Jesus Walks on Water
Journey to The Cross • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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In the season of Lent as we travel to Resurrection Sunday we are taking the journey to the cross with Jesus.
In this series we are taking the time to look at the life and ministry of Jesus in the three years leading to the cross.
Considering significant moments that perhaps stand out.
Our focus is in the Gospel of Mark but sometimes to get a richer and clearer picture we will also add the other three Gospel accounts.
Two weeks ago we started the series with the baptism of Jesus, for the ministry of Jesus this is the beginning.
We considered that the same is true for us as well.
Today we move from Chapter 1 of the Gospel of Mark to Chapter 6.
Remember we are considering Mark’s Gospel is Peter’s account of the ministry of Jesus.
So today we consider Peter’s account of Jesus walking on the water.
Chair Bible pg. 674
45 And immediately Jesus had His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He Himself dismissed the crowd.
46 And after saying goodbye to them, He left for the mountain to pray.
47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.
48 Seeing them straining at the oars—for the wind was against them—at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.
49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out;
50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”
51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished,
52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Are you ready for the message God has for us today?
Cool, let’s dig in!
Jesus tells the disciples to leave
Jesus tells the disciples to leave
The account of walking on the water is connected to two pervious moments in the lives of Jesus and the disciples.
Jesus calming the sea — Mark 4:35-41 note verses 39-41
Jesus feeding the 5000 — Mark 6:33-44 note verses 41-44
In our passage the Gospel’s key word immediately appears right off.
Without any lapse in time Jesus urges His disciples to get in the boat and head to the other side.
Jesus will stay and dismiss the crowd.
There is an unmistakable urgency here in these verses.
The word immediately adds to the compelling of Jesus for them to get in the boat and leave.
At first glance it could appear that Jesus wants to be rid of the disciples for a little while, but if so then why?
Just thinking about it, why didn’t Jesus go with them.
The answer is not found in this account, there is something that John tell us in His account, something that perhaps Peter missed
14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 So Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone.
This seems the most logical reason for Jesus immediately compelling the disciples to leave — Develop this point
Then with the uneventful departure of the crowd — verse 46.
He goes away to a mountain to pray
What does Jesus see?
What does Jesus see?
Talk about where it is believed this event took place and the reference to the mountain.
There is a sense we can develop when we read this that Jesus sent them and they are all alone, maybe they even felt that way — verse 47
They are separated and Mark notes that fact.
Notice carefully what is says next — verse 48
Even though they were without Jesus, they were not without Jesus!
We are never without Jesus and we are never out of His sight!
Ever felt totally alone, I know I have felt that way — develop a little
Let me ask the obvious question Are we ever really alone? — Neither were the disciples
He saw them, saw what was happening to them — That is always true of God
They had everything against them — the winds, they were struggling in their own power.
Had they forgotten what they were capable of? — Mark 6:12-13
12 And they went out and preached that people are to repent.
13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
Are we like them?
Do we find our selves in times and seasons where everything is against and we strain trying to make it on our own strength and power?
How often like them do we forget who we are?
The teaching of Jesus is not what is expected
The teaching of Jesus is not what is expected
What happens next says a great deal about Jesus and the disciples
Verses 49-52
I want to notice first what they thought they saw.
They think they have seen a ghost! — They thought they were seeing an illusion, something was there that they could not explain.
They were terrified John 6:19
19 Then, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were frightened.
Then Jesus, says something powerful, but the important part is not in our translations — verse 50b
What is it Jesus said — use my Greek Interlinear verse 50b
John’s account — use my Greek Interlinear verse 20
Two powerful Greek words that tie right to the memory of Jews and Christians alike Exodus 3:14
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “This is what you shall say to the sons of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Jesus is claiming the name of God!
This name is used by God in prophecy as well — Isaiah 43:10-11
10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
11 “I, only I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me.
Jesus is also doing something else that we might miss, I know I have — notice verse 48
He intended to pass them by! Why?
This is something God does — Exodus 33:22
22 and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
11 So He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
“Passing by” signals a self-revelation of God!
Jesus in doing this was revealing to who He is!
Also we can miss something else he was walking on the water — Job 9:8
8 Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;
In a college engineering class my team successfully made shoes to walk on water! — Develop
So by wanting to pass them by, Jesus was giving a self-revelation, by not only passing by, but but treading where only God treads, and also taking His name, Jesus declares He is divine!
All of this really blew my mind!
This teaching, or declaration of Jesus is not what was expected.
The disciples missed the point!
The disciples missed the point!
The disciples missed it, their fear, and something else revealed in this passage hindered, or got in the way of their ability to understand.
52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
They had not gained anything from the feeding of the five thousand, but or instead, their hearts had hardened.
This should not surprise us this is an issue that Peter reveals to Mark as an ongoing issue with the disciples — like in the miracle of another feeding found in Mark 8:16
16 And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread.
Yet again they had forgotten the feeding of the five thousand and had missed the self-revelation of Jesus!
What the account is revealing is the intensity of their misunderstanding.
What is interesting and sad really, is this connects them with the opponents of Jesus — Mark 3:2
2 And they were watching Him closely to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.
Mark has tried to show that Jesus has been dealing with this issue in the disciples — Mark 4:13
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?
Then also Mark 4:34
34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.
They needed instruction to learn the parables and it appears that they were not making any progress.
The comment by Mark that their hearts were hardened implies that they were impeded in their progress in faith because of this on going attitude with in them.
I remember in my own life when I impeded my own growth and understanding in the teachings of Scripture, I wanted them to read a certain way — Really develop this
The disciples were expecting a certain kind of Messiah, and that is not what Jesus was revealing and declaring to them!
How much like them we are when we want scripture to read a certain way!
It isn’t scripture that needs change. It is the disciples, it is us That need to change!
Conclusion
This passage is so powerful.
Peter, as this account is believed to be, clearly learned as he looked back on these moments.
Following Jesus requires us to change…
The way we live, who is most important, what we believe!
Everything about us is supposed to change!
20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
I believe as I read the Gospels and the book of Acts, the disciples finally got it!
Let us not harden our hearts, but keep them open that we might glean new understandings and a deepening faith in the God we worship!
May we see and hear the declaration of Jesus in this account of His walking on water.