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, upon return from their first apostolic mission, the Twelve gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what the 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 comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading for the first).  The first time He was with them, asleep on a pillow in the stern.  But this time He has left them to row across the sea, while He was alone on the land where He remained behind to pray.  In this way, my study Bible says, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the middle of the storms of life.  It is I (Greek εγω ειμι/ego eimi) is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God given to Moses at the Burning Bush (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  In this way Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  Their heart was hardened:  My study Bible tells us that knowing Christ is a matter of the heart, not simply the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it notes, 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.  Again, Christ heals by touch.  My study Bible comments that this shows that His very body is life-giving (see also Mark 5:25-29).  

In today's reading, Jesus reveals His identity as Lord through the use of the Name of God given to Moses, the "I Am."  In the Greek of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, and the Greek of the New Testament, these are the same.  It clearly ties Christ to the divine identity we know as the Son of God, or God the Son, second Person of the Trinity.  But it also ties Christ to God the Father.  In the Nicene Creed, we state our belief "in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not created, of one essence with the Father through Whom all things were made."  So close are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that they act as one.  In today's reading, Jesus affirms that union through His use of the title "I Am" (translated in today's reading as "It is I") and His mastery over the elements of nature tell us so as well.  Also tellingly, Jesus walks across the sea from the place where He had stayed behind, sending the apostles by themselves to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, while He stayed on the mountain to pray (see yesterday's reading, above).  There Jesus turns to the Father, after feeding the multitude in the wilderness (again, see yesterday's reading), and we can see that this has become a clear turning point of His earthly ministry.  For in that feeding in the wilderness is the prefiguring of the Eucharist to come, which is irrevocably tied to the sacrifice that Christ will make on the Cross.  At all points, Christ the Son is working in tandem with God the Father, just as at the creation He did the same, and cooperating, as the human Jesus, with that will of the Father as one.  Powerfully, there are places in the Gospels where we find that, although the Father is possibly the most mysterious of the Trinity to us (as Jesus the Son is our mediator, for He lived as one of us, and the Holy Spirit's actions and mercies are known in the world), God the Father is shown to be active and in communion with us.  When St. Peter confesses that Jesus is the Son of the living God, according to St. Matthew, Jesus replied to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).  So, in a sense, God is "all in all" (as St. Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 15:28), including in us.  Elsewhere Jesus teaches, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  Christ's miracles of touch, of the domination of natural forces like the sea and the wind, His use of the Name "I Am," and His prayer to God the Father, all tell us about the integral play of the greatest mystery of all to us, God the Father, united to us and to our world through Jesus.  As we read through St. Mark's Gospel, let us come to terms with the powerful reality being revealed to us through the life of Christ, and that purpose toward which it works to bring God as "all in all," including in us.  Let us not minimize the power of prayer, and of our faith, for it links us to the greatest heights of God who seeks to be in communion with us -- so much so that God's only begotten Son was given to us as Jesus, to live and die as one of us, to suffer with us, and to reclaim us for God.  Above all, it is the compassion of God we take with us, as we see in Christ's healing and redemption of ailing humanity, giving not just a temporary physical healing but an eternal life as possibility for us.  For when we imitate Him, in prayer to God Our Father, when we read and study the Scriptures, when we walk and pray with the saints, when we call on the Son and the Holy Spirit, even when we choose an act of compassion, we participate in those energies of God which Christ puts on display and manifests, so that we may also be "sons of God."  Jesus teaches the disciples, "He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me" (Matthew 10:40).  Let us remember that He came so that God would be all in all, and to leave none of us behind.  For, like the apostles, even when we seem to be alone, He is with us. 

Truly You are the Son of God

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. 

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus heard that King Herod Antipas now feared Him (Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist, raised from the dead), He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.   

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Let us consider that Christ has just instituted a new change in His ministry, the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness -- a "new" mighty work, and one with Eucharistic indications.  He withdraws at this point, up on the mountain by Himself to pray.   He has sent the disciples in a boat by themselves, to travel across the Sea of Galilee.

 

Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  My  study Bible comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time, He was with them; this time He has sent them across the sea alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them midst the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  This is a reminder to the fearful disciples of the Lord's absolute and divine authority over their lives.  The fourth watch of the night is approximately 3:00 in the morning.

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that it is Peter's faith that allows Him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but to come to Jesus; Peter's desire is not to perform miracles but rather to be with the Lord.  Let us see that Peter is able to participate in this divine miracle as long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  As soon as he is distracted, my study Bible says, he begins to sink.

