These are the Sermon Notes for May 3, 2020. Watch our livestream service every Sunday at 9:37 am on our facebook page or watch the livestream recordings any time.
Mark 6:45-56 The Most Embarrassing Lesson
Last week we looked at Jesus feeding the five thousand and how that miraculous event was really aimed at teaching the disciples a lesson in humility. They had returned from a successful missions trip where they had preached and cast out demons and healed many who were sick in Jesus’ Name, and then when faced with an inconvenient hungry crowd Jesus challenged their pride in their accomplishments and said to them, “You feed them.”
Jesus proved to them that the power to accomplish His work on the earth came from God and not from them, that they were merely clay pots that the Lord had chosen to manifest His power through. Unfortunately for them, Jesus was not finished teaching them this lesson.
We are going to pick up Mark’s account in Mark 6:45-56 and we are going to look at, what I think, is the most embarrassing and humiliating moment in the Disciples’ lives.
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Before we go too far, I want you to consider what is missing from Mark’s account. I’m sure many of you have heard of Jesus walking on water but who else is usually included in the story? Peter, right?
In Matthew’s Gospel he includes Peter asking Jesus to invite him out on the water in order to prove that it’s really Him, and, of course, Peter takes his eyes off the Lord and focuses instead on the wind and the waves and began to sink. Peter cried out to Jesus and He saves him and they both get into the boat.
Now, you have to remember that Mark is recording Peter’s recollection of these events. This is most likely why this part of the story is left out, either because Peter didn’t want people to get the wrong idea and think too much of him, or he was embarrassed by his failure.
Either way, there was enough embarrassment to go around.
After everyone had eaten their fill and the disciples picked up the twelve basketfuls of leftovers Jesus compelled the disciples to get into their boat and go to the other side to Bethsaida while he dismissed the crowd.
I’m sure the disciples didn’t want to go without Him and that is apparent in the language there, “He made His disciples get into the boat and go…” But they went and paddled off for the other side of the lake.
Jesus remained and dismissed the crowd, then went up on the mountain to pray. “Mountain” is a generous word especially compared to the White Mountains where we live, nevertheless, He went up on the hillside to pray.
And He prays until about the fourth watch of the night there on the hillside where he can see the disciples struggling against a headwind down on the lake and He decides to go to them, walking on the water.
Now imagine yourself in the disciples’ shoes, or sandals, I guess.
The disciples had just witnessed the glory of God manifested in the feeding of five thousand men with the equivalent of a tuna melt. In fact, they most likely had the twelve baskets full of broken pieces of bread and fish in the boat with them. And when Jesus comes to them in the fourth watch of the night, that’s somewhere between three and six in the morning, when He comes to them walking on the water, how do they respond?
…when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified.
They thought He was a ghost. They thought the same as King Herod thinking Jesus was the ghost of John the Baptist.
They had just been on a spiritual mountaintop and fallen off a cliff!
The scholars say it like this: “The disciples did not properly consider the glory of Christ which was exhibited in the multiplication of the loaves…”
I say it like this: what a bunch of morons! They had full bellies, and most likely full baskets of bread, all by Jesus’ hand and now when they see Him walking on the water they freak out and think he’s a ghost! What on earth is their problem?!
49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
So, what on earth was their problem? Their hearts were hardened, they were literally unwilling to learn and accept new information, they did not yet recognize that Jesus is Messiah, the Son of God.
Even after Jesus got into the boat and calmed the wind, even after they recognized that it was truly Him and not a ghost, they were, “utterly astounded,” completely flabbergasted as Ray Steadman put it.
The fact of the matter is regardless of what they had seen Jesus do or what they had heard Him say they still did not know who He really was. They were blinded.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
Even after they landed at Gennesaret, just south of Capernaum, people flocked to Jesus for healing, but, like the disciples, their understanding of who Jesus is was limited only to what He could do for them right then. To even touch the hem of his garment brought healing to the sick. He met their immediate need but what about their eternal need?
And what about the disciples? How did this bunch of dim-witted, dull-eyed, dopes go on to change the world? There are cities named after these men all over the world because of what they did, so what changed?
Fast-forward a year or so to Acts chapter 2…
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him, “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Peter, the disciple too embarrassed to include his failure at walking on water in Mark’s Gospel preached this message and about three thousand souls came to Christ in faith.
What was the difference? The presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
John Calvin wrote, “It is no new thing if men have their eyes closed against the manifest works of God, till they are enlightened from above.”
When people are enlightened from above by the power of the Holy Spirit they are given new eyes to see, new eyes that are no longer blinded to the purposes of God in their lives and in the world.
May we see the world with new eyes, may we seek the Lord with new eyes.
Amen.
