I have just
witnessed a miracle. It seems the disciples had gotten so engrossed
in taking care of the crowd that they had not really noticed the miracle in
which they themselves had fulfilled a role.
In their worn-out stupor, Jesus taking a stroll on the lake sends their
minds spinning. I can relate.
These disciples were
not faithless dolts. They themselves had
just completed their first mission without Jesus by their side. They have performed the miraculous
themselves. But after a long stretch of
ministry without enough rest, a perceived ghost on the water crumbles them
momentarily. “Their mind had been closed
so that resisted God’s ways.” I want to
say, “may that never happen to us,” but the reality is that if it hasn’t
happened already, there’s a pretty good chance it will.
Jesus doesn’t seem too
worried about it. He doesn’t utter anything
like a “ye of little faith” like He has at other times. They get to the other side, and ministry picks
up right where it left off before. The
trip across the lake has taken them from fear back into faith and that’s a good
thing. There is more work to be
done. Onward and upward.
Questions: Have you
ever been “beside yourself” because of something that, in normal circumstances,
would not be a problem at all? How do
you handle such times?
Prayer: Holy Spirit,
bring us back to faith in times where we lose ourselves. Help us establish healthy habits of rest and
recreation so that we can keep up faithful service to You and others. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for victims of violence that you are aware of right now.
Song: The Breakup Song - Francsesca Battistelli
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