Message preached Sunday, July 19, 2015 from Mark 6:45-52
Theme: This passage suggests to us the kind of spiritual habits we must have in order to welcome the Lord Jesus into our trials as we should.
(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
We come this Sunday, in our ongoing study of the Gospel of Mark, to a passage that I have preached from more than once in the past. In fact, to be honest, I believe it’s a story that I have preached from more often than any other in the Gospels. I truly love it; and I believe there are a great many lessons to be learned from it.
But I have also found that each fresh visit to it renders a fresh way of looking at it—and also to some fresh new lessons to be learned from it. That’s true, really, of all of the Scriptures; but because I have found myself coming back to it so many times, it seems especially true in respect to this particular passage.
It’s the story of the Lord Jesus Christ walking to His disciples across the waves of the sea. It’s found in Mark 6:45-52; and it says,
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. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. 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. And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 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.” Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened (Mark 6:45-52).
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Now; before I share with you today the particular perspective I’ve had of this passage this week, let’s walk through some of the basics that we find in it. It is truly a wonderful story.
Do you see how it begins with the word, “immediately”? That, as we have found, is one of Mark’s favorite words. It’s what makes his Gospel such a fast-paced, action-oriented story. And the reason that it begins with the word “immediately” is because of the important thing that had just happened prior to it. The Lord Jesus had just performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 around the foothills of the mountains of Bethsaida Julias. He and His disciples had gone there in order to rest after a very busy time of ministry; but when they arrived there by boat, they found a great crowd of people waiting for Him. And—being the gracious and compassionate Shepherd that He is—He loved that vast crowd of people, and fed them to the full with only five loaves of bread and two small fish.
But there’s something that happened that might explain why it was that Jesus felt the need to “immediately” send His disciples away. The apostle John, in his account of this story, tells us this about the vast crowd:
Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
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 (John 6:14-15).
We could hardly blame the men of that crowd for thinking that way, could we? They saw that He could multiply a small amount of food and feed a multitude of people with it. Why wouldn’t they want to make Him king after that? And in very truth, He came to them as their king! But He would not be their ‘king’ in that way—not as a mere earthly, political king who could provide for people’s material needs. He came first to die on the cross for us and be our Savior. And what’s more, if they made Him a political king—as they seemed bound and determined to do, even if by force—then the occupying Roman government was sure to come down upon them and attack them. And so, He mercifully dispersed the crowd and brought an end their plans.
And it may be too that even the twelve apostles were becoming caught up in this idea of making Jesus an earthly, political king—a mighty conquering Messiah who would drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the former days of the glorious reign of King David. I believe that’s why, as Mark tells us, He “immediately” made His disciples get into the boat and depart to the other side of the sea. In fact, the word that is used is a very urgent one—one that means that He “compelled” them to get into the boat and go.
Now; where Mark tells us that He sent them is said to have been a placed called “Bethsaida”. But they were already in a placed that was called “Bethsaida” (see Luke 9:10). Scholars refer to the place they were in—where the feeding occurred—as Bethsaida Julias. It was along the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, on the eastern side of where it was that the Jordan River feeds into the sea. It was a beautiful place of hills and of where the peaceful sound of flowing water could be heard. But where is this other “Bethsaida”? Scholars can’t say for sure; but since the name “Bethsaida” means “House of Fishing”—and since the city of Magdala, where Mary of Magdala lived, was a busy fishing city—I wonder if this second “Bethsaida” that Jesus sent them to was somewhere near Magdala. That would have made this a short trip by boat of only about 5 to 7 miles. It would have been something that a boat full of men—some of whom were strong and experienced fishermen—could have rowed across in a little over an hour without too much effort. Then, after sending them away, Jesus Himself went up to the hills overlooking the sea for a time of private prayer.
Mark tells us, “Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.” “Evening” was counted as having begun at sunset—around 6 PM. And He sat from where He was as He prayed, and watched them as they were rowing . . . and rowing . . . and rowing! They were not able to make it across the sea, because “the wind was against them”. And I suspect that it must have been terribly frustrating to them. In fact, the Bible tells us that, by the time that Jesus had walked out to them, it had become the fourth watch of the night—which would have made it around 3 AM in the morning! Think of that! That meant that they had rowed for about 9 hours—already physically exhausted and fatigued from their very busy day—and yet still could not make it across a distance that should have only taken them a little over an hour! They were probably not only ‘bone tired’, but were also becoming disturbed and a little afraid because of why this wind was against them and why it was that it was such a terribly frustrating situation.
