Jesus Walks on Water
Text: Mark 6:45-56
Core Idea: Jesus will at times send us into a storm because He loves us. He will use it to expose our weakness and reveal who He is – reminding us once again that He alone is worthy of our trust. But even still, He doesn’t leave us to weather through the storm on our own; He promises that He will be in the boat with us.
INTRODUCTION
Thank you, Alicia, for sharing your story with us – and reminding us that our faith journey will at times feel like we’re going through a storm. Yet these are the moments when we realize that it’s not our grip but Christ’s grip on us that keeps us on this path. We cling to Him because He is faithful to us. I pray that her story has encouraged you especially if you feel like you’re in the middle of a storm. But even more so, I pray that her story has given you the courage to share your story with this community. Let’s be honest – it’s not easy exposing our flaws, deficiencies, and shortcomings; we want people to only see our victories and success. We’re scared to display our weakness before others. But we need to do this for two reasons: first, it glorifies God. By becoming vulnerable, we shift the focus away from us and place them on Him – His power and His strength. I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” May we learn to boast in our weakness so that He will be glorified through us. But second, it opens opportunities for others to bless us – to provide for us and pray for us. This I believe is something we should all grow in – learning not only to serve but to be served. This is how we grow as a body of Christ – do life together. All this to say, let’s continue to share our lives with one another.
Well, we’ve been going through the Gospel of Mark with the aim to know who Jesus really is. I pray that this series has been helping you to grow in your love for Christ and apply the gospel truth to your lives. Each week, I honestly think to myself, “What am I going to find here? What am I going to share?” But it’s amazing how God has been opening my eyes to see new things, new connections, and new truths about His glory and grace – which is why I wholeheartedly believe that the truth we’re about to hear is not my personal opinion (what I think you need to hear) but it really is the Word of God for you. It’s the Word that He wants to use to breathe new life in you, challenge you, sanctify you, encourage you, and guide you. Friends, it’s not an accident that you’re here today – He wanted you to hear this. Then I pray that you’ll receive this truth with open and eager hearts. With that said, if you have your Bibles, please turn to Mark 6:45-56. Let me read this for us.
45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray. 47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw Him and were terrified. Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 51 Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened. 53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me give you some context. Last week, we saw Jesus feeding the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish – and it was absolutely incredible to see that not only were they all satisfied, but they also had twelve baskets of leftovers. But more than the miracle itself, what Jesus ultimately wanted to show us was that He didn’t just come to give us bread, but rather to be our bread – to be the Satisfier of our souls by being broken on the cross. Now, Mark tells us in verse 45, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him… while He dismissed the crowd.” What was going on here? Why does it sound like Jesus was almost forcefully rushing His disciples to go on without Him? It’s hard to understand here but we get the answer from the parallel story in John’s Gospel. Listen to what John 6:15 says (this is just after the feeding), “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.” In other words, after seeing what Jesus was able to do, the people wanted to make Him their King – more specifically, they had in mind that He would deliver Israel from the oppression of Rome. Imagine this with me: there must have been around 15,000-20,000 people including women and children there – and all of them in one voice were chanting His name, “Jesus! Jesus!” And knowing His disciples, they probably joined them as they urged Jesus to take His rightful place as the King of Israel. Now, the pressure Jesus felt must have been intense. I wonder if He was tempted to just give in because He could’ve had an army at His command, He could’ve re-established Israel with His rule, He could’ve avoided pain, humiliation, and death only if He gave in to their request. Remember, Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin.” Then how was He able to resist temptation? Through prayer – He wrestled with God, which is why it’s no coincidence to see that after sending His disciples away (because they were being misled) He went up to a mountainside to pray.
Now, Mark has intentionally recorded three specific occasions when Jesus prayed: (1) at the beginning of the Gospel when His ministry was being defined (1:35); (2) here, in the middle of the Gospel after He fed the five thousand (6:46); (3) near the end of His ministry in Gethsemane, just before He went to the cross (14:32-42). This is very important to note because all three occasions point to a critical moment in His ministry: when the temptation to abandon His mission was most intense. In other words, prayer was a way for Him to recalibrate His mind and heart to God. No wonder prayer for Jesus was intense – undoubtedly one of the greatest priorities – because He knew that life was war. It was a war to stay on course, to remain faithful to His mission while the enemy constantly labored to derail Him from the path. Brothers and sisters, are you desperately seeking God in the heat of your battle? Some of us need to hear this because we’ve stopped fighting and we’ve allowed ourselves to drift away by the current of this world – not necessarily because you’re hostile toward God or bitter at God but simply because life got busy, life became tough, life became boring and you lost focus, you’ve made life about you. If this is you, maybe God is inviting you to enter into a season of prayer because this is how He wants to strengthen you and encourage you to remain faithful to the call.
