The Gospel of Mark Part 28
The Gospel of Mark • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Mark’s gospel is more about action…and less about words.
John’s gospel contains more of Jesus’ TELLING us about Himself, but Mark prefers to SHOW his readers who Jesus is, and that’s exactly the theme of this passage.
We began this particular passage back in verses 32-44 with the feeding of the 1000’s.
Who else could do that but God Himself?
And now we come to this iconic scene where Jesus once again demonstrates His deity by supernatural means.
Prologue: Jesus’ Preparation of Prayer (v.45-47)
I. Jesus’ Passing (v.48)
II. Disciple’s Panic (v.49-50a)
III. Jesus’ Promise (v.50b)
IV. Jesus’ Peace (v.51a)
Epilogue: Disciple’s Petrified Hearts (v.51b-52)
Prologue: Jesus’ Preparation
Prologue: Jesus’ Preparation
45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.
I want to begin by revisiting something we talked about last week: The political nature of the multitude when they knew that Jesus had performed the miracle of the loaves and fish…John tells us that they tried to force Jesus to become king - they had a zealot’s heart to see Rome overthrown and believed that Jesus was the one to lead them.
So Jesus took action to make sure that didn’t happen.
First, He sent the disciples IMMEDIATELY away in the boat, while He deals with the crowds.
It was 5,000 to 1, but God is never outnumbered! Once again, Mark is making sure we see Jesus’ authority.
It was Jesus who single-handedly dispersed the crowd. While the disciples had helped distribute the food, now it was Jesus who took charge of the situation…Authority on display!
46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.
Once again, Mark is demonstrating Jesus’ devotional life…His prayer time with the Father.
This verse is the key to this passage!
We are going to see Jesus do something amazing - and it begins with PRAYER!
Notice that Jesus gets away from the crowds and even from the disciples to pray.
We already saw this pattern back in chapter one:
35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
This is the pattern for us to follow - sacred time with the Father in prayer, in conversation, in union with our God.
It is always after prayer that Jesus does His greatest works.
It was after a night in prayer that He called His 12 apostles.
It was after prayer and fasting that He defeated Satan’s attacks.
It was after prayer that He broke the bread and the fish and miraculously created new food for the multitude.
And now He prays yet again before He temporarily alters the laws He wrote when He created the universe.
But this is more than just walking on water, as we will see!
47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
Notice the geographical distance - the boat was “in the middle of the sea”. This term is a bit ambiguous, but the idea is that it is not close to the shore.
The disciples were separated from their Rabbi - that is what Mark is showing us…yet it was only a physical separation, and it sets up yet another example of Jesus’ deity which we see in the next verse.
I. Jesus’ Passing
I. Jesus’ Passing
Mark 6:48 (NKJV)
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them...
Notice that Jesus SAW them straining with the oars…but the previous verse told us that they were out in the midst of the sea and Jesus was still on a mountain where He had been praying!
Yet Jesus SAW them…how does one see possibly several miles out in a dark, stormy sea?…because that Person is God in the flesh! Remember that Jesus’ identity is a key theme for Mark, and he has been highlighting that all along in this passage - from the authority over the crowds to now the authority over great distances.
What hinders a mere mortal is nothing for the Son of God!
Also, remember this when you are “straining at rowing” in your life…when “the winds are against you” - Jesus sees you! No distance is so great that Jesus cannot see you.
Also - keep in mind why the disciples were out in the storm in the first place - they were heading to Bethsaida, just like Jesus commanded…they were living in obedience to God, yet they were facing a storm and were forced into “straining at rowing”.
OBEDIENCE DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL SMOOTH SAILING!
OBEDIENCE DOES NOT ALWAYS EQUAL SMOOTH SAILING!
Also, if He was God and could calm storms, why not do so? He already did it earlier in Mark when they woke Him up in the boat in the middle of a storm…so why not go ahead and calm the storm??
Because Jesus is getting ready to show them something amazing!…Something that the disciples would only be able to see in a storm!
Mark 6:48 (NKJV)
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
First, Mark used the Roman method of measuring time - “the fourth watch of the night” was from 3am to 6am.
(the Jewish method was a threefold division - Mark’s employs the Roman divisions, which divided the night into four parts named evening, midnight, cock crow, and dawn)
At first, this statement seems to be a strange way to treat your disciples when they are in trouble…why would He just walk by them?? Why not stop and help them?…Because He was planning to do something totally amazing!!
Jesus was preparing to show them His glory! - This is the centerpiece of the story!
Just like He viewed the crowds earlier when He stepped out of the boat with compassion, Jesus sees His men with compassion now, and He is going to use their trial as an opportunity for them to see Him in a way they have never seen before and only read about people seeing God.
<READ Exodus 33:17-23>
Exodus 33:19 (NKJV)
19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
Just as God visited the people of Israel, and here specifically Moses, in the midst of their distress in Egypt, so Jesus was going to “pass by” the disciples in the middle of their storm.
It was only in the storm that the disciples could have seen and appreciated the glory of their Messiah.
It was only in the storm that they could experience the Glory of Christ passing by right in front of them.
It is only in the darkness of the storm that the brightness of God’s presence fills our hearts. And so He doesn’t always calm the storms…He sometimes chooses to “pass us by” so that we can see our great God doing great things.
22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.