And it was then that Jesus walked across the water to them. And we’re told something very interesting—something that, of all the Gospel writers, only Mark tells us. We’re told that He “would have passed them by”. I hope I never come across as irreverent in saying this; but that sure conjures up a funny image in my mind! They would have been straining with all their might to get across the lake; while He would have just walked past them—perhaps waving to them; and perhaps telling them that He’d meet them at the shore. But I suspect that the reason He was really doing this was to open up to them the opportunity of asking Him to come and help them—waiting for them to invite Him into their frustrating situation and solve it for them. That’s what He so often does for you and me in our times of frustration, isn’t it? He comes by and lets us know He is there—and that He would be glad to help us, if we would just invite Him in.
Well; as it was, they responded with terror! And I couldn’t fault them for that, could you? They had been past the point of exhaustion already—worn to a frazzle; and then to see a man walking on the water to them—! No wonder we’re told that they thought that they were seeing a ghost! But Jesus spoke tender words of comfort to them, and mercifully got into the boat with them. And we’re told that as soon as He entered into the boat, “the wind ceased”. In fact, in another Gospel account, we’re told that “immediately the boat was at the land where they were going” (John 6:21). They were all astonished beyond measure!
What a wonderful story! And what a wonderful Savior He is! How powerfully and how graciously He shows Himself to be Lord of all!
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Now; there are several different lessons we can learn from this story. But one of the things that has really stood out to me lately has been the dramatic and vivid way that everything changed the moment Jesus stepped into the boat. It makes all the difference in the world when, in the midst of terrible, frustrating, perplexing circumstances of life, we recognize that Jesus is nearby, and when we simply invite Him into the circumstance with us. The frustration comes to an end when Jesus steps in. And so; I have wondered what it is that we can learn from this story about how to welcome the Lord Jesus into our trials in the way that we should.
It’s a lesson I seem to keep having to learn. But I certainly have discovered that inviting Jesus into the circumstance makes all the difference. I can’t count how many times I have been in a terrible trial or difficult circumstance of some sort; and have found that when I stop and ask Jesus to step into the problem with me, He does—and He eventually brings the problem to a good resolution. Sometimes He does so instantly. Or I think of the times when I have been working with others on some project or some task that was frustrating—something that, in some way, we found we ourselves just spinning our wheels and getting nowhere; and how things suddenly and wonderfully changed when we all stopped and prayed and invited Jesus into the situation with us.
So; let’s go back through this passage and draw out some of the lessons we can learn about inviting Jesus into the problems we face in life. What kind of habits of life should we have in order to—as it were—welcome Jesus into our boat when the rowing is hard and frustrating?
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Well; the first thing I notice is that when they went into the boat in the first place, they were going in obedience to Jesus’ command. Verses 45-46 tell us, “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. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.” In other words, when they went away in that boat, they hadn’t gone on their own initiative. They went because He had commanded it.
And a second thing to notice in this—very much related to the first—is that they obeyed Him. It seems plain that they didn’t necessarily want to go. He had to “compel” them or “urge” them to go. He would stay and send the crowds away—and that was His job; and they needed to get into the boat and go to the other side—and that was their job. And in obedience, they did their job and left Him to do His job. They may not have understood how it was that He would come to them later; but that wasn’t their concern. Their concern was to obey His command and go.
And I suggest that this teaches us that, if you want to welcome Jesus into your problems in life as you should, then you need to . . .
1. MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE IN HIS WILL.
Now; if any of us make trouble for ourselves because we disobey Him or run off on our own without His permission, then shame on us. But I believe—as I’m sure you do too—that if we cry out to Him, He would still even then come and help us. In fact, I can vouch for that many times over. But nevertheless, the safest place to be in the first place is always to be in His will. And when we are walking in obedience to His commands, or are faithfully going about the work that He has given us to do, and we end up in frustrating circumstances—when we are going in obedience to Him and find the rowing to be very hard and unproductive along the way—we can have absolute confidence that He will give His help; and we’ll be in the best position to welcome that help.
