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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
In yesterday's reading, we were told that the twelve disciples, having returned from their first apostolic mission, gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 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." 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. My study bible points out here that this is not the first, but the second time that Jesus has let the apostles cross the sea in the middle of a fearsome storm. The first time, He was with them (asleep in the stern of the boat). But this time, He sends them off on their own. It's a way to strengthen their faith, so that even in the direst of circumstances they depend on Him. His statement, "It is I," is literally "I Am" -- the same statement of divinity that we find in John 8:58 ("Before Abraham was, I AM"), echoing the name of God given to Moses at the burning bush. Only God would have power over forces of nature in order to walk on water; He reminds the fearful disciples, says my study bible, "of His absolute and divine authority over their lives." Regarding their lack of understanding about the loaves, and their "hardened" hearts, my study bible tells us that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart and not the intellect alone: "When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive His presence and grace. In the ascetic writings of the 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 notes here that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.
It's interesting to note how Christ and especially the disciples seem to go from feast to famine -- or rather, from famine to feast (and quite literally so in yesterday's reading of feeding the five thousand). One evening Jesus stays alone on the mountain to pray and sends them off across the Sea of Galilee, and they are caught fiercely trying to row against a terrible storm, alone in the middle of the sea. It's a great test of the faith even of these experienced fishermen. But the next day, saved by Jesus who walks on the water to them, they are in a place where they are surrounded by people who demand what they have to offer, and Jesus is immediately recognized by all the people who run through "that whole surrounding region." He is inundated with the sick who are brought to Him. Life can be like this experience, where one minute we seem to be totally alone and isolated and fearful, and the next surrounded by people who seem to clamour for whatever it is we have to give, so that we don't seem to have time to rest. It's interesting to look at the name of Gennesaret, which comes from a word that means "Garden of Riches." It was a very fertile place, with both an abundance of fishing resources and an abundant agricultural plane next to it. The plain is called "Paradise of Galilee" for its beauty and fertility. But rather than being feted with riches in a traditional sense of abundance, what we have here is an abundance of faith in Christ, those who so want what He has that they bring the sick to Him from all over, even to touch the hem of His garment. How we know there was active faith is simply that so many were made well through the power of Christ that links with our faith. We know that in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, He couldn't do many works, because of the lack of faith in that place. In this sense, the Gospel teaches us about real abundance -- it contrasts fear with faith. And the importance of faith is the great emphasis that we take, that even in times of our greatest fears, our deepest sense of abandonment and loneliness, faith has an essential role to play. If we look at our darkest times as those which are testing and stretching us, we may have the right idea, the right way to carry on through it. I have often had this experience where there seems to be a kind of conspiracy of abandonment, things that must be left behind, a frightening future prospect not envisioned -- and a kind of test of faith so that I am strengthened that comes through it. We remember the experience of Jesus and the disciples: a kind of famine one day, and feast the next, and we can see this experience also reflected in our own lives. Whatever we are experiencing right at this moment, let us recall the abundance of faith, the great and deep need expressed for Christ, in this paradise of Galilee, the garden of riches. This is the meaning we take in reliance upon God, the great gift of our faith, and all that it can bring us beyond our immediate experience.
