Mark 6:45-56
Find a way to separate yourself from whatever’s going on around you so you can fully enter into today’s passage. if you haven’t read the introduction to Mark’s Gospel, read it here.
Before you read the passage today, take a moment to remember what you came away with from yesterday’s meditation on the miraculous feeding of the crowd. Then read Mark 6:45-56 with those thoughts in mind.
Jesus always knows when to push past his discomfort and when to yield to his physical limits, and this is a time to yield. He sends his closest followers off in a boat and sends the crowds home so he can be alone with his Father. It’s significant to notice that often after Jesus takes time alone with God, he is energized by the Holy Spirit in a fresh way. This time we see him interacting with creation in a way that defies our limited understanding.
Considering that Jesus was fully human and had “laid aside his right to be God” while he lived on the earth, how do you think he “saw” that the disciples were in trouble in the middle of the Sea of Galilee?
Why do you think he intended to go past them?
Keeping in mind that the disciples had just witnessed Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the crowd, what significance do Jesus’ words, “Take courage, I am here” have for them in the midst of a dangerous situation?
Read Mark 6:45-56 again focusing in on the disciple’s inability to grasp the implications of Jesus’ presence in the middle of the storm.
Seeing Jesus walk on water would certainly be amazing and even a bit terrifying. But the feeding of the crowd with five loaves of bread and a couple of fish, though it sounds mind-blowing, may not have been appeared all that extraordinary. The food simply kept coming. It’s been said that Jesus’ miracles were actually the way things should have been if humanity had not rebelled against God’s good and perfect ways. Miracles are not always accompanied by lightning bolts or angel choirs, so they often can be explained away.
Have you ever had something unexplainable happen that you thought was probably an act of God’s care for you?
When you face danger or difficulty, do you remember the times when God provided or came through to help you?
In the feeding of the crowd we see Jesus as provider, and in this passage we see Jesus as rescuer and healer. What do you need from Jesus today?
Take a few moments to reflect on God’s care for you in the past. Thank Jesus for everything you can think of. Then bring your current needs to Jesus believing that you can take courage simply because he is with you. Before you end this time of reflection, determine one step you can take to help you remember God’s faithfulness every day.
If these meditations are helpful to you, please forward them to couple of friends.
Interested in going deeper? Check out The Everyday Jesus Follower’s Guide and blog.
