The Gift or The Giver?

Open your Bible with me, if you will, to Mark 6.

While you’re finding your place, let me tell you a story.

When my kids were little, one of them and I had a running conversation about our grand plan to catch Santa Claus. We’d talk about ways to kidnap him so we could get all the presents in his sleigh. But every time, we’d decide not to go through with it—not because we felt bad for Santa, but because we didn’t want to risk losing out on future presents.

I was just having fun with my kids, but looking back, I realize there is a hard truth in our game. We weren’t thinking about Santa at all. We were thinking about what he could give us.

But which is greater? The gift, or the one who gives it?

With that in mind, let’s look at Mark 6. We’re going to start in verse 45, and as we do I invite you to stand with me in honor of the reading of God’s Word:

Mark 6:45–56 CSB

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened. When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret and anchored there. As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And everyone who touched it was healed.

Pray, invite the people to sit.

The Hallmark channel is famous for its lovable and predictable romantic comedies.

There are several different themes that are the inevitable plot outline for these movies, but the one I would draw your attention to this morning is something like this:

Either a Billionaire or a Prince of some obscure country decides they want to get married.

They go far away from where they live and assume the identity of a “working class” person who lives in relative poverty.

Doing so allows them to meet someone that truly loves them and not their lifestyle and position, although there is usually drama around that person finding out who the main character really is.

The reason that this movie plot line works is that it is relatable-not because we’re rich, but because everyone has been used.

It’s the idea that Everyone picks on the fat kid until its snack time!

No one wants to be loved only for what they have or what they can do.

At the same time, most of us walk through life as though we are the main character of life.

Everything that we do

Everything that we seek

Even the people that we love, really,

Everything is about us.

This is what we see from the people in our passage, and really, throughout the Gospel of Mark.

They see the bread, and not the one who made it.

They see the healing, and not the one who heals.

The people keep marveling at the acts of Jesus, while missing the identity of the One doing them.

In our passage today,

People sought Jesus’ gifts when He is what they needed.

And for you and me, this draws us to a profound truth:

Following Jesus means seeking Him, not just what He can do.

As followers of Jesus, our lives should be centered on loving Jesus because we love Jesus!

But how do we do that for someone that does so much for us?

How do we seek a deeper relationship with Jesus, and not just our next need?

Our passage this morning gives us three steps we can take to really start loving Jesus for who He is instead of just for what He can do. Let’s look at them together: verse 45

Mark 6:45–50 CSB

Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After he said good-bye to them, he went away to the mountain to pray. Well into the night, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. He saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Very early in the morning he came toward them walking on the sea and wanted to pass by them. When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke with them and said, “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

The first key to seeking Jesus and not just what He can do is this:

Trust Jesus enough to seek Him and not your needs.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the disciples in a boat in a storm.

Just a few weeks ago, we saw Jesus send the disciples into a storm and then take a nap before they woke Him up and he commanded the storm to stop.

Since that time:

They saw Jesus cast out thousands of demons from a single person.

They saw an unclean woman healed of her bleeding and a little girl raised from the dead.

They saw Jesus refuse to do miracles for the unfaithful.

They saw the power of God working in and through them as they were sent out to preach, heal, and cast out demons.

They saw Jesus grow in fame, even as John the Baptist was beheaded.

They experienced real rest that only Jesus can give and then they watched Him feed more than 5000 people with a few loaves and a couple of fish, leaving them more in left overs than what they started with.

You would think at this point they would have learned to dwell with Jesus and forget about their needs. But what we see is exactly the opposite:

Jesus sends them out on the water, perceivably alone.

Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, but He was watching them. His eyes were on them.

He saw them. He saw the storm. He saw them struggle.

So, as they are wrestling with the storm, here comes Jesus walking on the water!

Jesus shows up, doing what only God can do.

And I want you to see that it was Jesus’ desire to walk past them!

But these men, who were already struggling with the storm, see Jesus and their response is terror!?

He’s a ghost!

And this is the thing: the disciples were terrified because their focus was still on their circumstances.

They were looking at the wind and the waves and a man walking on water

It makes no sense for a man to walk on water, it must be a ghost!

They were still focused on their circumstances, and not the Savior.

Just like when there wasn’t enough bread.

Just like when the little girl was dead.

Just like when they were dying in the last storm.

And the question we have to ask here is that as the disciples were in the boat that night, were they ever really alone?

NO! Jesus was watching them from the shore.

Jesus was with them as He walked on the water.

EVEN IF THEY COULDN’T SEE HIM, at this point they should have known that Jesus was with them.

And what is Jesus’ response: Don’t be afraid! It’s ME!

IT IS NO DIFFERENT FOR YOU AND ME.

Trust means seeking Him and relying on Him, regardless of your circumstances.

Remember what we said about every circumstance you will ever face: they are temporary. The will end

Trusting Jesus means you don’t have to worry about your circumstances because whatever they are, He has them.