Well, back to the story. Jesus will not take the easy way out; He will stay true to His mission. Now, verse 47 clearly tells us that the disciples were in trouble – they found themselves in the middle of a storm. And Jesus saw this as an opportunity to minister to them – He wanted to use this moment to teach them something about Himself. Then I want us to see three things that Jesus did in this passage:
JESUS SENT THEM INTO THE STORM
JESUS REVEALED HIMSELF IN THE STORM
JESUS CLIMBED INTO THEIR BOAT
1) JESUS SENT THEM INTO THE STORM
Let’s look at the story from the beginning again. Did you notice that it was Jesus who made His disciples get in the boat and go before Him knowing that they’ll find themselves in the middle of a storm? Just think about that: Jesus sent them into a storm. This was exactly where Jesus wanted them to be. And if that wasn’t enough, notice that Jesus left His disciples in the storm for some time before He came to them. He saw them at night but only before dawn did Jesus go out to them. What was going on here? Why did Jesus allow them to struggle?
It’s been said that “the safest place to be is in the will of God.” But this story seems to contradict that in every way because it’s one thing to be in a storm because of their disobedience like Jonah; but here, they were led into a storm because of their obedience. In fact, this seems to be the pattern we find in the Bible – Job suffered because he remained blameless and faithful before God; Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den because he prayed; as we saw a couple of weeks ago, John the Baptist was beheaded because he spoke the truth to Herod; Paul was persecuted and killed because he preached the gospel to the nations; even Jesus Himself died on the cross precisely because of His obedience to God the Father. Then reflecting on this, we can’t help but ask, “Why? Why would Jesus send His disciples into the storm? Why would He intentionally lead them to a place of suffering, pain, and discouragement? This makes no sense – I thought He was a God of love, God of mercy, God of grace.” But that’s the whole point. Let me read you a few verses to communicate an important truth to all of us. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the LORD our God.” Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter.” Isaiah 55:8-9 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Here’s what we need to remember: there’s a level of intellectual understanding of our reality that we will never attain no matter how hard we try. In other words, at some point in our journey of faith, we will be tempted to question God’s sovereignty and goodness because He will not do things the way you think they should be done, in the manner you think, and in accordance with the timeline you desire. Have you ever asked, “God, why do You allow this to happen? Why are You closing this door? Why are You taking me on a detour? Why didn’t I get this job? Why did I get sick now? Why didn’t this relationship work out?” But the Bible is clear on this: His ways are always higher than our ways which is why at times, it may not make sense to us but it’s always better. Let this truth sink in because if you don’t get it, you’re always going to be frustrated and disappointed in God. The main problem that the disciples were facing was not the storm; but as Mark says in verse 52, their main problem was their hardened heart that blinded them from seeing who Jesus really was because only if they knew, they wouldn’t be paralyzed by fear.
Brothers and sisters, do you know what this means for us? It means that what will sustain us through the storm is not trying to figure out why God is allowing this to happen but remembering who He is. We may not know His plan in its entirety, but we know and believe that He has a good plan for us and that He’s always in control over our lives. Are you here today and feel like you’re sailing in the middle of a storm right now? Are you overwhelmed? Are you anxious or terrified because you feel like everything will crumble if you lose control? Are you exhausted, tired of rowing but going nowhere? If this is you, as much as this may be hard to believe, remember that our God is good; He loves you – He hasn’t forgotten about you. The troubles in your life do not negate His faithfulness – in fact, His eyes are even more intensely on you at this very moment. That’s exactly what we read in verse 48 – Mark tells us that Jesus saw the disciples struggling which is why He went out to them. When you struggle to see Him, know that He sees you. This is why I’m not calling you to row harder, but I’m inviting you to hide under His wings. Cry out to Him like the disciples did in verse 49. This wasn’t some eloquent, faith-filled prayer – it was a desperate cry asking Jesus to save them. And I wonder if that’s what some of us need to do – just cry and groan in His presence.
Thinking through this point, I was reflecting on the words from the song, Cornerstone – particularly verse 2. This is what it says, “When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. Christ alone, Cornerstone – weak made strong in the Savior's love. Through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all.” May this be our confession today – I pray that we would cling to His truth and rest in His unchanging grace when we sense that He is leading us into a storm.
