English Standard Version Chapter 6

Jesus Walks on the Water

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. 48 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, 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. 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. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret

53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Jesus is the Glory of God Manifested

What is the main point of the text: Jesus is so much more than what the people are expecting, so much more than what the disciples realize, so much more than the miracles he is doing. Jesus is the Glory of God revealed to man. He is the presence of God in human flesh, he is the Son of God who has come to take away the sins of the world.

The feeding of the 5,000 ends abruptly

The peak of Jesus’ Galilean ministry

Never was more popular

The crowds were mega

Casting out of demons and healing on another level

15-25,000 people were just fed from a lunchable

He sends the disciples away. Why?

MADE them get in the boat.

Anankazo= to force, compel, motivate, persuade

WHY? JOHN 6:15

John 6:15 ESV

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

The people saw all that Jesus was doing and they wanted a king.

Crowd’s Constant tension to over throw Rome

JESUS as functional king, to get rid of our earthly enemies or heavenly king to get rid of our greatest enemy sin?

Sends the crowd away and goes to pray alone.

IF JESUS PRAYS...

What is he praying for?

For the disciples, for the crowds

THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND

We cannot understand the gospel

Jesus has come to take away their sins and bring them into relationship with GOD

JOY being with him

Love him for HIM, not for what he does for them

the desire of the heart

They didn’t understand the loaves

They still don’t know who Jesus is

Disciples on the Sea

On the HILL he sees the boat struggling 6-9pm 1st watch of the night.

Painfully making headway

Rowing machine

Painfully=torture

4th watch of the night Jesus looks again and they are still rowing 3-6AM

9hrs of rowing

that is torture

Jesus Walks on Water

Jesus sees THEM. Sees suffering and comes down

Comes down, condescends from time with the father.

Picture of incarnational ministry

HE came to them

Meets them in their suffering

Jesus walks on water

EPI= on the surface of

On water- JOB 9:8

Job 9:8 ESV

who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;

Psalm 77:19 ESV

Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.

Isaiah 43:16 ESV

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,

The Gospel according to Mark The “I AM” in the Midst of a Storm (6:45–52)

for in the OT only God can walk on water. In walking on the water toward the disciples, Jesus walks where only God can walk. As in the forgiveness of sins (2:10) and in his power over nature (4:39), walking on the lake identifies Jesus unmistakably with God. This identification is reinforced when Jesus says, “ ‘Take courage! It is I.’ ” In Greek, “ ‘It is I’ ” (egō eimi) is identical with God’s self-disclosure to Moses. Thus Jesus not only walks in God’s stead, but he also takes his name.

Exodus 33:18-19 “Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” 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.”

Job 9:11 “Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.”

Why does he intend to pass by them? It is possible it is a picture like that of Moses and God on Mount Sinai, Exo.

It could be that it was just what the eyewitness saw, it is not clear but what is clear is:

Jesus says: Take Heart It is Il Do not be afraid.

The words It is I: Ego Eimi= I AM

Declaration of who he is

What does he do, the I AM gets in the boat

Jesus Gets In the Boat

When Jesus gets in the boat the storm stops

Don’t trivialize that idea

Tension, conflict, and suffering are marks of Christian growth.

Jesus doesn’t mean we wont go through pain, suffering, loss, heartache, etc.

It DOES mean he is there with us in it.

Disciples didn’t understand

Mark says that they were utterly astounded:

Why? That the wind stopped?

That he walked on water?

The feeding of the 5,000?

That he says “I AM”

I should have been this declaration of divinity but they were astounded because they still thought that Jesus was a normal man who God has given extraordinary abilities.

But Mark continues “for they did not understand about the loaves but their hearts were hardened”

Mark again (3:20–21) reminds us that faith is not an inevitable result of knowing about Jesus, or even of being with Jesus. Faith is not something that happens automatically or evolves inevitably;

Maybe this is why When they get to the shore he teaches the people the next day who he is.

John 6:22-71 “On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God,…”

Mark (A Manifestation to Soften Hearts)

When people fail to understand the identity of Christ, it is not because they are unintelligent, it is because their hearts are recalcitrant. Their hearts are made out of stone, for sin has caused great calluses to grow on their hearts, so that Christ Himself could walk in front of them on the water and they still would not believe.- Sproul

LET THIS BE A WARNING!

Jesus heals the sick

He continues and there in the morning they arrive at Gennesaret, not Bethsaida, and the people mobbed him again. Still missing the point of who he is, putting their people out to be healed and touching his cloak.

Why do you follow Jesus?

Do we come to Jesus because of what he does for us?

Because it’s what we’ve been taught?

Because it aligns with our convictions?

Morality?

OR

Because we Jesus for who he is? HE is GOD, HE IS BEAUTIFUL.

I’m truly convinced that Mark wants us to see who Jesus is, that he is the son of God. What does that do for your heart?