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 returned from their first mission (see Tuesday's reading), 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 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."   This is the second time in Mark's Gospel that the disciples are allowed by Christ to be caught in a storm (see also this reading from a week ago).  At that first storm on the sea, Christ was with them, asleep in a boat.  But this time, they struggle in the boat in the middle of the sea; and He is alone on the land.  My study bible notes that in this way, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  Of course, this is an example to us of a growing discipleship as Christians, that our faith will be challenged to expand.  It is I is literally "I Am" in the original Greek, which is the divine Name of God (see Exodus 3:14, John 8:58).  My study bible says that Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  It also gives us an understanding that whatever is happening, there is an awareness of God to our circumstances.

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 comments here that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, and not merely the intellect.  The heart is the center of who we are, uniting body, soul, and spirit.  If our hearts are illumined by faith in God, my study bible adds, we are open to receive His presence and grace.  In the ascetic writings of the Church, it notes, 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.  Once again, we witness holy power working through the things of creation.  My study bible says that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving.  See also the healing of the woman with the years-long flow of blood, in Monday's reading.

In today's reading, Jesus gives the command, "Do not be afraid."  Literally, this reads "Do not fear."  At the previous occasion of being caught in a storm on the sea, even when Jesus was with them, He asked them two questions:  "Why is it that you are so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  This time, He gives a command.   In the previous reading, He commanded the howling wind and the waves, but here His very presence seems to still the sea, and His command is for His disciples.  Let us note that it is about three o'clock in the morning (corresponding to the fourth watch of the night).  This tells us something about this ministry and their discipleship:  it is a round-the-clock effort.  At 3:00 A.M. the disciples are straining at rowing, crossing the Sea of Galilee.  It is also a time of night when we are susceptible to fears, and in the dark on the sea, in the middle of the storm, we can just imagine how frightening and startling this event might be.  It is a time of vulnerability for human beings the world over, a time when most of us sleep -- and these moreover, are in the middle of a the sea (a very large lake, really), in the middle of a storm.  It is also a time of vulnerability for dreams that disturb us, showing us our fears we may ignore throughout the day.  In such a context, this small fact about this incident, the time of its occurrence, suggests something deeper to us than meets the eye.  It teaches us about the deep things of our own hearts -- that which is necessary for the good, and also those things which trouble us, which we may also keep in our hearts.  Christ's presence as the Lord of the Old Testament, the I AM, is a comforting one.  It is reassuring.  This isn't simply the God who can command bread to come from heaven to feed the Israelites in the wilderness, nor the One who inflicts punishments on Pharoah because he won't allow God's people to go, but this is the personal God who has become a fellow human being so that He may be with us and we may know His very presence as one who is moved with compassion for us (as in yesterday's reading, above), who suffers with us.  Indeed, the Holy Spirit, sent into the world at Pentecost for all of us, is known as the Comforter, and the Counselor.  Along with the command not to fear, Christ's very presence is one that reassures us we are not alone, we are known better than we know ourselves, and those fears and disturbing reminders that may wake us at 3 A.M. are also things to face with prayer and the presence of Christ.  It is this thorough rendering of the heart to faith that He wants, for He is with us in all things, and His presence is closer to us than we  know.  At the Last Supper, Jesus will tell the disciples, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples" (John 15:7-8).  We are to abide in one another, to participate in one another.  Our faith is one of struggle and growth, and bearing fruit as Jesus says, but we don't do it alone.   He asks to be present with us at all times and through all things, and such is the message contained in today's reading.  Let us note that Jesus adds here in this quotation from the Last Supper, ". . . and My words abide in you."   His word is inseparable from His presence, for He is the very Word of God (John 1:1).   St. Paul writes, "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).  If we ask how deep Christ is in us, we cannot truly answer that question, for the word of God which is living and powerful may pierce far more deeply than even we are aware of within ourselves.   And there we meet Christ at 3 o'clock in the morning, in our place of deepest fears and vulnerability, where surprising things may come out of us that we didn't know were there, and we must call on Him to meet them with us.  It doesn't matter what the struggle is, for as a disciple, we are to learn that all of life is a struggle for faith, to meet all the moments of our lives and all our experiences with Him present and helping us, and growing in that dependency.  He commands here, "Do not be afraid."  But that command is never without His presence by our side, "It is I" reassuring us that the I AM knows even each hair on our heads.