2) JESUS REVEALED HIMSELF IN THE STORM
Let’s go back to verse 48: “Shortly before dawn He went out to them, walking on the lake.” This is so important to see because (think with me) if all Jesus wanted to do was remove the storm from them, He didn’t have to walk toward them. If all He wanted to do was to get His disciples out of their trouble, all He needed to do was simply speak from the shore and the wind would’ve ceased and the water would’ve grown calm. We know this because that’s exactly what He did in chapter 4. But that’s not what He does. Instead, He walked on water to reach them. Why? Because He wanted to pass by them. You’re probably thinking, “Huh?” Let me explain.
In order to understand this, we must look at two OT passages. First, Exodus 33:19-22. Here, Moses was experiencing all kinds of storms trying to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. These people were constantly complaining; they actually crafted a golden calf to worship; they were blatantly disobeying the Word of God. So, Moses said, “God, I don’t want to lead these people anymore unless I know You’re with me. I don’t want to go back to the storm unless I see You.” And listen to what God said, “I will cause all My goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, the LORD, in your presence… When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by.” The language of passing by was God’s way of revealing His glory to Moses and Moses saw God in a way he had never seen before. Second, 1 Kings 19:11-12. Here, Elijah was so discouraged and depressed by the pain of ministry that he wanted to just die. Then listen to what God said to him, “‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” Again, Elijah saw God in a way that he had never seen before – in a gentle whisper. The pattern in the Bible is that when God’s people were walking through the storms, God would pass by them so that they may see His glory more clearly because that’s what they needed the most to endure the storms of life. Then it’s no accident that Mark uses this phrase “pass by” to show his readers that God was revealing Himself in a way that He has never done before – in the person of Jesus Christ.
This was the most important point Mark wanted to make from this story. The point of Jesus walking on water was not simply to cause people to be amazed by what Jesus can do, it was to cause people to drop to their knees and worship because they see who Jesus is – that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, God in the flesh. This is why, unlike Matthew, Mark doesn’t even mention Peter stepping out of the boat, walking on water, sinking, and being rescued by Jesus. This is interesting because Mark wrote his account off of Peter’s testimony. Then Peter could’ve used this opportunity to tell people about his great faith – I mean, he was the only one who had the courage to step out of the boat when all the other disciples remained in the boat. But Peter intentionally left that portion out of the story because he knew that the story people needed to hear to be encouraged in the middle of their storm, to experience a true transformation of their lives was not the one about the greatness of his faith, but about the greatness of Jesus, the Son of God.
Brothers and sisters, what we need the most in our storm is Jesus and remembering that He is the Creator God, the Lord of the universe. You and I need to desperately, urgently fix our eyes on Him because He alone is the One who is able to dispel our fears and give us the courage to face our storms. We see this from His words recorded in verse 50, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Isn’t this how we speak to our kids in the middle of the night when they come into our room after having a bad dream? We don’t comfort them by giving them a scientific explanation of how dreams aren’t real. No, we just say, “It’s okay. Daddy’s here.” It’s not an intellectual argument or a stranger’s presence that will comfort them; they just need their daddy or mommy to be there. And that’s exactly the point here: all Jesus had to say was, “It’s okay. I’m here” and this would’ve been enough because there’s this relief and peace that comes only through His presence.
What makes this truth even more powerful is that Jesus says, “It is I,” which is the translation of two Greek words: ego eimi. Did you know that these were the same words God used to describe His identity in Exodus 3:14? When Moses asked God, “Who should I say has sent me to deliver these people? What is Your name?” And this is what God said, “Ego Eimi” – “I AM WHO I AM.” It’s no accident that Jesus used these two Greek words to describe who He was – this was His way of clearly declaring, “I AM GOD.” Then this is what it means: if you’re in the dark, He says to you, “I am the Light.” If you’re discontent, He says, “I am the Bread of life.” If you’re feeling lost, He says, “I am the Way.” If you’re confused, He says, “I am the Truth.” If you’re scared of the power of death, He says, “I am the Life.” Friends, it is vital for us to see Him pass by – we need to see the great I AM.
