Jesus Sees Us In Our Struggles

Welcome back to our study of Mark’s Gospel—Lessons in Discipleship.

As we’ve been learning, Mark’s Gospel was written to believers, and it offers practical instructions on what it means to follow the Lord. While eternal life is received freely by believing in Jesus, discipleship is learning to live in response to that gift. Once we have been given the gift of eternal life, we need training in how live it out in our daily experience. Let me put it this way: Discipleship, is the lifelong journey of growing in obedience—shaped by grace, sustained by the truth of God’s word, and fueled by thanksgiving.

Now, let me make sure I tell you what discipleship is not. It’s not about earning salvation, it is not about keeping salvation, and it’s not about proving our salvation. And all of these pitfalls are alive and well within Christianity today. Instead, discipleship is about learning to live in response to what Christ has already done for us and given to us. The most effective motivation to follow Jesus is love and devotion for Him. It is born out of the assurance that we belong to Him, and founded on deep gratitude for what He has accomplished on our behalf. You see, we don’t serve out of fear that if we don’t do this or that we might not be saved. No, we serve because He first loved us. Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 5:14a NKJV

14 For the love of Christ compels us...

That word “compels” in the original language carries a range of meanings. It can mean to urge or motivate—and used this way, Paul’s words would mean that Christ’s love for him was the driving force behind his ministry. It was the underlying cause of his service, the reason he labored so tirelessly for the gospel.

But the word can also mean to hold together. In this sense, Paul would be saying that Christ’s love was what sustained him—what held him together as he faced opposition, hardship, and suffering from the world. It wasn’t just the fuel for his mission; it was the anchor for his soul.

So whether we’re talking about motivation or endurance, Paul’s point is clear: Christ’s love is both the reason we serve and the strength that keeps us going. Church this is discipleship. It is being motivated by Christ’s love as well as being held together by Christ’s love. Listen to what Paul says in the next verse.

2 Corinthians 5:15 NKJV

15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Here is the point. Paul wanted the Corinthian Church to be compelled by the same force that was driving his life, the love of Christ. He wanted HIs readers to be motivated by what Christ had done for them. This is what Paul makes plain in verse 15. It says, “and He died for all, (so) that those who live should live not longer from themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again”. Let me paraphrase this and apply it to us.

Because Christ died for us, we should live for Him

This is the essence of discipleship. This is the lifeblood of discipleship. It is being motivated by the love Christ has shown for us. It is serving from a place of deep gratitude for HIs work on the cross. It is being held together by the love of Christ in the face of all the hardships we deal with in life. Discipleship is growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the more we do the more our lives look like His life. In other words, the less we live for ourselves, and the more we live for Him. That is the model He provided for us. God Himself stepped into His creation and put all of humanity before Himself. This is the God we serve, and the Life we imitate.

The Gospel of Mark instructs in the area of discipleship. Throughout its pages, we encounter lessons that speak directly to how we are called to follow Christ. From the initial calling of the disciples we see moments of faith, failures, and restoration. You see, Mark offers a roadmap for living as a disciple of Christ. Take last week for example.

Think about what we learned through the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus commanded the disciples to feed the multitude, but they didn’t have the resources. The disciples pull together everything they had, and the come up with a measly 5 loves and 2 fish. This meal was enough for one grown man. Counting woman and children this crowd was probably 15,000-20,000 strong. They literally needed a miracle, and a miracle is what Jesus gives them. Let’s review a couple of these verses.

Mark 6:41–42 NKJV

41 And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. 42 So they all ate and were filled.

We read about this miracle and because it is so awe inspiring we often miss the discipleship aspect. But we need to understand everything Jesus did was a teaching moment for the twelve. He wanted them to understand something.

Disciples Must Serve With Jesus Provides

The disciples get to participate in the miracle. They get to serve the bread and fish Jesus provided. But to give the fish they had to get it from Jesus. This might be the most important discipleship truth I teach you. To effective serve God you must first receive it from Jesus. There is a rhythm of discipleship. This is what the rhythm looks like.

Go to the Lord for what you cannot provide

Give to others what He has placed in your hands.

Return to the Lord for more.

We could even shorten this to make it easier to remember. Receive. Give. Return. That how the disciples fed the multitude, and this is how we serve God’s sheep.

So, that was last week’s lesson, and this week we learn another powerful discipleship lesson. Which I summarized in the title of today’s message.

Jesus Sees Us in our Struggles

This morning we are going to learn that Jesus not only sees us in our struggles, but we are going to learn that He prays for us during our struggles. Think about that. The One who died to remove the sin barrier between us and God—the One who freely gives eternal life to all who believe—has not stepped away from us. He hasn’t distanced Himself now that His earthly mission is complete. Instead, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us.

