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Mark 6:45–56 (ESV)
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 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, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 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.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
The events of this narrative are also recorded in Matthew and John’s Gospels, and they provide more details than we find in Mark’s Gospel.
Here, we get the continuation of the narrative after the miraculous feeding of the crowd. Jesus has the disciples get into a boat and head out to the other side while He stays to dismiss the crowd, and then He goes alone to the mountain to pray.
Meanwhile, the disciples have managed to row out about three to four miles on the lake when a storm comes up. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that the seas became rough and that the wind and the waves were beating against the boat, and the disciples suddenly find themselves stuck in the storm. It’s at this point that Jesus comes, walking on the water, and the disciples are frightened at Jesus’ sudden appearance.
But that’s when we get one of Jesus’ greatest statements that almost every English translation misses. The “It is I; do not be afraid” in the passage is best translated as “I AM, do not be afraid.”
I AM. That name wouldn’t have been missed by the disciples. This is an incredible moment of self-revelation on the part of Jesus.
In Exodus, when the Lord called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, Moses responded with several excuses as he tried to dodge this calling. One of his concerns was that the people wouldn’t believe him, and so he asks the Lord, “When the people ask who sent me to them, and what is His name? How should I respond?”
The Lord’s response was, “Tell them, I AM, WHO I AM. I AM sent you.”
Jesus’ disciples would know the name I AM, and they would know all that it meant to the Jewish people. In fact, all of what’s happening here, from the miraculous feeding of the crowd to Jesus walking on water and the healing of the people on the shore, all of this should stir the memories of the people regarding the Passover and the crossing of the Red Sea as the Lord delivered His people out of the hands of the Egyptians.
That’s really Mark’s point. Mark has been giving us all these great accounts of Jesus in an answer to the question of the disciples back in Mark 4.41, “Who then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Are we getting a clue yet, or are we like the disciples who are still struggling to understand?
In Jim Edwards’ commentary on this passage, he notes that “The compassion of Jesus has fed, satisfied, and healed the crowds, but the blessings of his compassion raise the ultimate question whether those who experience them will enter further into Jesus’ saving purpose.”
It’s a great question for us today. Jesus is always inviting us to take those next steps with Him. Will we follow?
God bless you and know that you are constantly in my prayers!
Scott
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