Discipleship 101: Growing
in Grace, Even in the Storms!
Mark
6:45-52
Introduction: Have you ever been amazed by the performance of a world class
tightrope walker? Would you trust one enough to allow him to push you across
a chasm in a wheelbarrow? Me? NO WAY! That’s the difference between amazed
or entertained, and faith! Remember
Mark’s first summary of Jesus’ preaching, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe in the gospel” (Mk 1:15). Jesus came to reveal himself and to
make a way for sinners to be reconciled to God. That involves recognizing our
sin and turning from our prideful rebellion to Him. It means surrendering to
Him, being willing to “get in the wheelbarrow,” and trust Him with our life.
The first verse of Mark said it, Jesus Himself is the Good News, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.” The miracles Jesus did amazed many people. Only
gradually are the disciples understanding what the signs reveal about the
miracle worker. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea in Mark 4:41 the disciples
“…were filled with great fear and said to
one another, ‘Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?’” Faith is
recognizing who Jesus is, and receiving Him, trusting Him, taking Him at His
word. Three of the four gospels accounts report this miracle, all three
connecting it to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. In Mark’s account
of Jesus walking on the water he explicitly says in 6:51-52, “…And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand
about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” All that Jesus is doing
is to lead them to believe.
Matthew and Mark tell this story
from very different perspectives. In Matthew the miracle leads to a confession
of faith. In Mark the writer exposes the underlying “hardness of heart” that
still lingered in the apostles, and points to the “amazement” of these men
instead of to their faith. Is this a contradiction? God doesn’t contradict
Himself. So then, is it growing faith or lingering unbelief? I would say that
both are true! Matthew is looking at the glass half-full, the disciples are
growing in their understanding of who Jesus is. Mark is saying the glass is still
half-empty, they still have a long way to go! That’s the Christian life,
and it brings us to…
The BIG Idea: Jesus is Lord,
and discipleship is the process of Him graciously leading us, even through
trials, into a deeper, more intimate, trust in Him.
I. Jesus showed by example the importance of solitude and prayer (45-47). Note v.46,
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.
The
language Mark uses underscores a sense of urgency which we have seen
consistently in this gospel. “Immediately”
is that same favorite word of Mark, euthus,
and it underscores the movement from what just happened, the miraculous
feeding, to the next scene. First, He “made
the disciples get in the boat…” There is a sense of insistence and urgency.
He sent them out onto the lake ahead of Him. Why? Some suggest that we can get
insight into the urgency of sending them off from John’s gospel, where we learn
that some, on being fed miraculously, desired to “make Him king by force.” If that was the motive Jesus was trying to
spare the disciples from getting caught up in this wrong-headed attempt to
preempt the unfolding of the messianic story according to the Father’s plan. Focusing
on Mark’s account we don’t see any reference to that part of the story. Mark is
emphasizing Jesus’ patient work with the disciples, leading them from unbelief
and “hardness of heart” to faith. He had a plan to reveal himself further to
the disciples. So, He sends them ahead and dismisses the crowd.
As for himself, Jesus goes up on the
mountain to pray (46). Mark doesn’t emphasize as frequently the example of
Jesus praying compared to what we have in Luke. But we see Him at key moments
withdrawing from the crowds and spending time with the Father (see also 1:35).
We are not told what Jesus was praying about on the mountain, but could it be
that He was asking the Father to continue His work in the hearts of His
disciples? We know He prays for them (and us!) in the Upper Room (John 17).
There is a lesson for us here about the importance of prayer. If it was
necessary and important for Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, to pray, how much
more should we be people of prayer? Spending time with God is one of the keys
to knowing Him and loving Him.
The scene was set, after a night of
prayer (and for the disciples, a night rowing against the wind!), Jesus was
alone on the mountain, and the disciples were out on the lake, this time
without Jesus in the boat. Class in session! *Jesus is Lord, and discipleship
is a process of Him graciously leading us into a deeper, more intimate, trust
in Him.
II. Jesus guided the circumstances of the apostles to maximize their
growth, and saw them in their need (45-48a).
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... 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.