This is the heart of our Savior. He doesn’t just rescue us—He walks with us. He doesn’t just forgive us—He advocates for us. He doesn’t just call us to follow—He strengthens us along the way.

He sees us in our darkest moments, our deepest doubts, our hardest days. And He prays. The thought of this is almost too incredible to wrap our minds around. The risen Christ, enthroned in glory, is praying for you. Right now.

This is the God we serve. This is the Savior we follow. And this is the kind of love that transforms discipleship from duty into devotion.

Ok, so that is the theme of today’s lesson. But before we jump into today’s text, let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

So, we are picking up right after Jesus has fed the 5,000, and in verse 24 we read,

Mark 6:45 NKJV

45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

Now when we read this verse, it comes across as a little strange. Notice is says, “Immediately He made HIs disciples get into the boat”. This feels like Jesus is in a rush to make His disciples leave the scene. But not only that. It says, “He made” the disciples get into the boat. In the Greek this is a strong verb. It means He forced them to get into the boat. So, the question is why? Why does Jesus force His disciples to get into the boat and leave after this great miracle was performed. To find out the reason we have to turn to John’s account. John 6:15 says,

John 6:15 NKJV

15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Here is the reason why Jesus forced His disciples to get in the boat and leave. The multitude had gotten so excited by this miracle that they are trying to take Jesus by force and establish Him as King. You see the crowd, just like the disciples, was waiting for a political king. They were looking for a warrior-king like David, one who would overthrow Rome and restore Israel’s glory. The atmosphere had become electric, even volatile. The people were on the verge of a riot, ready to install Jesus as a political King . But, this wasn’t in the cards. The religious leaders have rejected Jesus, and now the kingdom would be postponed. No one in this crowd understood this, including His disciples. This is why Jesus is forcing the disciples to get into the boat and leave. He is removing them from this temptation. He doesn’t want them to get sweep up in this excitement, so He sends them away.

Ok, working our way back to Mark verse 45 says,

Mark 6:45 NKJV

45 Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away.

Jesus sends His disciples away and the end of verse 45 says, “while He sent the multitude away”. Jesus removes His disciples from the situation and He deals with the unruly crowd, and verse 46 says.

Mark 6:46 NKJV

46 And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

Already, we find a powerful discipleship lesson tucked into these verses. Consider what’s unfolding during this scene: both Jesus and His disciples must turn away from the world. They have to walk away from the approval of a massive crowd. And let’s be honest—none of us can truly grasp how tempting that moment must have been. Imagine 15,000 or 20,000 people chanting your name, ready to crown you king. That kind of affirmation is intoxicating.

But here’s the truth we must hold onto: God’s way and the way of the world never align. The crowd wanted a political savior. The disciples were vulnerable to that vision. Jesus knew the temptation would be overwhelming, so He urgently sends them away—and then He Himself withdraws to pray.

Jesus steps away from the roar of the crowd to a place that reminds Him of why He came. His mission will not be marked by the adoration of the masses, but by shame, suffering, and death. Here Jesus shows us how to face temptation: we remove ourselves, we get alone with God, and we pray.

So here’s our first discipleship lesson:

Disciples seek the Father's approval—not the world's applause.

Disciples seek the Father's approval—not the world's applause. This was a lesson the twelve had not yet grasped. The excitement of the crowd, the momentum of Jesus being crowned as King—that’s what they were expecting. But instead, Jesus sends them away to face another hardship. He is teaching them that true discipleship will not be marked by the adoration of the world. It won’t be a path of power, glory, and honor. Instead, it will be a path of hardships, trials, and suffering.

Simply put, instead of receiving the cheers of the crowd, they are going to face the resistance of the storm. The disciples were heading to the testing ground. Let’s read on.

Mark 6:47–48 NKJV

47 Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.

Now to get the full impact of these verses we need to understand the timeline here. It says, when evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea”. So, we know that the feeding of the 5,000 occurred late in the day based off verse 35. So, when verse 47 speaks of evening that means it was dark. So the disciples have started their journey sometime after sundown, and then is says Jesus came to them about the fourth watch of the night. The 4th watch of the night was from 3am to 6am. This means these boys had been rowing into this headwind for hours. It’s possible they had been rowing for 8 hours.

I don’t know if anyone in here has been on an exercise row machine before, but let me tell you. 20 min of the row machine is awful. 45 min on a rower machine is pure torture. But these men have been rowing into a headwind for hours, possibly eight hours. I cannot imagine the discomfort they were in. I’m sure their muscles were cramping, and their backs aching. In fact, verse 48 says Jesus saw them “straining at rowing”. Let’s talk about that word straining.