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"   My study Bible explains that the Greek term for doubt used here means to waver, vacillate, or hesitate, indicating an uncertainty between two things.  The cause of Peter's sinking, it says, wasn't the storm, but rather his doubt.  So therefore Christ does not rebuke the wind, but Peter.  

 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."   This is the first time that the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.   My study Bible says that knowing only God can be worshiped, they confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him (the word translated as worshiped indicates a bow of prostration).   The boat is symbolic of the Church 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  They have crossed over to another area of Galilee south of His ministry headquarters of Capernaum, and so the people there have recognized Jesus.  We can see Jesus' fame by now, they've sent out into all that surrounding region, so that all who were sick were brought to Him.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life, and that that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).

Perhaps the image of Christ walking on the water is the most iconic one we have of Christ's identity as divine being.  My study Bible comments that only God has dominion over nature; so, therefore, this miracle confirms the divinity of Christ.  Walking on water is the perfect image of the impossible -- the defiance of all known laws of physical life in this world.  But let us also note that Christ not only comes walking on the water to join the disciples (I mean, He could clearly have crossed over at another time by boat), but in order to assure them that -- no matter what -- He is there for them.  And, we might say, it tells them that He will do that even if He has to walk on water to do so.  This is a miracle that is specifically for them, for they are the only ones present.  Let us consider it in the context of yesterday's reading, that Christ has just fed five thousand people in the wilderness from a couple of fish and five loaves of bread.  Now that is an extraordinary miracle, and meant for several thousand people (five thousand men, and yet more women and children).  And yet, we know the time will come when the disciples will reveal that they haven't quite grasped that miracle in their minds (see Matthew 16:5-12).  But this miracle in today's reading -- this walking on the water -- this is something which makes its extraordinary impact.  We can possibly attempt to read St. Peter's mind and what he was thinking when he asked to walk on the water.  The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost (for how can a human being walk on water?), and so Peter demands some kind of proof that it really is the Lord.  Peter asks to be commanded to walk on the water too.  Let us first consider here that Peter by trade was a fisherman, working on the water for his livelihood, so this is quite a thing to ask.  But if it is really a command from the Lord -- the Lord who can walk on the water -- well, then that is a possibility after all, that by the Lord's command Peter could even walk on the water.  And he does, until he apparently takes his eye off of Jesus, focuses on the boisterous wind, and becomes afraid.  And then, Jesus saves him again.  After all of this, and the dying down of the wind, there is nothing more to say.  All the disciples can do -- to the last man of them (those who were in the boat) -- is to bow down before him in the pose of worship.  They tell Him, "Truly You are the Son of God."  Interestingly, these words will be nearly echoed by the centurion at the Cross (Matthew 27:54), after witnessing the earthquake and other things that happened at His human death.  This isn't the first time we've observed Jesus make extraordinary effort to get to those who need Him; in this reading we read of Jesus and disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee to reach men possessed by demons, although the people of the place simply wanted Jesus to leave them.  Here, in what we might think of as the dreams and fears of a rough and stormy windy night, at 3:00 in the morning, Jesus walks as if in a dream to the disciples.  It's a memorable image one can't forget, but it should serve for us to know He will come to us in ways we can't expect.  Let us not lose sight of Him in our fears.   We, too, may find our faith in the same way, and come to know that truly He is the Son of God.

Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.

 

- Matthew 14:22–36 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus heard that King Herod feared Him, He departed from by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

 

  Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  We recall that Jesus' plan was to seek to withdraw from the scrutiny of Herod Antipas, for as Herod began to hear of Jesus, he feared that Jesus was John the Baptist returned from the dead, and that this was the explanation for Christ's miraculous works.  Here, after feeding the multitude, He once again withdraws for solitude to pray.

Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  My study Bible comments that only God has dominion over nature; therefore, this miracle is a confirmation of the divinity of Christ.  It is now the second time that Jesus has permitted His disciples to be caught in a storm (see also Matthew 8:23-27).  The first time, He was with them.  But here he had left them alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ 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," which is the divine Name of God (see Exodus 3:14; John 8:58).  My study Bible adds that Christ reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that Peter's faith allows him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but rather to come to Jesus.  Peter's desire is not to perform miracles but to be with Christ.  Peter is able to participate in this divine miracle as long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  When he becomes distracted, he begins to sink.

 

 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  My study Bible explains that the Greek term for doubt used here means "wavering" or "hesitation."  Peter's sinking was due not to the storm but rather his doubt; so Christ does not rebuke the wind -- but rebukes Peter.