Then, here, I want to specifically address our moms. Moms, when you’re at the end of one of those rough parenting days when you think that you’ve completely failed, remember that Jesus is enough for you – your value or worth hasn’t been robbed by your failures because your identity is secure in the person of Jesus Christ. When you’re facing something in your marriage that’s disappointing and heartbreaking, remember that Jesus is enough for you – He will give you wisdom to navigate through this, power to forgive, and love to embrace. When you’re exhausted, remember that Jesus is enough for you – He will lift you up and renew your strength. When you’ve sinned against God and your family, remember that Jesus is enough for you – He’s gracious to forgive you, and will remove your guilt and shame. Jesus is enough for us – He’s all that we need. He is the great I AM.
But the most radical part of this entire story takes place in verse 51, which leads to our last point.
3) JESUS CLIMBED INTO THEIR BOAT
This is what Mark says in verse 51: “Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down.” Did you hear that? Jesus – the Lord of the universe – got in the boat to be with them. We must see this: by walking on water, He showed them that He is God. But by climbing into the boat, He was declaring that He is the great I AM who is with us.
This truth is so important for us because we live in this “therapeutic” culture where we’ve come to believe that suffering means that there’s something wrong with our lives. We’ve allowed the importance of self-care to negate a theology of suffering from our minds. But if our lives are being compared to being in a boat, what we need to see is that our boats were never built to float idly in a harbor; our boats were built to sail the wild seas – which means that at times, we will be battered by relentless storms, we may be lost, we may be exhausted, tempted to give up. But what does God promise through these trials? That He’ll never leave us or stop loving us.
Do you remember the quote I shared before – “the safest place to be is in the will of God”? What I didn’t share was that this phrase was actually coined by Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who lived through WWII. She and her family were responsible for rescuing nearly 800 Jews through an underground network of safe houses. But just after midnight on February 28, 1944, the Nazis burst into her house and arrested the whole family. Her father died soon after in prison. Corrie and her sister Betsie ended up in a concentration camp. And later that year, Betsie passed away with these words on her lips, “There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still.” In other words, no matter how great the trouble may be, we will always find God there with us – His love will reach us, and He will save us. Corrie ten Boom lost everything because she followed Jesus. She didn’t live a safe life. But she fought the good fight because she knew that there was no pit so deep that God was not deeper still – and that the safest place to be really is in the will of God. In the same way, we may never know why God allows pain, but we can continue to walk in faith, hope, and even joy if we remember that He is with us.
Now, when Jesus got into their boat, the wind died down for these disciples – but this isn’t what we experience all the time. Even though Jesus is with us, we still continue to face storms of this life. But that’s where we’re not seeing the whole picture because, the storm did die down when Jesus climbed into our boat – but it’s not just any storm, He calmed the greatest storm that threatened us the most: our sin. Friends, we must see that the waves of sin continually fill our hearts and we’ve been overtaken by them. And just like the disciples in that boat, we have no power whatsoever to overcome it on our own. We’re helpless and hopeless against it and we would’ve drowned – which is why on the cross, Jesus Christ perished in the storm called sin on our behalf so that we would never have to be afraid again, so that we would be found forgiven and made new.
Again, this doesn’t mean that the storms of your life will end soon – it may, or it may never end. I don’t know. The Word never promises painless life for Christians, nor does it say that the storms will last only for a bit. But what the Word does promise is this – Romans 8:28, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” All things will work together for your good in fulfilling His purpose in your life. Just look at the disciples: they would’ve missed an opportunity to see who Jesus really was if they weren’t thrown into the storm. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to say the storm in itself is good, but God can and will use the storms for our good. Nothing will be wasted – even the storms of our lives – just because He is in the boat with us.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, Jesus will at times send us into a storm because He loves us. He will use it to expose our weakness and reveal who He is – reminding us once again that He alone is worthy of our trust. But even still, He doesn’t leave us to weather through the storm on our own; He promises that He will be in the boat with us. How tragic and sad would it be for us to miss Him or worse, ignore Him while attempting to get through this on our own! Brothers and sisters, He is with you right now. Then let us fix our eyes on Him and cry out to Him for He is the great I AM who will faithfully lead us through the storm.
Discussion questions
Do you ever have a tendency to believe that God doesn’t see (or doesn’t care) when you’re in the middle of a storm? How might this passage encourage you to think differently? Why is this important in our spiritual journey?
Why did He walk on water to get to His disciples? How can having a clear vision of Jesus sustain you through difficult times? How does knowing that Jesus is in the boat with you give you courage?
Are you currently in the midst of a difficult life situation? If so, would you be willing to share with your Community Group what you’re going through and allow them to care for you and walk with you in the midst of your storm?