6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
God’s passing in view of or in front of means that His hand is actively protecting us, even while the wind is howling.
God also passed by in view of the prophet Elijah.
<READ 1 Kings 19:11-12>
Mark 6:48 (NKJV)
48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.
We would be remiss if we ignored this part of the miracle - Jesus literally walked on water!
Some have tried to explain this miracle away, but the wording is a literal walking “on”, “upon” or “on top of” the water, just as verse 47 says that Jesus was “on the land” - the same Greek wording is used, with the only difference being the word water is exchanged for the word land…Jesus literally defied the laws of molecular science in order to walk on the surface of the water.
8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;
16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?
Jesus, who IS God, is fully capable of walking on the water, which He proves here.
II. Disciple’s Panic
II. Disciple’s Panic
Mark 6:49–50 (NKJV)
49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled...
The disciples see the glory and it makes them afraid - their superstition takes over and they think they are seeing a spirit…they are terrified, to be sure, but they are also struggling with a heart of unbelief, as we will see in a couple of verses.
Jesus was showing them His glory - perhaps like a theophany similar to His transfiguration on the mountain would be, but certainly to see any form of a man walking on the surface of the water would be troubling.
And so they began to panic - as might we if we were in the boat that day!
But Jesus doesn’t allow their fear to overcome them:
III. Jesus’ Promise
III. Jesus’ Promise
50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
First of all, Jesus talks with them - He speaks to them, which is what they needed to hear!
Second, the words He speaks are a command: “Be of good cheer!”
The phrase is one Greek word:
A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (θαρσέω)
ἐθάρσησα tharseō: to be firm or resolute in the face of danger or adverse circumstances, be enheartened, be courageous
Notice that Jesus’ presence does not mean that we don’t need to be brave!
We, Christians to day, have the Holy Spirit literally dwelling inside of us, yet we still need courage.
It’s not that God’s presence means that we don’t need to be brave…it’s that our courage is strengthened BECAUSE of God’s presence!
Courage is seeing the danger and going ahead anyway.
“one man with courage makes a majority,”
Warren W. Wiersbe
50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Next, Jesus says, “It is I...”
This is another claim to deity by Jesus Christ:
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Jesus is the “I AM” - the self-existent, eternal Son of God!
Once again, Jesus’ deity is on full display.
Not only is He walking on water, but now He is claiming the title reserved only for Yahweh in the OT.
50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Once again, Jesus reiterates His command, this time a negative version: Do not be afraid!
And sandwiched in between the two commands for courage is the reason for the courage: “It is I!”.
IV. Jesus’ Peace
IV. Jesus’ Peace
Mark 6:51 (NKJV)
51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased...
Instantly, the wind ceases - no command from His lips is uttered…simply Jesus’ presence brings peace.
Jesus had commanded that they go out without Him, Jesus had come to them on the water, and now He was in the boat with them.
Jesus’ presence is not just a theoretical truth - the presence of God is a practical reality!
Our courage stems from His presence! He brings His peace to bear in every situation!
27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
By the way - that peace is a result of prayer!
3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.
When our minds are fixed on Christ, knowing that He is the I AM, knowing that He is with us constantly represented by the Spirit’s presence, we can find our courage and our peace!
Epilogue: Disciple’s Petrified Hearts
Epilogue: Disciple’s Petrified Hearts
Mark 6:51–52 (NKJV)
51 ...And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Mark, by Holy Spirit inspiration, gives us a little window into the disciples’ hearts.
The sad part is that they missed the amazing thing that Jesus was trying to do when “He would have passed them by”!
They are certainly “greatly amazed beyond measure” and “marveling” at what they had just seen - Jesus literally walking on the surface of the water.
But verse 52 gives us an insight - “they had not understood about the loaves”...
They had missed something about the feeding of the 5,000.
They saw that as an amazing way to fill people’s stomachs, not a way to identify the Son of God. And the reason was because of the condition of their hearts!
If they would have understood and learned what they were supposed to learn at the feeding of the 5,000, they would have recognized Jesus when they saw Him “passing by”.
Remember what they said when Jesus spoke to calm the storm? - “What manner of man is this?”…Jesus had been answering that question for the last two chapters, culminating in the feeding of the 1000’s and by walking on water - but they still didn’t see it.
By now, these men should have moved beyond simply being astonished…they should have grown spiritually so that they would understand WHO Jesus was!
The word hardened here means to become calloused. The disciples had seen so many things that were pointing them to the identity of their Rabbi, but they were allowing hardness to set in their hearts.
Failure to understand leads to hardness of heart.
Failure to understand leads to hardness of heart.
One last thing to consider: What had the people wanted to do to Jesus immediately after the 1000’s were fed?…They had tried to make Him king.
It’s very possible that the disciples had been swept up into that movement, wanting to see their Teacher crowned King, but when Jesus put a stop to that and sent them away - it may well have been a blow to their pride - it might have stung a bit to be sent AWAY from Jesus instead of Jesus setting up His kingdom and bringing them along!
Hardened hearts are still a big problem in the church today - people get offended, people get hurt, people’s expectations aren’t met…and while many times forgiveness and grace are given, there are too many times when the heart is hardened.
And when we cease to learn what God is trying to teach us, our hearts are hardened, …just as the disciples missed what Jesus was trying to do that night on the Sea of Galilee.