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 reading, Jesus tried to take the apostles away by themselves to rest. They have just returned from their first mission, when they were sent out two by two. But the people recognized Jesus, so as He and the apostles set off in a boat by themselves, the people also went where they were headed. Such is Jesus' fame that some even ran from the cities, arriving there before He did. When He saw the great crowd, He was filled with compassion for them, because "they were like sheep without a shepherd." So He taught them. Later in the day, the disciples suggested sending the crowd away for food, as it was a deserted place. But Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat." The disciples suggested buying food, but Jesus asked what was on hand. They found five loaves and two fish. Jesus made all the people sit down in groups of hundreds and fifties. He looked up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fish He divided among them all. So they all ate and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish. About five thousand men, and more women and children, were fed. Immediately he made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray.

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. After yesterday's events, Jesus withdrew by himself to the mountain to pray in the night. He has sent His disciples off across the Sea of Galilee by themselves. But from where He is, He sees them straining against the wind as they row their boat. It is now about three o'clock in the morning. So we get this picture of the disciples, alone on the sea, having a hard time of it. While they strain, in the deep darkness of very early morning, He comes walking past them on the sea -- the picture is of nonchalance on Jesus' part, walking as if He would pass 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. This seems a kind of repetition of earlier events, in which Jesus was sleeping in the stern on a pillow as the disciples feared for their lives. Here, Jesus reassures them: "Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid." We're also told that they're amazed about what He's done, because they hadn't understood about the loaves through "hardness of heart." In the language of Scripture, the heart is the seat of spiritual understanding or knowledge. Their spiritual comprehension of what He has done simply can't or hasn't taken in His nature, His miraculous signs. "It is I" is ego eimei in the Greek, the words of I AM by which Jesus identifies Himself. As my study bible puts it, "It reflects God's name as revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:14)."

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. Finally they cross over once again the Sea of Galilee. This time they are again in Gentile territory, and Jesus' fame is once more emphasized. Even here, immediately the people recognized Him, ran through the whole surrounding region, bringing anyone to Him who needed help and healing. As the woman with the years long blood flow, they begged simply even to touch the hem of His garment. Even here in Gentile territory, Jesus' divine power and nature can't be stopped: as many as touched Him were made well. Faith is alive and working everywhere. Grace is present everywhere; nothing can stop Jesus' healing power but the hardness of hearts.

Mark the Evangelist is treating us to some very great teachings in the things we read. Even the disciples have their hearts hardened when Jesus was distributing, miraculously, the loaves and the fish to 5,000 men (and more women and children). Somehow, they simply didn't understand the sign, what He was about. My study bible says, "The knowledge of Christ is a matter of the heart. When our hearts are illumined by God, they become the seat of divine presence, grace and knowledge." I don't find it at all surprising that this is so of the disciples, that they simply didn't perceive what was right in front of them. We're used to these stories, but in the surprising presence of grace, the understanding might just pass right by us. We're so conditioned by our own expectations, we simply may not be able to take in what is right in front of us -- even a great gift of grace. The words "Be of good cheer! It is I, do not be afraid" are the words of Christ's presence and comfort when we do not expect that He is around, nor feel His presence. In this 3:00 AM scenario, we might read a "dark night of the soul," a time when Christ doesn't seem to be present. But the story teaches us that even in those times when He seems to be away, He is present: "our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." The disciples at three o'clock in the morning also suggest to us the times when we feel most alone, and teach us that no matter what picture the world may present, Christ is the God who sees, who knows our hearts, who brings the cheer of the Comforter, the One who is present to us, by our side. Can you be comforted by those words? Especially in times of abandonment, it's important to understand that what we might not perceive in our hearts is truly present to us nevertheless. I AM includes this sense of that which is continually present, and depends on no other for that presence. It is the reality on which we can truly count, no matter what the world may present to us in times of our own darkness, aloneness, isolation.