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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
Yesterday, we read that the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught, after their first mission. And He said to them, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves. But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things. When the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, "This is a deserted place, and already the hour is late. Send them away, that they may go into the surrounding country and villages and buy themselves bread; for they have nothing to eat." But He answered and said to them "You give them something to eat." And they said to Him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them something to eat?" But He said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they found out they said, "Five, and two fish." Then He commanded them to make them all sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, 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. Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men. 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. 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." My study bible teaches here that "It is I" (which is literally "I am" in the Greek (ego eimi), "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.'"
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. Another note 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. In all the ascetic writings of the Orthodox Church, the heart is known as the 'seat of knowledge.'"
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. My study bible says, "Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving" and refers us again to the story of the woman with the bloodflow, as written earlier in Mark's Gospel. Here in Gennesaret, a place known for its abundance of fishing, Christ's very ministry seems to have multiplied like the fish and the loaves in the wilderness (yesterday's reading).
Let us think once again about faith and fear. Repeatedly Jesus has contrasted the two, telling His disciples and others who would benefit from His healing, "Do not be afraid, only believe." Previously, His disciples were rowing in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, in the middle of a storm. Jesus at that time had been asleep in the stern, and they woke Him, as they feared for their lives. He asked them then, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Repeatedly in Mark's Gospel, we are being given this admonition to faith, contrasting it, in some sense, as if it were at with within ourselves, with fear, with timidity or cowardice (the kind of fear implied in the midst of the storm by the Greek text). Here in today's reading, a kind of deeper action takes place. His disciples do not call to Him or for Him; this time, they are alone on the sea, and He is alone on the mountaintop in prayer. But again, they're fighting the winds. The fourth watch of the night is about three o'clock in the morning. They row on in faith, following what they've been told to do. But this time, it is Jesus who comes to them, walking on the water seemingly without a care in the world, so to speak, as if He would pass them by. This time, their confidence is restored by His presence, and His words, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." And so, there is something deeper to understand about our faith from this story: His presence with us, no matter what the vast gulf that seemingly separates, and His awareness of us, becomes a part of the story of our faith. We are not alone in simply cultivating faith on our own and combating our fears and doubts. We have not only His presence with us but also we are known by Him. In 1 Corinthians (8:3), St. Paul tells us that "if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him." What does it mean that God knows us? These apostles are those who have been sent out on their first mission, and they have just participated in the feeding of five thousand men (and more women and children) in the wilderness. They are not at all "puffed up with knowledge" (as St. Paul might put it) because they haven't really understood about the loaves and the fish! Their heart was hardened, the text tells us. But Jesus knows them, and is with them. This text is about the great power of God to overcome everything in us, all our deficiencies and defects, our imperfect understanding, everything. The real key to God's presence and work in our lives, even to strengthening our faith, is the love of God in our hearts. And this Christ knows about these men. This is what truly makes relationship. And I think that is what we have to take away from today's reading. Everything else comes second to this love; every "task" and every good deed and every accomplishment can't add up to a measure of faith. It is the measure of love in us that gives us our real relationship with God, and God does the rest. The real abundance of this harvest is apparent on the lakeshore at Gennesaret, the abundance of those coming to this ministry, bringing others with them who cannot come to Him on their own. It's another sign of the power of God carrying us forward, even through others, when we can't get there on our own. Everything depends on the desire that is love; love is the key to everything in this relationship, the heart of where like meets like, and we are known to our Creator. His power is ever so greater than ours; the spark of love is completed by God in whatever form that relationship will take on.
