Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.

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.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might just touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made well.

- Mark 6:47-56

In yesterday's passage, we read of the feeding of five thousand people, from a few loaves and fishes. In today's passage, we truly read Jesus as the central figure of power, of creation, with dominance over all things. Power belongs to him, is in him, and those who come to him, in hope merely to touch the hem of his garment (as did the woman with the years-long blood flow), realize this figure as the great source of the power. In this passage, the evangelist Mark gives us this central picture of the focus on Jesus himself as the Person who is the Source of this power.

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. Jesus, we recall from yesterday's reading, has gone by himself up the mountain to pray and rest, after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. And he sent the apostles away by themselves on the boat. The fourth watch of the night was the last one, and corresponds to about three o'clock in the morning. From where he was on the mountaintop, he saw them straining at rowing, with the wind against them. We get an incredible picture here, of Jesus strolling along on the water, as if to pass them by! So the picture is complete, of Jesus' dominion over nature: he can walk on the water, and when he gets into the boat, the wind ceases. But most importantly, we are given these words, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." "It is I" is literally "I am" (Gr. ego eimi, εγω ειμι). This is the key phrase for us to understand exactly who Jesus is: it is the "I AM" of the Old Testament, the Tetragrammaton (meaning "Four Letters" in Greek), the name of the God of Israel from which we derive the words "Yahweh" or "Jehovah." My study bible notes as follows: "It is I, literally 'I am' ... especially used in the Gospel of John, is Jesus' own testimony to his deity. It reflects God's name as revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:14). Only God is self-existent, uncreated, the only being whose existence depends on no other but Himself; therefore He alone can truly say, 'I am.' " The picture that I get from this literature is distinctly that of the Evangelist (Mark) revealing to us the full identity of Christ. He is the central figure of Creation and source of creative, healing power, the central figure of the narrative is Christ.

And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. This is a revelation to us, after the revelation of just who this powerful central figure is, of what is happening with the apostles -- just who they are at this moment in the story. This revelation of Jesus' power and authority is also a tremendous revelation to them. The evangelist tells us, "For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened." Again, my study bible teaches in a note worth repeating here: "The knowledge of Christ is a matter of the heart. When our hearts are illuminated by God, they become the seat of divine presence, grace and knowledge. In all the ascetic writings of the Orthodox Church, the heart is known as the 'seat of knowledge.' " For the Eastern Church, the Hebrew understanding, and the contemplative tradition of the mystics, and the sensibility of the saints, "the heart" is the center of the person, the soul's organ, if you will, with which we perceive spiritual reality and truth. Belief is also trust -- it is not simply a matter of intellectual understanding but involves all that we are. Sometimes in contemplative tradition, this is called "the mind in the heart." But here, in the oft-repeated words in both the Old and New Testaments, we are to understand that "hardness of heart" denotes a failure to grasp and understand important spiritual truths, which includes knowledge of identity, character - and of course the messages of Love (for, as the evangelist John tells us, God is Love). The apostles failed to understand about the miracle of the loaves and fishes; they did not grasp who Jesus was, what is his true identity. Here it is revealed to us; and to them.

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored there. And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him... Well, these are rather startling words. It's been made clear to us that the apostles themselves did not "recognize" Jesus because their hearts were hardened. But here, on the other side of the Lake, in the land of the Gentiles, "immediately the people recognized him." In yesterday's passage, which tells us of the miracle of the loaves (referred to in today's), we were told that people recognize Jesus, that they ran from far away to meet him in the boat as he tried to get away with his apostles to rest. But today's passage sends us a different message. These people understand who Jesus is, and they respond accordingly. Gennesaret is the Greek version of the Hebrew name Kinaroth, which means "a garden of riches."

And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard he was. Wherever he entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might just touch the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made well. They are aware of Jesus as the great source of healing power -- not just teacher or even prophet. This is faith, trust: "that they might just touch the hem of his garment" is the understanding of the woman with the blood flow whom no doctor could heal - Jesus is the source of an awesome power to rectify, to restore, to transform, to lift a problem and heal it: to be "made well." And so, this faith creates a circuit - truly this is an illustration that by our faith we are made well. Just as Jesus told the woman with the years-long blood flow: "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

What do you think of faith? Is it something that you find in your heart? How does it relate to trust? In the Greek of the New Testament, the words for faith and trust are the same: πιστις ("pistis"). Strong's Concordance also translates it as "assurance" or "belief." This is something deeper and more powerful than merely an intellectual assent to something, and it goes to the heart, so to speak, of what is meant or implied by "hardness of heart." It is a perception that carries a greater role within us than merely something we grasp as a dry fact. It also involves our heart, the center of who we are, of all consciousness of existence. Jesus' I AM, and the note from my study bible that teaches us what it means that this central figure of Power and Creation can declare to us I AM, touches upon something about our hearts: it is what we find there that teaches us who we are. And so "pistis" - faith - also has something to do with our identity, and the source from which we take our own understanding of who we are, especially in relation to Creator. How do you perceive of spiritual truth? Where do you find "who you are?" The spiritual tradition teaches us that in Christ, there is an image of who we may be. In faith, we find not only Him, but also ourselves. So, this Lent, let us ask ourselves, what do we find in our heart? What belief is there? And -- more difficult -- what hardness is there that we may need to let go of? The balm of mercy - eleos - does its work to soften that hardness, if we let it; this is the journey of faith.