Lent 2026 Day 32: Thu 26 Mar
Mark 6:47-52
47 When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost— 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
51 Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.
Jesus sees the disciples straining in the boat half-way across a large lake on a darkening evening. I don’t think you could normally see that far or under those conditions. Jesus was not born with special powers of sight, but he sees the disciples, because this was revealed to him. Call it aided sight, call it a vision, Jesus saw them. He needed to be able to see them, because they were struggling to row against the wind.
The Word, God the Son, came to earth as a human. For anything that extends beyond the natural Jesus the human had to rely, as we humans do, on the Holy Spirit for revelation, knowledge, empowerment, in fact all the spiritual gifts that the Apostle Paul describes. This does not deny that Jesus is God in Man, but simply a logical conclusion to the concept of the Word becoming flesh and the “emptying” process that the Word went through to be like us without advantage. In the same way we rely on the Holy Spirit’s enabling.
For most of the time Jesus had no need for supernatural vision. For much of the time Jesus did not heal people, but he did when the need arose. Could we suggest that Jesus was fired up ready to raise Jairus’ daughter, and then that woman touched him?
Jesus promised his disciples that they would do the things he did, and more. Does not that promise also extend to today’s disciples, or was it limited to when the last apostle died? What was the point of Pentecost in that case?
This may sound controversial, but do we think of Jesus’ miraculous work as something only he could do? Jesus walked on the water, but he certainly would not need to if a boat were available. But at this moment none was, so Jesus walked out to the disciples. You would, wouldn’t you? A motorboat would be faster, but there were none available yet. Marvel not at the walking on water, marvel instead at the way God provides for us in the simplest and most miraculous ways, whichever is the most practical, because he loves us. Jesus walks out to us when we are being assailed and tired out by the prevailing wind. “Take courage! It’s me!” Strengthen your hearts, banish your fears.
Jesus climbs into the boat and joins a terrified crew. He’s not a ghost after all. That’s the first fear calmed, except that it is Jesus and he’s just walked on the water! Now the winds die down and there is peace. Their fear of losing their lives was now extinguished. Now they are sitting on a calm sea with the man who saw them off a few hours earlier, and they are terrified.
Honestly, they’d seen it all before when Jesus calmed the storm. Why not accept that Jesus could walk on the water’s surface? Seriously, this was an amazing action. I’d be as terrified as the disciples. But they’d been in trouble on the lake before, and now Jesus has saved them twice.
How much like you and me is Jesus?
How much like Jesus can we be?
How quickly could Jesus have covered “ground” on the water?
Why did Jesus make to pass by the disciples?
Father God, your Son Jesus’ words brought peace to the lake. I pray that the world may know him as the Prince of Peace. Amen.
When the storms of life are raging
Paul