Hello dear friends,
Today, let’s reflect on the story of Jesus walking on water and how we can so easily miss Him when He so clearly reveals Himself to us.
And immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away.
— Mark 6:45
This passage demonstrates Jesus as the compassionate Shepherd. Mark tells us that He sent His disciples ahead in the boat while He stayed behind to dismiss the crowd.
Everything Jesus did during His earthly ministry carried deep intentionality and purpose. He never acted out of routine or casual impulse—every decision He made was aimed at fulfilling His divine mission.
God’s Divine Providence
As believers, we must understand that God ordains everything that comes to pass. Nothing happens outside of His sovereign will. If something comes to pass, it is because He has ordained it, working all things together for His glory and our good.
The simple act of Jesus sending His disciples ahead was a divinely orchestrated event. It was not a random decision but one with redemptive significance.
This speaks to God’s foreknowledge. When we talk about God’s foreknowledge, we are not merely referring to His ability to see future events. It goes deeper—God foreknows because He has ordained all things according to His perfect will.
Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My counsel will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’,
Calling a bird of prey from the east,
The man of My counsel from a far country.
Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.
I have formed it, surely I will do it.
— Isaiah 46:9-11
When we come to a full understanding of God’s sovereignty, we find rest in Him. Jesus reinforced this when He told His followers not to worry, assuring them that their heavenly Father cares for even the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
So when Mark tells us that Jesus sent His disciples ahead, we must recognize that this was a calculated decision to bring the greatest glory to God.
And after bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.
— Mark 6:46
Again, we see Jesus’ shepherd-like compassion as He bids the crowd farewell. But immediately afterward, He retreats to the mountain to pray. Prayer was so deeply embedded in His life that He never took a step without seeking the Father in prayer.
For Jesus, prayer was not a burdensome duty—it was joyful fellowship with His Father. It was something He delighted in, something He longed for.
Joel Beeke captures this truth well:
“Prayer is a crucial part of the Christian life and deserves our careful attention and cultivation. Praying is as natural to true Christians as breathing is to a living child. When God’s people pray, they breathe forth the living motions of their faith, repentance, submission, obedience, hope, and love. However, just as a child needs to grow, so believers in Christ need to grow in their praying.”
— Joel Beeke
As believers, we must examine ourselves. Is prayer a joyful delight, or are we suffocating in prayerlessness?
And when it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land.
— Mark 6:47
Now, Mark brings us to the heart of the story. The disciples are in the middle of the sea, struggling against violent winds.
His Divine Works
Seeing their struggle, Jesus sets out on a rescue mission. As God, He already knew the storm would come and exactly where His disciples would be.
And seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He was intending to pass by them.
— Mark 6:48
Mark provides key details—the boat is in the middle of the sea, the time is the fourth watch (between 3:00 and 6:00 a.m.), and the disciples are exhausted from battling the wind.
Then, Jesus does something divine—He walks on water. If the disciples had been paying attention to His previous miracles, they would have recognized this as a sign of His divinity.
The One who says for the sun not to shine,
And sets a seal upon the stars;
Who alone stretches out the heavens,
And tramples down the waves of the sea;
— Job 9:7-8
Your way was in the sea
And Your paths in the mighty waters,
But Your footprints were not known.
You led Your people like a flock
By the hand of Moses and Aaron.
— Psalm 77:19-20
But instead of recognizing Jesus, the disciples react in fear.
But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and cried out;
— Mark 6:49
Just like the disciples, we often fail to recognize God’s hand in our lives. We witness His works daily—through creation, salvation, and His providence—but we attribute them to chance, human effort, or even doubt His involvement.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And the expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
— Psalm 19:1
We must learn to see God’s hand at work and give Him the glory He deserves.
His Divine Word
Jesus does not leave the disciples in fear. He immediately speaks to them.
For they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”
— Mark 6:50
His first words redirect them from fear to faith. Fear hinders faith, but Jesus reassures them:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
— 1 John 4:18
Then, Jesus reveals Himself with a powerful declaration: “It is I.”
This mirrors God’s self-revelation to Moses:
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
— Exodus 3:14
Jesus reveals Himself through His Word, reminding us of the importance of Scripture.
God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds,
— Hebrews 1:1-2
It is through this very word that is responsible for our very salvation that we do joyfully celebrate:
For you have been born again not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
— 1 Peter 1:23
It is another good place to pause and reflect on how much we value this divine Word. When the Lord introduces Himself to us through His revealed Word, do we heed it with reverence and obey His commands? Is the Word of God something that delights us and fills us with joy? Do we truly care about the Word of God?
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and respect.
— 1 Peter 3:15
When skeptics arise and question the Word of God, do we join them in mocking it for what they perceive as absurdities and inconsistencies, or do we stand with Peter, ready to defend our faith with conviction and grace?
A defining part of Jesus’ statement to His disciples is His command for them not to be afraid. After revealing Himself through His Word, He also instructs them not to fear. The Word of God obliterates the fear within us. It is filled with assurances and promises from the Lord, reminding us that whenever we feel afraid, we can turn to His Word and find the wonderful promises He has already given us.
His Divine Witness
Mark ends this account with a sobering reality—the disciples’ hearts were still hardened.
Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly amazed, for they had not gained any insight about the loaves, but their heart was hardened.
— Mark 6:51-52
Despite witnessing Jesus’ divine works, hearing His divine word, and experiencing His divine presence, they still struggled to understand.
Let us not make the same mistake. Instead, let us open our hearts to Christ, recognizing His hand in our lives and responding with faith and worship.
Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me,
As in the day of trial in the wilderness,”
— Hebrews 3:7-8
May we always take courage in Christ, knowing He is with us. Amen.
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