The Greek word translated “straining” here is far more intense than simply “working hard.” The root of the Greek word means torment, distress, or painful testing. It’s the same word used elsewhere to describe demonic torment (e.g., Matt 8:29) and physical suffering. In this context, it conveys mental and physical agony—not just fatigue, but exhaustion, frustration, and desperation.

So when Mark says Jesus saw them “straining at rowing,” it’s not just that they were tired—it’s that they were tormented by the effort, battered by the wind, and caught in a situation that was becoming hopeless.

Now the Bible doesn’t give us insight into what these men were thinking on this boat. But I can tell you what I would’ve been thinking. Why did He make us leave? Why couldn’t we just stay and celebrate with the crowd? How could he have put us in this impossible situation? How could He leave us alone to face this wind by ourselves?

Does that sound familiar to anyone? It should because that is our human reaction to difficult circumstances. Isn’t it? How could a good God allow this to happen to me? How could God abandon me to face this alone? Church I want us to realize that God doesn’t waste the trials that we face in life. They have a purpose You see, what the disciples were facing on the sea was in fact a training exercise. It was a testing ground for the disciples, and the Lord does this for every believer who follows Him in discipleship (Yates, pg. 240). And so for the rest of this lesson I want to point to a couple of things that the disciples learn during this test of faith. And I want these truths to encourage you the next time your faith is tested.

Let’s talk about our first takeaway. Which I mentioned earlier, and is also the title of this sermon.

Jesus Sees Us in our Struggles

Let’s focus on verse 48 for a moment.

Mark 6:48 NKJV

48 Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by.

Right at the beginning of the verse, notice what it says: “Then He saw them straining at rowing.” Jesus knew exactly what was happening with His disciples. He saw them—He saw their struggle, their exhaustion, their pain. He knew the trial they were enduring.

But seeing them wasn’t all He was doing. Remember, verse 46 tells us that Jesus had climbed the mountain to pray. So it’s not a stretch to conclude that, as He stood on that mountaintop, He was praying for His disciples—interceding for them as they faced the storm.

And this moment is more than historical—it’s picture of what Jesus is doing today. Seated on high, He sees every one of His disciples. He sees you, Church. He sees your struggle. And He is praying for you in the midst of it.

This is exactly what the book of Hebrews teaches us:

Hebrews 7:25 NKJV

25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Jesus doesn’t just observe your pain—He prays for you. He is your Advocate, your High Priest, your faithful Intercessor. In your darkest hour, He is not distant. He sees you, and He is praying for you.

Now forgive me, but I need to highlight one more detail in this verse. Notice what it says: “He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.”

When we see the word “save” in our Bibles, our minds often jump straight to salvation from hell. But that’s not what this verse is talking about. Let me ask a clarifying question: Who is Jesus able to save to the uttermost? The verse gives us the answer—“those who come to God through Him.”

And who are those people? Believers. You see, the only people who can come to God through Jesus are believers.

So the people this verse is talking about have already been saved from hell. That’s settled. Which means we need to ask a deeper question: What is Jesus saving believers from?

The answer is this: Jesus is able to completely save and rescue us from the trials and difficulties that test us throughout our lives. This aligns perfectly with the salvation He brought to the disciples as they strained at the oars. He didn’t just calm the storm—He came to them in the midst of it.

In the same way, Jesus sees us through every hardship, every moment of suffering, and every season of difficulty. His power enables us to persevere—not just survive, but endure with faith—so that one day when we finish our race we can hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Let me say it this way. Not only does Jesus save us from hell, He saves us to the uttermost.

This is the kind of salvation Hebrews 7:25 speaks of—not a rescue from hell, but a daily, sustaining, interceding grace that carries us through life’s storms and into eternal glory. You see, if we depend of Jesus we can endure faithfully in our Christian lives, and faithful servants will be given the opportunity to rule with Christ in eternity.

Let me make one final point before we return to Mark—and it’s something every believer needs to grab a hold of. Even if we suffer for the rest of our earthly lives—straining at the oars like the disciples were—this life is just a blip on the radar screen of eternity.

Jesus sees us in our struggle. He is praying for us in our trials. And if we remain faithful to the end, He will reward us in eternity.

This kind of salvation isn’t about entering the kingdom—that was secured the moment we believed in Him. No, this salvation is about persevering through the storms so that we might reign with Him in glory. It’s the sustaining grace that carries us from faith to faith, from trial to trial, until this live is over.

Let’s go ahead and cover our last few verses. Picking back up at verse 49,

Mark 6:49–50 NKJV

49 And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Clearly, as the Lord approaches them on the sea the disciples don’t recognize them.This reaction wasn’t random—it reflected a common belief in that time that night spirits or sea apparitions could bring disaster upon ships. So it stands to reason that the disciples thought they had encountered some kind of water spirit, a harbinger of doom.