There’s a passage in Psalm 91 that speaks to this. We sometimes tend to hold it at arms distance, because the devil once tried to misquote it and twist it in tempting our Lord. But what it says is nevertheless true; and we should embrace it wholeheartedly:
Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone (Psalm 91:9-11).
So; let’s first make sure we are in His will.
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And then, another way you can welcome the Lord properly into your trials is to . . .
2. KNOW THAT HE HAS HIS EYE ON YOU.
Now; it was the Lord Jesus that urged them to go. And that would mean that He knew—even before they left—that they would have a frustrating trip along the way. Mark tells us, “Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them” (vv. 47-48a). The whole time that He was up on the mountain praying, He could see the boat. He could see the wind blowing, and the waves rising on the sea, and the disciples “straining at rowing”.
And I have often wondered what it was that He was praying. I’m sure that He was praying for the many people that He had sent away who had tried to make Him king. I’m sure that He prayed that Father’s plan for Him—the plan to die on the cross for our sins—would not be thwarted. But I’m very sure that, as He watched His disciples straining at the rowing, He prayed for them. I suspect that He prayed for each one of them by name—that their faith in Him would not fail; and that they would keep on going forward in obedience to Him; and that they would rightly understand the things that He was seeking to teach them. And as He sat on that mountain and prayed, the whole time long, they were never out of His sight. He saw them in their frustrating struggle as He prayed.
Brothers and sisters; I find great comfort in that, don’t you? What a picture of what the Bible tells us about Him—that He is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father, “who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34); ever with His eye upon us in love. In Psalm 139, King David prayed to the Lord and said;
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me (Psalm 139: 7-10).
The fact that we are going through a difficult time of some sort does not mean that the Lord is unaware of it. He hasn’t abandoned us. He has His eye on us the whole time long; and it will never be more than we can bear up under as long as we trust Him. He’ll make sure of that.
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And after nine hours of strenuous and frustrating rowing—just when it seemed that they could take no more; just when the trial had reached the place of maximum ‘lesson’ value—that’s when He rose up from His place of prayer, and went out to them. We’re told, “Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by” (v. 48).
This reminds us that if you want to welcome Jesus into your trials as you should, then you need to . . .
3. TRUST THAT HE WILL SHOW UP ON TIME.
I suppose that one of the greatest examples of this was in John 11; when our Lord’s dear friend Lazarus had died. When the news reached Him that Lazarus was sick, He could have gotten up right away and have gone to him. But the fact is that He didn’t go right away. He seemed to have tarried—waiting until His friend died. And only then—only after Lazarus died—did He finally go. Both of Lazarus’ sisters, Martha and Mary, told Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” And there’s no doubt that they were right. But if He had come sooner—if He had only raised Lazarus from His sick bed—then they never would have seen that He truly has the power to raise the dead; and that He truly is “the resurrection and the life”.
If Jesus had called to His disciples just as they started out in the boat, they might have been spared the frustration. But they would have lost the opportunity to see His power. Or if He had gone out to them sooner, He could have spared them from growing so worn out and weary. But they would not have been made ready to learn the lesson He wanted to teach them. No; our Lord knows just when to come to us in our struggles—and at just the right time for us to gain maximum ‘learning’ value from our trials. And it’s then that He comes nearby—waiting for us to invite Him in.
I believe we should always remember that. Our trials will only go just as long as is necessary—and not one moment more, and not one moment less. And then, when the time is right, Jesus comes out to us and into our boat—and not even the wind and the waves and the water can keep Him from us. Let’s certainly call out to Him in prayer in our times of frustration; but as we do, let’s not doubt Him if we don’t hear from Him right away. Let’s trust that He knows what He is up to; and let’s learn to wait patiently for His perfect timing. We’ll always end up glad that we did.
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That’s what happened to the disciples. And when He came to them; did you notice that He came speaking? He had to speak to them, of course, because they were afraid. “And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; 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’” (vv. 49-50).
