Mar 6:51-52 | KingComments | STEP | After the wonder of the feeding, the Lord made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side. The fact that He has to make His disciples go, indicates that they did not wish to leave without Him. In doing so He makes them experience what it is like to be sent away from Him, something they themselves had asked Him to do with the crowd ( ). The time has come for the Lord to send the crowd away. He has taught them from the Word, and saturated them with bread. He has proved Himself to be the Messiah, but they have not accepted Him. That is why He will – in picture – set the people aside for a time. But also with His disciples He has seemingly no connection. He leaves them alone. This is a picture of the present time, the time when He is not on earth. Israel has been rejected for a time, while He Himself during that time takes His place in the high places to pray for His own. While He is absent, evening falls. The boat is in the middle of the sea, and He is on the land. There is distance between the disciples in the boat and Him. So we find ourselves in the night of the world. The disciples do not see Him, but He sees them. He also sees that they are in difficult circumstances. He sees their frantic attempts to get through that situation. After He has prayed, He comes to them at the darkest hour of the night. It is the fourth watch, when the night is almost over, between three and six o’clock. The Lord walks on the sea against which the disciples fight to the death. Thus is He above our circumstances. He does not have to fight them, for He controls them completely, they are under His authority. To Him, these difficulties do not exist. He allows them into the lives of His own, that they may learn to trust in Him. He does not deliver His disciples directly from their distress. He wants to pass them by, as if He did not notice their need. He will not pass them by, but by pretending to do so, He wants to teach them something. When the disciples see Him walking on the sea, they think He is a ghost. They cry out in fear. Believers who are severely tested can sometimes lose sight of the Lord altogether and come to the conclusion that they are dealing with the devil. When we see that here with the disciples, we don’t have to blame such believers. He doesn’t blame His disciples either. If it was a ghost, which they thought it was, then they were dealing with the power of the evil one. They had received the power over the evil one from Him ( ). But they can only use that power in constant dependence on Him and that is what they lack here. They do see Him, but instead of being encouraged they are frightened, because they don’t recognize Him. Then He opens His mouth with words of encouragement, assurance and comfort. He does not initially speak ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them. He is so close to them that there is no longer distance between Him and them. He encourages them with the words: “Take courage.” He assures them that it is He. He comforts them in their fear by telling them not to be afraid. They see Him, but instead of being encouraged, they are frightened because they don’t recognize Him. Then He opens His mouth with words of encouragement, security, and comfort. At first he does not speak ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them. He is so close to them that there is no more distance between Him and them. He encourages them with the words: “Take courage.” He assures them it’s him. He comforts them in their fear by telling them not to be afraid. Then He gets into the boat with them. The result is peace. So it is in the life of the tried and tested believer. When the Lord enters his heart, the wind stops and with Him there also comes rest. That rest arouses great amazement. The reason for their unbelief and unfamiliarity with Christ is their hardened heart. The neglect of a work or a wonder of His has a hardening effect on the heart. This is not only true for unbelievers, for whom it is fatal for eternity ( ). It also applies to believers to whom it is not fatal for the sake of eternity, but to whom it does have a limiting effect on the life of faith on earth. That is why every teaching needs new teaching. Really getting to know and trust the Lord always goes on, because our heart is so often hardened.

‏ Mark 6:51-52

The Lord Jesus Walks on the Sea

After the wonder of the feeding, the Lord made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side. The fact that He has to make His disciples go, indicates that they did not wish to leave without Him. In doing so He makes them experience what it is like to be sent away from Him, something they themselves had asked Him to do with the crowd (Mk 6:35-36).

The time has come for the Lord to send the crowd away. He has taught them from the Word, and saturated them with bread. He has proved Himself to be the Messiah, but they have not accepted Him. That is why He will – in picture – set the people aside for a time. But also with His disciples He has seemingly no connection. He leaves them alone. This is a picture of the present time, the time when He is not on earth. Israel has been rejected for a time, while He Himself during that time takes His place in the high places to pray for His own.

While He is absent, evening falls. The boat is in the middle of the sea, and He is on the land. There is distance between the disciples in the boat and Him. So we find ourselves in the night of the world. The disciples do not see Him, but He sees them. He also sees that they are in difficult circumstances. He sees their frantic attempts to get through that situation. After He has prayed, He comes to them at the darkest hour of the night. It is the fourth watch, when the night is almost over, between three and six o’clock.

The Lord walks on the sea against which the disciples fight to the death. Thus is He above our circumstances. He does not have to fight them, for He controls them completely, they are under His authority. To Him, these difficulties do not exist. He allows them into the lives of His own, that they may learn to trust in Him. He does not deliver His disciples directly from their distress. He wants to pass them by, as if He did not notice their need. He will not pass them by, but by pretending to do so, He wants to teach them something.

When the disciples see Him walking on the sea, they think He is a ghost. They cry out in fear. Believers who are severely tested can sometimes lose sight of the Lord altogether and come to the conclusion that they are dealing with the devil. When we see that here with the disciples, we don’t have to blame such believers. He doesn’t blame His disciples either.

If it was a ghost, which they thought it was, then they were dealing with the power of the evil one. They had received the power over the evil one from Him (Mk 6:7). But they can only use that power in constant dependence on Him and that is what they lack here.

They do see Him, but instead of being encouraged they are frightened, because they don’t recognize Him. Then He opens His mouth with words of encouragement, assurance and comfort. He does not initially speak ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them. He is so close to them that there is no longer distance between Him and them. He encourages them with the words: “Take courage.” He assures them that it is He. He comforts them in their fear by telling them not to be afraid.

They see Him, but instead of being encouraged, they are frightened because they don’t recognize Him. Then He opens His mouth with words of encouragement, security, and comfort. At first he does not speak ‘to’ them, but ‘with’ them. He is so close to them that there is no more distance between Him and them. He encourages them with the words: “Take courage.” He assures them it’s him. He comforts them in their fear by telling them not to be afraid.

Then He gets into the boat with them. The result is peace. So it is in the life of the tried and tested believer. When the Lord enters his heart, the wind stops and with Him there also comes rest. That rest arouses great amazement.

The reason for their unbelief and unfamiliarity with Christ is their hardened heart. The neglect of a work or a wonder of His has a hardening effect on the heart. This is not only true for unbelievers, for whom it is fatal for eternity (Heb 3:7-15). It also applies to believers to whom it is not fatal for the sake of eternity, but to whom it does have a limiting effect on the life of faith on earth. That is why every teaching needs new teaching. Really getting to know and trust the Lord always goes on, because our heart is so often hardened.