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

Yesterday we read that, having completed their first missionary journey, the apostles 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.  This is the second time in Mark's Gospel that Jesus permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see last Friday's reading for the earlier incident).  In that previous episode, Jesus was with them.  But here He had left them alone.  My study bible says that in this way, He strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am" -- that is, it is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58).  Jesus reminds His fearful disciples that as Lord, He has absolute and divine authority over their lives.  "Be of good cheer" is more accurately translated as a command meaning "Take courage." 

For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.   To know Christ is a question of the heart, not simply the intellect.  When hearts are illumined by faith in God, my study bible notes, they are open to receiving His presence and grace.  n the ascetic writings of the Church, the heart is called "the seat of knowledge."  It is the depth and center of the whole of a person.

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.  Jesus permits miracles through touch.  Building on a beginning understanding of Eucharist hinted at in yesterday's reading (above), the Gospel reveals that Jesus shows His very body is life-giving (see also 5:25-29).

In yesterday's reading and commentary, we noted that Jesus nurtures and feeds in all ways; that is, succoring all the varied things in our make up as human beings -- not only the body, but also soul, spirit, mind, heart, strength.  He invites us to continually recall what it means to be a person, all the aspects with which we are endowed, and that each in good balance needs its own food, its own rest, its own replenishment and refreshment.  We might not see that in Jesus sending the apostles across the sea alone, and their second experience of a difficult storm.  But His presence to them on the sea signals that there are no barriers to His presence, and this will stand them in good stead for the blooming of their understanding of His Church after Pentecost.  We should keep in mind that it was about the fourth watch of the night that He came to them on the sea as they strained against the wind.  The fourth watch of the night corresponds to 3:00 AM.  Such a time is familiar to us as a time when worry or fear may seem overwhelming, and so, once again, the experience of the disciples -- and this picture formed in our minds of their struggle in the night on a stormy sea with the wind against them --  is one that we can apply to our individual lives.  We don't often stop to consider that a time when something is lacking or missing can also be a time of learning and assessing.  What is it that we really need?  What addresses our problems?  We have a choice to ruminate on our fears and worries, or to turn to where we find hope, illumination.  Another way that Christ nurtures us is to remind us that with God there are no limits; anything is possible.  His presence, and our prayers, may help to free our minds enough to think outside of the box, to find solutions we didn't see in the darkness and the storm.   The people who respond to Jesus by bringing their sick to Him are also responding to His presence in faith and hope.  In both cases, it is Christ who nurtures and heals in whatever way is necessary.  It suggests to us that basing our lives in faith means that we rest first within a sense that what our true needs are will be made known to us.  It is a kind of balance that keeps us aware that as multifaceted beings, we have many needs and all of them need to be cared for, nurtured, and led by Christ to true healing:  whether we speak of physical ailment or the cares that plague our thoughts in the dark or any time we feel helpless.   Lent can be a time when we cut down to basics, and take some time out to reorient our thinking to what we really need, and what we truly lack.  Let us consider all the ways in which we need Him, and understand our own dependency upon God.