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 the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught on their first apostolic journey.  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 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 that Christ permits the disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time He was with them, but asleep in the stern of the boat.  Here, He's sent them across the sea, while He went to the mountain to pray (see yesterday's reading, above).  Leaving them alone this time, my study Bible says, is a way of strengthening their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  We note that it was only recently that they have returned from their first apostolic mission (again, see above), and so it is easy to understand that Christ is preparing them for their future.  "It is I" is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  According to my study Bible, He is reminding the fearful disciples that He has absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

 

 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. According to my study Bible, knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply the intellect.  It says that when our hearts are illumined by faith in God, they are open to receive God's 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 comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life-giving (see also the story of the woman with the blood flow, Mark 5:25-29).  Consider also that in yesterday's reading, we read of the feeding of the five thousand, prefiguring the Eucharist to come, the gift of Christ's Body and Blood.

 

 Jesus repeatedly teaches in the Gospels that His is the path we need.  He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  Elsewhere He teaches, "Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:35).  In John 10:9, Jesus declares, "I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."   In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).   Each of these sayings points in the direction of a close following of Christ, a path that is narrow and well-defined by faith in Him.  This is, essentially, discipleship, a close following of Christ, step by step as we advance into a deeper, fuller faith, and more reliance upon Him.  And this is what the disciples experience as they continue with Him.  We've already seen the Twelve chosen to become the first apostles, and them sent out on their first apostolic mission (see Saturday's reading).  In every careful step of the way for these disciples, Jesus has taught them what He wants.  They have learned from Him by living with Him, hearing Him preach, experiencing His ministry, receiving His instructions.  As my study Bible says above, today's reading is not the first time these disciples have been frightened by a storm on the Sea of Galilee, following His instructions to cross over.  Even these experienced fishermen felt frightened for their lives the first time this happened, although He was with them, but sleeping.  But this time, they are on their own, and they're struggling, straining at rowing, for the wind was against them.  The text tells us that 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.  The "fourth watch of the night" is three o'clock in the morning, and we can just imagine what a frightening time this was under these circumstances!  Walking to them on the water, they imagine Christ to be a ghost!  But all of this is in preparation for something.  For the particular path that Christ "walks" them on is one that is given in order to help them to become something essential to the Kingdom and to the Church to come -- for they will carry the newfound Church on their shoulders into the world, a very hostile world through martyrdom and exile in the future.  We might consider such a dangerous and enormously significant mission to be something fearful or burdensome.  But it is a mission of the highest significance, the greatest bravery, the deepest sacrifice, and we know of no other powerful mission with such an established and far-reaching outcome.  For all of us are on this mission of securing the Kingdom and the Church in the world, but Christ prepares a particular path for each of us on this "road" (or "way") that He has for us.  In the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, Christ expresses the understanding of this contribution.  Each worker, without regard for how long or how short the duration of their labor, receives the same reward.  This makes sense if every unique contribution is necessary to the project.  Each of us has a narrow way, a particular mission to follow, depending on how we're meant to serve that Kingdom and our Lord.  When we go through challenges and difficulties, when we're asked to make sacrifices, we don't always know why -- just as these disciples turned apostles in today's reading don't really know at this stage why He's sent them alone across the Sea of Galilee, and into such a frightening storm.  But there He is, our answer to all things:  "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."   Perhaps none of us knows what we're being prepared for, especially in the fullness of time and of the eternity beyond, and the fullness of the knowledge of Christ and who we are in His eyes.  If our hearts are hardened to Christ's activity and work, we might never understand.  But we're all becoming, and He is the One who shows us the way, in His plan of salvation for the entire cosmos, for the life of the world.