What great words those were! First, He told them to be of good cheer or of good courage. They were out in the midst of the sea, with the wind blowing against them. They couldn’t seem to move forward. And they were near the point of exhaustion. And to top it off, they were having a Twilight Zone experience—thinking that they were seeing a ghost. It was not a natural time to “be of good cheer”. But they could be of good cheer; because Jesus—the Son of God—had come to them.
And second, do you notice how He introduced Himself? He said, “It is I”. In the original language, the words He used were the same Greek words that were used of God—in the Greek version of the Old Testament—when He spoke to Moses from the burning bush and called Himself by the very sacred name “I AM”. The disciples couldn’t have missed the connection, as they saw Jesus walking to them on the water. He was giving them the reason why they could be of good courage. It was because He was God in human flesh—coming to them in their time of trouble.
And finally, note the command He gave them. He said, “do not be afraid”. To be afraid in the midst of their circumstance would have been utterly out of keeping with who it was that He was presenting Himself to be. He had all the power necessary to take care of them.
And all of this teaches us that, if you want to welcome Jesus into your time of trial, then you need to . . .
4. HEAR HIS WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT.
I hope I am doing justice to this passage when I say that we should make sure we have a habit of being in God’s word daily. If we want to hear Jesus’ words of encouragement, then we need to be where it is that He speaks. And where He speaks is in the word of Scripture. Don’t just let the Bible be something that you turn to only in a time of emergency. Be in the word of God daily—as a regular habit of life. That’s one of the best ways we can prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus into our troubles.
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You also do much to welcome Him into your trials when you . . .
5. RECOGNIZE THAT ALL TRIALS ARE UNDER HIS CONTROL (v. 51a).
It’s truly an amazing thing we’re told in verse 51; “Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased.” It was over! In John’s Gospel, we’re told that, when they willingly received Him into the boat, “immediately the boat was at the land where they were going” (John 6:21). Without Him, they had been rowing for hours and getting nowhere. The wind was against them. But once He entered the boat, the wind ceased; and they suddenly found themselves at the shore!
Now; Jesus had already demonstrated—at an earlier time—that He had the authority to command the wind to cease and the waves to be still. Do you realize that Jesus could have stood up on the mountain, from where He could see the disciples straining at the rowing, and commanded the wind and the waves—right then and there—to cease? He didn’t; but He could have. We can see this plainly by the fact as soon as He entered the boat, the frustration ended. This teaches us that all of our trials are under His complete control. They only come by His permission; and they end when He says they’re over.
We shouldn’t have our eyes on our trials, then. We should keep them on Him.
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And there’s one more lesson to be learned. You can see it in what’s told to us in the end of verse 51; “And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled.” They were out of their minds with astonishment! But in this case, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing that this was so; because verse 52 goes on to tell us, “For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
They had—just a few hours earlier—seen the Lord Jesus prove to them that no trouble or trial is ever a problem for Him. He was even able to feed 5,000 men—along with all their wives and children—with just five small loaves of bread and two small fish. A boat straining to cross the lake is not a problem for Him. The should have already learned this. In fact, the word that is used is one that means that they had not yet ‘put things together’; and it was because their hearts were hardened. They were not allowing themselves to learn the lessons that they should have learned.
And that leads us to this final lesson. In fact, I suggest that it’s one of the most important lessons for us to learn from this passage. If you want to welcome Jesus into the frustrating trials of life, then you must welcome Him as He truly is. And if you want to welcome Him as He truly is, then you must . . .
6. LEARN FROM WHAT HE HAS ALREADY TAUGHT YOU ABOUT HIMSELF.
Jesus had already taught the disciples all that they needed to know about Himself for this particular trial; if they had only been paying attention. And the same is true for you and me. I believe that our sovereign Lord Jesus will always allow us to only go through trials in life that call upon us to draw upon what He has already taught us to be true about Himself. We need to have our hearts softened to Him, then so that we can learn the lessons He has taught us, and trust what we should already know about Him through His word and through experience.
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Now, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; it won’t be long before we are going to face a trial or a challenge or a frustrating experience—just like those disciples in the boat. But just as was true for them, the Lord Jesus is our Helper.
Let’s learn then to develop the kind of habits that welcome Him into our trials in the way that we should. He will never let us down if we do.