Row Where You Are Supposed To Go

Mark 6:45-56

Jesus had blessed the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, with which the Disciples had fed the 5,000 men (plus women and children). They had then gathered up 12 baskets full of the fragments, one basket for each of them. According to John, at this point the crowd was ready to capture Jesus and forcefully make him their king. They had clearly realized that Jesus was the source of the food.

Jesus instructed the Disciples to get into the boat and cross the lake to Bethsaida, which is on the northeast corner of the lake. This put His physical location possibly somewhere on the west shore, in a hilly location; John hints that it is close to Tiberias. Then he went up into the “mountain” to pray, and the sun set on the Disciples rowing out into the lake.

The crowd may have lain down where it was, confident that they had Jesus trapped, but in the middle of the night He ceased his prayer and looked out onto the lake, where he saw the Disciples about 3-4 miles away. They were not making much progress toward Bethsaida — not quite halfway there, since the wind was blowing directly against them. It seems there were waves and wind, but no clouds or rain. A clear but windy night. Jesus walked out onto the lake toward them.

If the boat was built like a modern rowboat, the rowers would be facing the rear. Thus they might have seen Jesus coming toward them from a good way off. John mentions something interesting : they seem to have changed course, and were suddenly pulling toward Capernaum, on the northwest end of the lake! That they were afraid of what they thought was a ghost is in the text. Did they decide out of fear to disobey Jesus and head for safety? Mark says that Jesus was about to walk past them. He was headed for Bethsaida, where He had told them to go. If we disobey, will He continue to operate without us?

They seem to have been panic-stricken, but the immediate cause of their panic is not entirely clear. It may have been the idea of a spirit there on the lake with them. That seems to be the reassurance He is extending when He identifies Himself. Matthew says that at this point Peter challenged Jesus to prove who He is by asking Peter to come to Him, which He did, and Peter, dear boisterous Peter, jumped out of the boat. Matthew does not say how many steps Peter took before he realized he was in over his head. What we do know is that he was going down, and he cried out “LORD, save me”, just as so many other people do when they find themselves in trouble.

Based on the wording of the text in Matthew, it is quite possible that Peter did not really believe that it was Jesus until Jesus grabbed him and asked him why he had doubted. Then John says the Disciples eagerly accepted Him into the boat, and the wind stopped blowing as soon as He stepped in.

They were amazed for two reasons : [1] it had actually been Jesus walking on the water, and [2] the wind had stopped as soon as they were on the same course that Jesus was taking. Remember, they had been instructed to go to Bethsaida. Verse 52 says that their hearts were hardened to the point that they did not consider that the same obedience that had been so important in feeding the 5,000 was necessary even for a simple task like taking a boat ride to the other side of the lake. Despite the headwind, Jesus had ordered them to a specific task, which they had failed to complete because of their unbelief. The miracle of the loaves was important because they had followed instructions. By now, having been Disciples and having seen people healed, raised from the dead, and demons cast out, it would be anticipated that they would obey One Whom they would acknowledge, “Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.”

As soon as the wind stopped, they found themselves ashore at Gennesaret, which was not their original destination. But Gennesaret is about 2 miles southwest of Capernaum, 4 miles directly north of Tiberias. That is where the mob found him the next day.

Verse 36 is sometimes cited as a “formula” for healing, since it seems to have a counterpart in apostolic ministry in Acts 19:12. The woman in Mark 5:28 seems to have started something which followed Jesus about in His ministry. She may have been operating in faith, considering Jesus to be her High Priest, since the bells of the hem of the High Priest’s robe were there to preserve life (Exodus 28:31-35). Unfortunately, we have no description of Jesus’ robe except at the crucifixion, where it was described as “without seam, woven from the top throughout.” (John 19:23). Too bad we have no idea what color it was, or how its hem was decorated. Sometimes we think that because something “works”, it is the right thing to do, as the crowds did. Nevertheless, while God may honor “magic” or “superstitious” beliefs in order to eventually draw some to salvation, our calling is to faith without sight, that we might please Him.

Obedience is crucial. The wind may be blowing us backwards as we strive to obey, but His word remains, “Be of good cheer, it is I. Be not afraid.”