But then comes the turning point. Verse 50 says, “Immediately He talked with them and said to them, ‘Be of good cheer!’” That phrase—“Be of good cheer”—is just one word in the Greek: Θαρσεῖτε. It means to stand firm in the face of danger, to take heart, to be courageous.

What a word of encouragement to these disciples—frightened, exhausted, straining against the wind. Jesus speaks to them like a general rallying his troops in the heat of battle: “Take courage!” Not because the storm is gone, but because He is present.

And Legacy, the Lord is speaking this same word of encouragement to us through Mark’s Gospel. He is saying: “I know what you’re going through. I know following Me is hard. But stand firm in the middle of life’s battles. I see you. I am praying for you. And I will give you My strength to endure. I am with you. Don’t give up.”

But that isn’t the only thing Jesus says to His disciples. He gives them the reason why they shouldn’t fear. He says, “It is I.” And we need to take a moment and make sure we understand the weight of that statement—because I don’t think the disciples fully grasped it.

The phrase “It is I” in Greek is literally, “I Am.” This echoes the divine name revealed to Moses from the burning bush when God declared, “I AM WHO I AM.” You see, Jesus is connecting the dots. The pre-incarnate Christ who spoke to Moses from the burning bush is now speaking to His disciples. The One who led Israel throughout the Os is now walking on the water toward His followers.

He’s saying: “I am the One who provided manna in the wilderness—and I just fed the 5,000 with bread in the wilderness” “I am the One who parted the Red sea—and now I walk upon it.” Jesus is leaving Old Testament fingerprints all over these miracles and all over these moments with His disciples. He wants them to see it. He wants them to know: “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is standing in your storm.” Jesus wants them to know that He is the Good Shepherd from Psalm 23. Let take a quick look at couples of verses from this Psalm.

Psalm 23:1–2 NKJV

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.

The Lord Jesus Christ has just proven that He is the Good Shepherd. Last week, we saw Him seat the multitude on green grass and feed them—just as David wrote, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures.” Jesus is linking Himself to Psalm 23 in real time.

But that’s not the only connection. Look with me at verse 4:

Psalm 23:4 NKJV

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

David says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me”. This is exactly what Jesus is teaching His disciples during their struggle on the sea. He is reassuring them that even in the face of death they had no reason to fear. That’s what he said, “Be of good cheer; I am. Stand firm! Be courageous! The I Am That I Am Is here with You. I Am the Good Shepherd who will provide for You even in your darkness hour. Fear no evil”.

Let’s finish our last two verses for today.

Mark 6:51–52 NKJV

51 Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

It’s hard to put into words just how amazed the disciples were at this point. The Greek word for amazed—ἐξίσταντο—means to be astounded to such a degree that one nearly loses mental composure. But Mark doesn’t stop there. He doesn’t simply say they were amazed—he says they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled (Mark 6:51).

Mark goes to extraordinary lengths to describe how utterly blown away these men were. Their minds were reeling. Their jaws were on the floor. They were shocked to the core by what they had just witnessed. This was was soul-shaking.

They had just seen Jesus walk on water and once again make the wind cease. In that moment, they didn’t just see a miracle—they were encountering the glory of God in the face of Christ, but they understand the full picture yet. We know they didn’t because Mark closes out with a pretty harsh statement about the twelve. He says they were utterly amazing in verse 51, and then he gives the reason in verse 52. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.

What did the disciples not understand about the loaves?

We’re not told directly, but I don’t think the disciples had connected all the dots. They saw the miracles, but they hadn’t grasped the full identity of the One performing them. They didn’t yet realize that the voice from the burning bush, the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23, the One who parted seas and calmed storms was the same One standing in the boat with them.

Had they understood who Jesus truly was, they would have recognized that the One walking on the water was God Himself. Throughout the Old Testament, it is God alone who commands the seas, the storms, and the wind.

Listen to Job 9:8

Job 9:8 NKJV

8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;

The disciples were so amazed because they hadn’t yet understood. And sometimes, we’re the same. This is the another lesson of discipleship. The more time we spend in the word of God, the More Jesus reveals Himself to us. This is what Jesus is doing for His disciples. He keeps revealing Himself—through the loaves, through the storm, and through His words that say, “It is I. Do not be afraid.”

Let me share one final point as we close. Apparently, the early church treasured this account as a promise of Christ’s help in the darkest of moments. It became a source of strength for the martyrs—those who would lay down their lives for the faith. These verse offered them the assurance of Jesus’ saving presence as they faced certain death.

Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

Church, let these Scriptures do the same for us. May the words of Christ—“Be of good cheer; It is I; do not be afraid”—forever ring in our ears and strengthen our hearts. In every storm, in every valley, in every trial, may we remember: The I Am is with us. The Good Shepherd walks beside us. And He will see us through.

Let’s Pray.