The omniscience and omnipresence of God
were attributes of God recognized in the OT Scriptures. A great example of that
is David’s prayer in Psalm 139…
O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern
my thoughts from afar. 3 You
search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my
tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and
before, and lay your hand upon me. 6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from your
Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are
there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! 9 If I take the wings of the
morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead
me, and your right hand shall hold me… (Psalm 139:1-10).
The disciples have been getting glimpses
of the glory of God in Christ, but they have yet to understand the full answer
to the question, “Who is this Jesus?”
They asked the question when He stilled the storm in Mark 4, and Jesus will ask
it of them again in Mark 8, but here in chapter 6 they are still treading
water, in the darkness, still straining at the oars, against the wind. Remember how they got there, out on the lake
alone. Mark says that Jesus “…made
the disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side…” He
had a plan. In his commentary on Mark, Dewey Mullholland, a former CB
missionary in Brazil, said,
“…Jesus is seeking to cure their
hardness of heart. He does this by teaching, testing and retesting them through
word and example, adjusting the methods to the disciples’ comprehension… [He]
increasingly teaches them apart from the
crowds, even at night on Lake Galilee…”
Eugene Peterson said,
"Our faith develops out of the most difficult aspects of our
existence, not the easiest." Here, we see Jesus using difficult circumstances, another
storm, contrary wind, to move the disciples toward faith. Jesus is Lord, and discipleship is a
process of Him graciously leading us, even through storms, into a deeper, more
intimate, trust in Him.
III. He reveals Himself to us during times of trial, when we may feel weakest (48b-50a).
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.
The fourth watch would have
been between three and six in the morning. Assuming the disciples left in the
late afternoon, they would have been on the lake for 9 or more hours, now
rowing hard against the wind. Mark
doesn’t emphasize the severity of the storm in the same way that Matthew and
John do. Nor does he speak about what the disciples learned through these signs.
Instead, he emphasizes what Jesus is doing and why He is doing
it. Let’s try to hear Mark’s message without injecting too much from the other
gospels for now.
First of all, this is the second miracle
on the lake in Mark. The last time, Jesus was in the boat with the disciples,
this time they are out there alone (cf. Mk 4:35-41). Mark doesn’t emphasize imminent danger from
the storm, but rather that the disciples are rowing hard against the wind and
not making much progress. They are no doubt discouraged, exhausted, and
frustrated. And then they see something for which they have no frame of
reference; a figure walking toward them on the water! They were terrified! For the reader of the
gospel, it is easier for us than it would have been for the disciples at that
moment in the boat to think of OT passages like Job 9:1-11…
Then Job answered and said: 2
"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before
God? 3 If one wished to
contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. 4 He is wise in heart and mighty in
strength- who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?- 5 he who removes mountains, and
they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, 6 who shakes the earth out of its
place, and its pillars tremble; 7
who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; 8 who alone stretched out the
heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; 9 who made the Bear and Orion, the
Pleiades and the chambers of the south; 10
who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond
number. 11 Behold, he
passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.
The Septuagint uses several of the same
key words in Job’s discourse that we see here in Mark 6. For a reader steeped
in the Greek version of the Bible, Mark’s account would immediately evoke the
words of Job. It is foolish to be hardened against the Lord. He is the One who
can “walk on the sea as on the ground” (LXX). As He passes by, we
should recognize Him and see Him for who He is. This interplay with the
language of the OT is intentional, it is part of the context in which the works
and words of Jesus must be understood (the literary devise is called
“intertextuality”). The idea that this was a “theophany,” a manifestation or
revelation of God, is further reinforced in the context.
He meant to “pass by” them – in
theophany! (cf. Ex 12:23; 33:19,22; 34:6). The phrase “He meant to pass by them” may seem troubling at first. He walked
all the way out to them on the lake, and then intended to walk right past them?
What is that about? While the English translations are difficult for us,
once again the Septuagint would evoke the revelation of God to his people in
times past. In Exodus we read,
18 Moses said, "Please show me your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make
all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name
'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show
mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But," he said, "you
cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." 21 And the LORD said,
"Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, 22
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… (Exodus 33:18-22).