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."  This response bears some resemblance to the words of the centurion who stood at the Cross and witnessed Christ's Passion (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:39).  My study Bible comments that this is the first time the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.  As they know that only God can be worshiped, they confess His divinity by worshiping Him.  Here, the boat is symbolic of the Church.  

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  Again, the miracles of healing are prominent in Christ's ministry.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life, and that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).  

Stories of the miraculous give us a particular feel in Scripture, a sense of something extraordinarily present that grips our imagination and asks it to go beyond our everyday boundaries and expectations.  There are many who read Scripture and automatically discount the miracles they encounter there.  But Scripture is a kind of literature that asks us to read what it contains with a perspective that everything in it is necessary for us to grasp something, to receive what there is to give.  I also cannot immediately dismiss all possibility of the miraculous, if only because what might be considered miraculous seems to happen and surprise people all the time.  This is particularly true of things that seem to be coincidental, or dreams that give us a hint of things that are happening elsewhere, a sense that pervades prayer, an intuition that supplies an answer we'd been grasping for but couldn't find in some normal "rational" sense.  But let us consider for a moment the miracles of Christ, for they are all, importantly and essentially for us, connected to faith.  My study Bible points out that St. Peter is able to walk on the water toward Christ so long as he keeps his focus on Christ, a key to understanding the miraculous sense here.  The people who bring their sick to be healed have the sort of faith that resembles that of the woman with the twelve year blood flow: we're told that they begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  This connection of faith is clearly the thread -- or perhaps we should say rope -- by which we make contact with potentials that are far beyond the daily grasp of the worldly.  It's also quite essential that we know Peter requested Jesus to command him to walk toward Him, so Peter knows he's responding to a command from Christ.  Moreover, it's the fourth watch of the night, which begins at three o'clock in the morning, and so there is only whatever light might be found on the sea from the stars and moon.  Just as Peter begins to sink once he takes his eyes of the Jesus, so when we lose that thread (or rather, that sturdy rope to hang onto) we also risk sinking into the daily grind of limited expectations and colorless perspective.  Faith, on the other hand, can inspire from depths we didn't know we had.  Indeed, faith can open up depths within us to explore -- to be healed of painful trauma we conceal from ourselves, and to open to creative energies we hadn't understood were there.  Faith gives us confidence just as it gave St. Peter, but we have to remember that it is that we look to Christ that is the key.  It's one thing to place one's faith in something inanimate, or something worldly and material, and another to place one's faith in Christ, the One came to the world in order to bring us life, and to bring life more abundantly (John 10:10).  That becomes a faith -- a key to union -- with something that offers us much more than we can give it.  That faith opens up to the work of the apostles, with whom Christ was able to share His power and authority.  That kind of faith opens up the fruit of the Spirit we read about in Galatians 5:22-23, allowing us to participate in those virtues we otherwise do not have the resources to muster.  These examples are just the bare minimum of gifts and inspiration that we can attribute to faith.  Faith confers the capacity to keep going when otherwise things simply look hopeless when we take God out of the picture.  Faith confers the ability to keep trying when recovery from illness seems impossible.  Faith teaches us that where there is life there is hope, and so on -- we could continue this list far beyond the limits of a blog post.  But what is of true importance, once again, is Whom it is that we put our faith into, for Christ has a gospel message, a Kingdom characterized by certain realities He teaches, and the power of love and life.  His is not the gospel of rage or vengeance or material power.  He offers us that special thing we see on display in today's reading, and if we can look around, we'll find it all around us in the world of the faithful of today, yesterday, and those to come.  In that light, I'd like to share an inspirational blog post regarding a young man called "Superman," written by his Dad (found at this Substack link, which can be read free of charge).  Through faith, a boy with serious struggles became Superman, and continues to inspire.  Let us consider the power of our faith today, in such a world of devastating spectacle, but so much potential that is hidden without that faith.  Let us consider the miraculous, and how it may appear to us when we are least expecting it, without the eyes of faith to see it.

 

 

 

 

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 having returned from their first missionary journey, they 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.  My study Bible remarks that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading for their previous experience in a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee).  Let us note that in yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus had sent them across the sea toward Bethsaida, while He went to the mountain to pray.  The first time they were caught in the storm of the sea He was with them.  In today's reading, He has sent them ahead of Him, alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them in the midst of the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated as "I Am," which is the divine Name of God from the Old Testament (see John 8:58, Exodus 3:14).  My study Bible says that in this way, Jesus reminds the fearful disciples of His absolute and divine authority over their lives.  The fourth watch of the night is approximately three o'clock in the morning.