When we are no longer focused on our circumstances, out time with Jesus becomes about being with Jesus, not solving our problems.

APPLICATION: Do this, write down in your notes one challenge, one circumstance you’ve been fixated on. Now, say this simple prayer with me: “Jesus, I trust you.”

Now, this week, every time you are tempted to worry about that circumstance. Pray that prayer, “Jesus, I trust you!” Then, tell Jesus something that you love about who He is.

His kindness. His goodness. His loving forgiveness. His mercy. His glory. His splendor.

This week, let’s trust Jesus enough to seek Him and not our needs.

Let’s continue: verse 51:

Mark 6:51–52 CSB

Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. They were completely astounded, because they had not understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear an additional aspect to this event.

When Jesus tells the disciples to not be afraid because it’s Him, Peter pipes up:

IF it’s really you, tell me to come to you on the water.

So, Jesus tells Peter, “Come on!”

Peter steps out onto the water.

At first, he’s watching Jesus and so he stands on the water.

Then, he sees his circumstances, and immediately sinks into the waves.

Peter cries out and Jesus saves Him, and Jesus laments Peter’s lack of faith.

And I want you to see that this story about Peter only emphasizes more what our passage is already telling us.

The second key to seeking Jesus and not just what He can do is this:

Seek Jesus with understanding, not just amazement.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop being amazed at the incredible power of Jesus.

Jesus gets in the boat, the winds cease, and the disciples were amazed.

The disciples were afraid, then they were amazed.

They should have been amazed-but for a different reason

I want you to see that Mark says the bread and the walking on the water-they are the same.

It says that their amazement was born out of their hardness of heart.

Their marvel was at the miracle and not the miracle maker.

They should have been amazed-by Jesus, not by the miracles.

Our God is truly amazing. We should be amazed by Him.

But should we truly be surprised by miracles?

Can you imagine how different some of these events would have been if the disciples had begun to move past being amazed by miracles and started living in the amazement of who Jesus is.

You want us to feed thousands and thousands of people with virtually nothing? I can’t wait to see this!

Oh, Hey Jesus! It’s about time you showed up! We were all trying to guess just how you’d show up, but walking on water-we should have seen that coming!

The disciples have a little bit more of an excuse

We have seen the end of the story. We know the fullness of who Jesus is and why He came.

They were living in the midst of His revelation.

And yet, the problem is the same.

Amazing isn’t just what Jesus does. Amazing is who Jesus is!

Our wonder and awe should be directed at Who He is.

It doesn’t matter what the miracle is; there would be no miracle without the One who makes them, and He is what should be the center of our adoration.

And when you are filled with the Awe of who He is, how could you worry about your circumstances anymore?

It isn’t that the awe and the wonder go away; it is that they are directed to the proper place.

How different do you think life would be if instead of focusing on your circumstances, you focused on the One who rules over them.

The worry and anxiety would melt away. You wouldn’t be moving from worry to amazement with every shift. Instead, you would live in the continual awe of who He is.

Understanding who Jesus is means that we begin to connect the dots between the wonder of what He does and the splendor of who He is!

Seek Jesus with understanding , not just amazement.

Let’s continue.

Mark 6:53–56 CSB

When they had crossed over, they came to shore at Gennesaret and anchored there. As they got out of the boat, people immediately recognized him. They hurried throughout that region and began to carry the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he went, into villages, towns, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch just the end of his robe. And everyone who touched it was healed.

The final key to seeking Jesus and not just what He can do is this:

Seek Jesus for Himself, not just His gifts.

There is nothing wrong with coming to Jesus for healing.

For most of us, His healing power in our lives is what first draws us to Jesus in the first place.

Every single one of us starts there, as we come to Jesus to be freed from our sins.

But it can’t end there if we really know Him.

Many people come to Jesus for healing; But they want to receive His power while missing His person

Consider Romans 8:32

Romans 8:32 CSB

He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything?

Why does Paul write with such confidence about the blessings of Christ?

Because if God has already give us Jesus, we already have the very best gift.

Jesus is the gift. He is what we are seeking.

John 3:16 CSB

For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

IT DOESN’T SAY…

God gave His Son so that you could witness miracles.

God gave you a vending machine for all of your problems.

God gave us Jesus so that we could be with Him.

To put it plainly, Jesus’ presence is the present.

This morning, we are going to share the Lord’s Supper together.

But before we do that, I’m going to pray for us, and then the worship team is going to lead us in a song of reflection.

And as they do, I invite you to ask this question of your life before the Lord:

What am I seeking in Jesus? Am I seeking Jesus, or the things that Jesus can do?

Then, as we turn towards His table together, let us do so with hearts that are seeking Him with the understanding of who He is, trusting Him enough to let go of our circumstances and let Him be the focus.

As we remember His sacrifice for us, Let us remember the awe of that gift is not the gift of salvation itself-it’s the One who gives it to us.

Pray.