“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,” Mark 6:48 ESV
Reflection: why does it seem like God sometimes let us struggle?
Most of us don’t particularly like going through hardships in life. We want an easier path, so we try to avoid the hardships if we can. But sometimes these hardships are designed so that we can be refined and purified as gold, in the “refiners fire”, for the kingdom of heaven. Today we will learn about exactly that.
Jesus walking on the water is an amazing story, recorded by Matthew, Mark and John. It is a story that you might even have heard as a young child in Sunday school. But, let me ask you, what is the point of the story? Of course, as most of God’s word, this story can offer us many different perspectives, depending on our needs and circumstances. But stop for a moment and really think about this story, think about what you have “received” from this story in the past, what purpose God has revealed to you through this story. Perhaps the authority and power of Jesus, to do something that is physically impossible for man, like walking on water. Or our need to look at and trust in Jesus, as Peter learned when He tried to step out of the boat to walk on the water towards Jesus. But a question for us to consider is,
What was Jesus teaching the disciples?
Interestingly, neither Mark nor John say anything about Peter stepping out of the boat in their accounts. So clearly that was not Mark’s focus with the story. But from Mark, we will find deep truths in this story, relevant and very valuable to our lives. Now, this event happened right after Jesus had fed a huge group of people, perhaps as many as 20,000, with only a few loaves of bread and some fish. A very powerful miracle. And, as it was late in the day, it says “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, and he was alone on the land.” Mark 6:45-47 ESV
So, the disciples are by themselves in the boat, Jesus watching from afar as He is alone with His Father in prayer. And it is at that point, we read the focus verse today, “And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them” Mark 6:48a ESV. The disciples were struggling, AND Jesus was watching them struggle. Now, why in the world would He do that? Why not help them? They were on mission for Him, they had dedicated their lives to Him, given up everything to follow Him. So it seems very strange that Jesus is watching them struggle, right? But, the second half of the verse we learn that Jesus absolutely didn’t leave them struggling alone. Let’s read it. “And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them,” Mark 6:48b ESV
Ok, so Jesus comes to them. But did you notice that He actually wasn’t planning to come into the boat to help? It says “He meant to pass by them,” What? Coming close, but just passing them by when He could have helped them? We have to jump to the end of the story to understand why He is doing this. It says “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 6:51-52 ESV. So here we find the answer. With all they had seen and experienced being with Jesus, miracle upon miracle, even feeding thousands of people that day, their hearts were “hardened”. Maybe they felt stupid about what they had proposed to Jesus how to feed the masses as opposed to trusting in Him. Who knows. But remember, they were “disciples in training”. Kind of like us.
So there are clearly several dimensions for us to consider. First, we can see that He knew of their struggle. He was watching all along; their struggle was never lost on Him. But in a way, we get a strong sense here that Jesus wanted them to have this struggle, for their benefit. Secondly, He came alongside them, perhaps to demonstrate that He can do what man cannot do, symbolized by “walking on water”. Thirdly, His plan was to go before them, as He “meant to pass them by”. God always goes before us, preparing good works for us that we can walk in. And, finally, if we get scared as the disciples did, if we really need Him, He is right there, stepping into our boat, into our struggle. We read “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,” Mark 6:49-51 ESV. He didn’t correct them, just comforted them.
It is a very powerful story, with many dimensions to consider. But today, He is telling us that, although we might be going through something difficult in life, a hardship, He is fully aware and is watching. It is for our refinement, our purification. And, He wants to go up ahead, before us, to prepare good works for us to walk in. But, we can always call out to Him, if we feel scared or overwhelmed, and He will jump in the boat with us, telling us
“Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
