Mark - Jesus Walks on Water

 

Jesus Walks on Water

Question of the day: Do you have a New Years resolution, goal or word for 2021?

Today we finish Mark chapter 6. 

This is a familiar story, so try to read it with new eyes and let us see what God has for us in this passage.  I would also like us to keep the focus of seeing what we learn about Jesus from this passage. So keep that in mind as we read. 

READ Mark 6:45-56

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified.

Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Is there anything in reading this story that surprised you or you didn't remember from before?

I found it interesting that Jesus sent the disciples away, while He finished up the work. I wish I could have been there to watch that interaction.  Was it easy for the disciples to leave, or did they object.  You have seen this scene play out at church functions, right.  Where someone says, "Go ahead and leave I got this."  

I like to think of this as Jesus taking care of all their needs.  Remember from last weeks lesson, the disciples were needing some down time, some away time and instead they were faced with 5 thousand + and they had to organize them, feed them, pick up the leftovers etc.  Now Jesus is telling them to go on, get back in the boat and get away, I will take care of sending the people away.  "I'll lock up."  In doing so he was giving them the "away" time they needed. 

"He was about to pass them."

I can't help but chuckle at this.  It sounds a bit like Jesus had a sense of humor.  He is getting ready to just walk right on by, walking on the water, while they struggle in the boat, rowing as hard as they can not making any headway... and then there is Jesus just walking on the water past them... LOL! You have to admit that is funny!

The other accounts of this story in Matthew and John don't tell it exactly that way, but it certainly is interesting and a bit humorous.  

Their reaction is fear and they don't know it is even Jesus.  They think he is a ghost. 

We then see Jesus getting in the boat.  Maybe that is when he decided they couldn't handle funny, or the joke landed flat, or maybe it wasn't meant to be funny, and he was just seeing what their reaction would be but.... regardless he gets in the boat.  

In the account of this story here in Mark we don't see the story of Peter walking on water too.  He just gets to the point.  

"they were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."

What does Mark mean? 

In other versions it references the miracle of the bread. 

Bottom line we know the disciples didn't understand what was going on.  Jesus was trying to tell them, show them and they were still missing it.  The disciples were seeing the miraculous things that Jesus was doing and they believed he was their Savior, but they wanted him to be Savior in the way they expected.  He was to "free" them and set up a new government, and then they would be His right hand men.  They would be elevated.  Instead they were just men following a "crazy false" prophet.  I am sure they were ready for Him to show who he really was, so that they could have the position they were expecting. 

It is important to remind ourselves too that we are not on this journey to be elevated, but to serve others. To be a Christ follower, is not to be part of this triumphant team, (even though we do win in the end.) but to keep serving, keep working, keep being misunderstood, keep being accused, keep seeing problem after problem, it isn't glamorous.  

They also were now so easily distracted from the glories of the miracle, the twelve baskets of leftovers, now all they can focus on is the fact that they aren't getting anywhere.  They seem to be rowing in place.  They so quickly forgot who had sent them to the boat, to get in the water, and that He wouldn't abandon them.  

Think about this...

They have just come back from where they were performing miracles, healing people, they had personally experienced working "with" Christ.  They return excited about what had happened, ready to share the power and the joys associated with their assignments.  Then that time is delayed because of the 5000, but they see what Jesus does, the see great need turn into great abundance simply with the touch of Jesus.  Then they get in the boat and the stress of the the current situation keeps their focus solely on the trouble.  They are no longer thinking about all that Jesus has done through and for them.  Now all they can think about is what they currently can't do.  All that consumes them is their inability to move forward. 

I feel like I'm right there now.  

God has led in the development of our church, we know that!

We have seen miraculous things happen! RIGHT?

So much he has done through and for us.

But now all that consumes me is our seemingly inability to move forward at all because of the wind. 

What about in our personal life?

What about as you set new goals and chose words?  Were those decisions firmly grounded in the knowledge and testimony of what God has and will continue to do in your life? 

I know too often, when looking at where I am wanting to go, I focus too much on the wind that seems to slow my journey instead of where I have been, the miracles that have already happened.  

How could it have been different for the disciples?

If they had been able to see the lake, the journey that night as a respite how different might it have been for them.  If they had seen the wind as keeping them in the middle of the lake away from people, a place of solitude and rest.  If they could have remembered that Jesus who had done so much wouldn't let them down, how different would their hearts been.  

So practically how do we do this?  How do we make sure we are keeping what He has done in our minds.  How do we keep our minds at peace in the midst of winds that seem to take us back when we are trying to move forward?  

What has worked for you?

As we move forward into 2021, it is my prayer for us as a kitchen class family, that we will keep in the for front of our minds all that God has done for us.  Where he has led and know that if the winds are slowing us down, He is there getting ready to pass us, with a twinkle in his eye.  He will get in the boat and we will keep going with him to the other side of this lake, and continue to work along side Him.  If we start to forget, or struggle with doubt and fear, let's remind each other, let's encourage each other!  God is still with us! He has won the war! We are his kids!