Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified.
Mark 6:47b-50a
They’d been struggling, rowing against the wind. Using all their strength and skill but not making much progress, if any at all.
Instead of making a call, sending a text, email, video, or even praying, Jesus walks out to them. He walks on top of the very thing they are struggling with. Without any added concern or effort, Jesus walks all over what they had been unable to overcome.
And not just overcome, but to surpass the problem and pass them. Jesus’ walking alone was more powerful at overcoming their problems. They were stuck in the middle of the lake with the wind against them while Jesus catches up and is about to pass them. He wasn’t running, jogging, or riding a scooter. Jesus was just walking.
Jesus’ walking, his normal, everyday, run of the mill way of getting around, was more effective than their combined strength, skill, and ability. Jesus’ walking is more effective than a committee!
The purpose of Jesus walking was to come to their side, come to their aid. He was interested in their problem to the extent that he, humanly speaking, went out of his way and made a special effort. He left what he was doing in order to divert his time and energy to these poor disciples who were fighting against the wind.
One additional thought, at no extra cost, they were fighting against the wind, which is something you cannot see. It’s one thing to fight against a Goliath who’s big, ugly, scary, and with lots of weapons. It’s one thing to come up against a disease that you can see in test results and on a screen. But it’s something altogether different when we come up against something that we just can’t see. Yes, we see and feel the effects, but the thing itself is invisible.
And how did they react when they saw Jesus, the one they’d been with on a daily basis for some time? They come to the complete incorrect conclusion, thinking that he was no longer a person, but a ghost from the evil side of the universe.
And when you think someone or something from evil is approaching, it’s natural to cry out. Every once in a while, I have a very scary dream. And in the dream, something evil or horrible is about to overtake me. Now I don’t know why, but in the dream I’m not able to make a sound. In the dream I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. My terror grows and becomes deeper and darker until I’m about to be overcome. Still unable to make a sound in my dream, I scream out loud and wake myself up.
But the disciples didn’t have my problem, they screamed out loud right from the start.
And it wasn’t just one of them that saw Jesus, it was all of them. This kind of personal testimony is what holds up in court. Many people experience the exact same thing, see the same thing, and they all come to the same conclusion. This was Jesus, walking on water, coming out to them.
When Jesus comes out to where you are, fighting whatever you’re fighting with little to no success, how do you receive him? How do you receive his solution? Is it with shouts of panic and fear? Do you see him as a distraction from your solution? Or is he the solution?
There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
And love for the broken heart
And there is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
The right response that God is looking for is for us to cry out to him. To cry out for him. When we cry out, we give up on ourselves and put our hope and trust in him.
This is exactly where we were made to be
[1] https://youtu.be/JmVxRl5bc4Y?t=56
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