The same verb, “pass by,” is used three times here in
this key text of God’s self-revelation to Moses. Remember the words in John
1:14, where John, from his post-resurrection perspective says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and
we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace
and truth.” God has revealed Himself in history. By the way, in the following context
in Exodus 34:6, the Lord showed himself to Moses saying…
6 The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the
LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast
love and faithfulness…
When Mark says
Jesus “intended to pass by them” he
is saying that He came to them intending to reveal His glory, to display His
deity before them.
Mark tells us they were terrified.
They still were not recognizing Him
fully. Recall that in Matthew’s account, this event led to a confession of
faith. Mark wants us to know that the disciples have a way to go before they
will be ready to embrace the mission to proclaim Christ fully to the nations. We’ve
seen several instances in this gospel where the revelation of God in Christ
evoked “fear” from those witnessing his works. Not reverence, but a lack of
faith is exposed. But God isn’t finished with them (or us!) yet! Jesus is Lord, and discipleship is an ongoing
process of Him graciously leading us into a deeper, more intimate, trust
in Him.
IV. He offers the
comfort of His presence and the truth of His Word (50b-51a).
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.
“Take
heart… do not be afraid…” We can “lose heart” when we are exhausted and frustrated
or discouraged. It may help to remember that God is there with us, and He is in
control, even using the circumstance that is troubling us to grow our faith. Frequently,
as God is revealing Himself to humans, there is the need for Him to say, “Do
not be afraid!” Multiple times God
appears to people, intending to reveal some aspect of His unfolding story. The
disciples thought they were seeing a ghost, but in fact they were in the
presence of the Holy One! They were tired, perhaps frustrated, maybe even
fearful of the wind and the storm. And Jesus came and met them, and He speaks
words of comfort and hope. Dr. Paul Tripp said,
"God meets us where we are. This is the beautiful,
hope-giving reality of grace... He comes to us in our fear. He draws near to us
when we are separated. He meets us in our doubt. He pursues us when we wander.
When we sin, he comes to us with conviction and forgiveness. He empowers us
when we're weak. He restores us when we are unfaithful. When we deny him, he
does not deny us. He comes to us at the moment of our salvation, and he comes
to us again and again as we journey from the already to the not yet... He does
not wait for us to come to him; he comes to us. It is the way of grace."
And He is there in the storms,
whispering, “It is I…” = ego eimi = literally, “I
AM”- Considering the context, a clear allusion to the divine revelation in
Exodus 3:14,15…
14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this
to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses,
"Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.'
This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all
generations.
*Who is Jesus? The
Lord, Yahweh, God incarnate, the
Great I AM. And discipleship is a process of Him graciously leading us into a
deeper, more intimate, trust in Him.
V. Jesus knew their hearts, their needs, and their unbelief (51b-52). “And they were utterly astounded, 52
for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” Mark gives a hard evaluation of the state of the
apostles—they have a way to go!
Jesus knew exactly where the disciples
were, and He came to them, revealing himself in the midst of their exhaustion
and discouragement, calling them to deeper trust in Him. What does it mean to
follow Him? There is no promise it will be easy. On the contrary, “In the world you will have
tribulation…” But He does promise to be with us… always. You can
take Him at His Word. After all, as the Big Idea here reminds us…
What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus is Lord, and
discipleship is a process of Him graciously leading us into a deeper, more
intimate, trust in Him.
What would God have me to do in response to this passage? As you read the Gospel of Jesus, the Son of God, as presented by Mark, is your heart being stirred, drawing you, leading you deeper in your walk with Him? By grace, I am learning each week. Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me.” Can you say, “I am in the wheelbarrow, and Jesus is pushing!”? Let me ask first,
1) Have you believed? Entrust yourself to Him! Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!
2) Are you going
through a trying time? Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation..." Someone said, “We are either in a storm, coming out of one,
or heading into one!” Fear not! He is present, He will reveal His glory, His desire is to
grow your faith. Discipleship is a
process of conviction and surrender, of trusting Him and entrusting more and
more of our life and our heart to Him.
By God’s design we do that best as part of the church, a community of
faith, provoking one another to love and good works. Let’s grow together, it’s
His plan for us! AMEN.
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