For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.   To know Christ is a matter of the heart, my study Bible comments, and not merely the intellect.  When our hearts are illumined by faith in God, it says, 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 reminds us that Christ permits miracles through touch in order to show that His very body is life-giving (see also this reading, especially the section on the healing of the woman with the years-long blood flow).

 

The stories about Jesus and His ministry are filled with drama.  The previous time the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee in the middle of a frightening storm, they found themselves finally coming to rest in a deserted, "lawless" place among tombs, where they met a man possessed by a Legion of demons (in this reading).   But here, the reception is quite different.  They've anchored in a place where Jesus is well-known and immediately recognized.  Here, and apparently in the entire surrounding region of villages, cities, and country, people laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.  Mark especially seems to give us the "flavor" of this ministry as that which drives the disciples through a enormous and dizzying variety of experiences, all vivid in their own ways.  I don't know if we can imagine what it would be like to be in a boat, rowing, in the middle of a stormy Sea of Galilee at three o'clock in the morning!  That is, of course, unless we've had a similar experience.  I've found myself on a slightly stormy sea in the middle of bright daylight in the summer in the Aegean, on a modern large catamaran with a powerful motor designed for such a trip, and even then I can say the experienced captain was clearly extremely anxious and frightened for what might happen.  In that instance, we docked at the nearest island port until the storm passed.  If we put ourselves in the shoes of the disciples, can we even imagine what this would have been like at 3:00 AM, without modern technological help?  Seeing Christ walking on the water, of course, adds another element to the story!  While there are those who may dismiss out of hand the miraculous elements of the Gospels, I'm not one of them.  Even modern physics posits a multi-dimensional universe, and that particles of energy and matter do not always behave as expected.  I accept Christ's identity in the sense that today's reading teaches us about Him:  as God Incarnate He has a mastery over wind and waves and the forces of nature.  As Mark unfolds the stories of Jesus' ministry, we see revealed to the disciples more and more glimpses or signs of Christ's divinity.  Who can walk on water?  Who can calm the waves and the winds?  Moreover, in today's reading, we catch sight of ourselves, and how we are able to blind ourselves to things we can't quite accept.  It tells us that the disciples' hearts were hardened so that they did not understand about the loaves and the fishes described in yesterday's reading.  How is that possible?  In an era in which we're used to being told explicit news events, "verified" by what we see on television or hear in recordings, in which we are constantly fed evidence of "proof" of something, this might be hard to understand.  A mass acceptance of something seems to make it so (helped along by marketing techniques for the public).  But eye witness experience is different, and our minds work in a particular way to influence what we think we know or see.  Therefore to have a "hardened heart" in Biblical parlance is to be blind to something, either deliberately, or in the case of the disciples, perhaps they are having a hard time accepting all that they are being exposed to about Jesus and what it all implies.  In the tradition of the Church, as explained above in the notes from my study Bible, the heart is a seat of knowledge, and there in the heart is a kind of understanding that doesn't come simply from rational deduction or grasping of material facts.  There is another way to perceive, especially for the perception of things of a spiritual nature and the realities of our dependency upon and communion with God.  It is important to make room for an experiential understanding of faith, for ours is a kind of intimate relationship just as we read the disciples themselves developing with Christ.  This kind of dependency and trust is deepened in the  heart, and realities are grasped especially through a heart that is open to love and understanding, a sympathy that conveys wisdom or knowledge otherwise not known but understood.  This is the real spiritual tradition of the Church, those whom Christ calls capable of grasping faith as a little child, what it is to have a heart open to God.   In the Eastern Christian tradition, those with such a heart are called spiritual elders:  they need not be of any specific age or gender or walk of life.  But they are those with a deep and mature faith, expressed and experienced through such understanding and insight, and they are able to grasp the truth in the hearts of others that isn't necessarily accepted but is nevertheless there.  They are such that others open their hearts to them, and theirs is a humility that is filled with grace which may be easily overlooked by the world.  Our hearts are indeed the key to a deep mystery -- a mystery about who we are, and about God and our relationship to God.  Our hearts also tell a hidden story about what we'd rather not see.   Only God has the real key to our deepest hearts, and Christ is called the "heart-knower" (see Acts 1:24, in which the Greek text literally uses this term).   Just as Jesus can command physical nature, and heal human ailments, so another sign of His divinity is His knowledge of our hearts.  St. Paul writes, "For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).  Let us pay attention to the heart, where such light shines for us.  The disciples see Him walking toward them on the water, but He also speaks to our hearts when we need Him, and says, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."