Mark 6:45 - Meaning and Application

This same story is told in Matthew 14:22 and following, but Matthew leaves out what is said here about Peter. Mark first shows Jesus sending the crowd away. He made his disciples go ahead by boat to Bethsaida, while he stayed behind, planning to join them later by land, as they thought. The people were slow to leave, so it took Jesus time and effort to send them off. They had just eaten a good meal, and no one wanted the time with him to end. But as long as we are in this world, we do not have a lasting home, not even in close fellowship with Christ. The great feast is still ahead of us in the life to come.

Then Jesus went up a mountain to pray. He prayed, even though he had much teaching work to do. He prayed often and prayed for a long time, which encourages us to trust in his continuing intercession, that is, his ongoing pleading for us at the Father’s right hand. He also went off alone to pray. He did not need to do this to avoid distraction or show off, but he did it to give us an example and to encourage our private prayers to God. Since he had no prayer room, he went up into a mountain. A good person is never less alone than when alone with God.

Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble on the sea. The wind was against them (Mark 6:48), so they rowed hard and still made little progress. This was a picture of the troubles they would later face when Jesus sent them out to preach the gospel. It would be like sending them to sea with the wind blowing straight into their faces. They would need to labor hard against strong resistance, and they would also face waves, which picture persecution from enemies. By exposing them to hardship now, Jesus was training them to endure difficulty. The church often looks like a ship in a storm, shaken by winds and not comforted. We may have Christ on our side and still have wind and tide against us. Yet it is a comfort to Christ’s followers in a storm that their Master is on the heavenly mountain, praying for them.

Then Christ came to them in a gracious visit on the water. He could have stopped the wind from where he was, or sent an angel to help them, but he chose the most loving way and came himself. He did not come until the fourth watch of the night, after about three in the morning, but he did come. If Christ seems to delay his visits to his people, he will still come in the end. Their greatest need is often his best time to appear for them. Though help may seem slow, we must wait for it. In the end, it will speak and will not fail.

He came walking on the water. The sea was rough with waves, yet Christ walked on it. Though the floods lift up their voice, the Lord on high is mightier (Psalm 93:3, 4). No trouble can block Christ when the time has come for him to help his people. He will find a way, or make one, through even the most violent sea for their rescue (Psalm 42:7, 8).

He would have passed by them, meaning he set his course as if he meant to go farther and take no notice of them. He did this to stir them up to call on him. Sometimes God’s care for his people seems, at first, as if it is passing them by and ignoring their trouble. They thought he would pass by them, but we can be sure he would not.

The disciples were frightened when they saw him, thinking he was a ghost. They all saw him and were troubled (Mark 6:50), imagining some evil spirit or haunting figure had come in the storm. We often disturb and frighten ourselves with things our own minds create.

Jesus quieted their fears by making himself known to them. He spoke kindly and familiarly: “Be of good cheer, it is I; do not be afraid.” We do not truly know Christ until he reveals himself to us. “It is I” means, “I am your Master, your friend, your Redeemer, and your Savior. I am the one who came to this troubled world, and now to this stormy sea, to care for you.” Knowing who Christ is, and that he is near us, is enough to make his disciples cheerful even in a storm. If it is Christ with you, then be of good cheer and do not be afraid. Our fears soon ease when our mistakes are corrected, especially our mistakes about Christ. See Genesis 21:19 and 2 Kings 6:15-17. Christ’s presence in a stormy day is enough to make us glad, even when clouds and darkness surround us.

He said, “It is I.” He did not need to explain who he was, because they knew his voice, as sheep know the voice of their shepherd (John 10:4). The bride can quickly say, “It is the voice of my beloved” (Song of Solomon 2:8; 5:2). His words were like “I am he,” or simply “I am,” God’s own name when he comes to rescue Israel (Exodus 3:14). That is also Christ’s name when he comes to rescue his disciples. When Jesus said “I am he” to those who came to seize him by force, they fell down (John 18:6). When he says “I am he” to those who come to him by faith, they are lifted up and comforted.

Then he went into the boat with them, sharing the same vessel, and that made them completely at ease. If their Master is with them, all is well. As soon as he entered the boat, the wind stopped. In the earlier storm, he had rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace, be still” (Mark 4:39). Here we are not told of any such spoken command, only that the wind suddenly died down. Our Lord Jesus always does his work effectively, though not always in the same outward way. Even when we do not hear his command, if the wind stops and calm comes, we may say it is because Christ is in the ship and his will has gone out before we knew it (Song of Solomon 6:12). When we come with Christ to heaven, the wind stops at once, for there are no storms in the upper region.

They were more amazed by this miracle than they should have been, and there was something blameworthy in their amazement. They were overwhelmed and stunned, as if this were something entirely new and impossible to explain. It was as if Christ had never done anything like it before, and as if they had no reason to expect him to do it now.

They should have admired Christ’s power and been more firmly convinced that he was the Son of God. But why were they so confused? It was because they had not understood the miracle of the loaves. If they had given that miracle its proper weight, they would not have been so shocked by this one, since multiplying bread was just as great a display of power as walking on water. They were strangely dull and slow to think, and their hearts were hardened. Otherwise, they would not have thought it incredible that Christ could calm the sea.

When we do not rightly understand Christ’s earlier works, we are often swept away by wonder at his present works, as if nothing like them had ever happened before.

When they came to the land of Gennesaret, which lay between Bethsaida and Capernaum, the people welcomed them warmly. The people there quickly recognized Jesus (Mark 6:54) and knew the mighty works he had done wherever he went. They knew he was a healer for everyone, and they also knew that he stayed in one place only a short time. So they were eager to make the most of this kind visit.

They hurried all through that region, and they began carrying the sick on their mats, since these people could not come on their own. They did not worry about comfort or delay when they hoped for a cure (Mark 6:55). Wherever he went, crowds surrounded him, in towns, cities, and villages nearby. They laid the sick in the streets so they would be near him, and they begged to touch even the edge of his garment, as the woman with the flow of blood had done. It seems that this way of seeking healing was first made known by her, and everyone who touched him was healed.

We do not find that they were eager to be taught by him, only to be healed. If ministers could not cure people’s bodily diseases, many more would attend them. It is sad to see how much more most people care about their bodies than about their souls.