How often do we see and not understand? How often do we experience God’s goodness and fail to grasp the greater truth? The disciples had just witnessed and participated in a miracle as Jesus multiplied loaves and fish to feed the crowd. And, according to our passage today, they still didn’t get it.
“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:45–52, CSB)
Jesus walking on the water was not a demonstration of power for show or a gratuitous act. He simply did it to get to the other side of the sea. But the sight of Jesus walking the waves frightened the disciples. Mark explains that their fear and later gobsmacked faces were because they “had not understood about the loaves.” Mark does not explain what they were supposed to understand.
Both the feeding of the multitude and Jesus walking the waves proclaim the same truth, which is the purpose of Mark’s Gospel. Jesus is the Son of God. Who else could turn a few morsels into a satisfying meal for a large crowd? Who else could defy physics and walk on water as one walks on dry land? The disciples didn’t get it.
We shouldn’t wag our heads at the disciples too much, after all, we often don’t “get it” either. We may understand the words about who Jesus is and yet fail to grasp the significance in our lives. We want to tell Jesus what our lives should be like. We willingly invite Him in as savior, but struggle over the Lord part. But Jesus doesn’t wait for us to get it all figured out.
In the middle of a troubled sea with contrary winds, Jesus walked up and got in the boat. He didn’t have to. He could have left the disciples to struggle against the wind and walked on to the other side. But that is not Jesus. He sees our struggles, understands the limits of our grasp of who He is, and gets in our boat with us anyway. His presence brings peace to wind and waves.
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