“Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea,a nd he was alone on the land. 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, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 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.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” Mark 6:45-56
This well-known Bible story is probably one you heard in Sunday school. In fact, pop culture even recognizes and recites this story.
But there’s so much to dig into here that’s way cooler even than Someone just walking on water.
First, notice that Jesus “immediately made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side.” In context, this was immediately after Jesus had multiplied the fish and loaves to 5,000 men. So the disciples must’ve been on a spiritual high. After witnessing that miracle, and passing out all the loaves and fishes, they probably got into the boats slapping high fives and “woah! did you see that?!”
But they didn’t know what was coming next: a storm. Jesus sends them off to face the stormy winds while he climbs a mountain, alone, to pray. “And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.” So these men were out there struggling on the boat until 3 in the morning. Doesn’t Jesus notice? Doesn’t He care?
He does. “He meant to pass by them” in verse 48 is almost a direct theological cross reference to two passages of Scripture. One is in Exodus 33:18, where Moses prays that God would show him His glory. “please show me your glory.” And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” (emphasis added)
Another famous story is the story of Elijah, who had just battled 850 false prophets of Baal and Asherah in one of the most epic showdowns of good vs. evil in the whole Bible. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is on the run from the wicked Queen Jezebel, who swears she will put him to death. Elijah escapes to a cave, where the LORD Himself speaks to him. “And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD.” (emphasis added)
These places in the Old and New Testaments where the LORD passes by always seem to happen after a great spiritual victory, yet in the midst of a great storm - both physically and spiritually. It seems that God is reminding real people — Moses, Elijah, Jesus’ 12 disciples — of how great, awesome, mighty, powerful, and weighty the glory of God really is.
The question for us is, Is God’s glory enough? Is it enough for Him to pass by in all of His Glory? Is it enough for us in our times of weakness, spiritual battles, temptations, trials, and bad days, to seek out and rest in the power of His Glory? Or will our hearts remain hardened, as the disciples’ hearts were?
God often sends a storm in our lives to test our faith and the intention of our hearts. Yet Jesus, who had intended to pass by the disciples on the water, when he saw their terror, “immediately spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased.'“
Even in the midst of the storm that He sends us, He is with us. It’s His mercy to us. Will it be enough for us, today?