Mark 6 Reflections

"Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid." -- Jesus 

(as recorded in Mark 6)

Jesus came to His disciples on the water. The winds were raging around them as they sat atop the water in a boat. His intention was to pass them. I've been mulling over that this morning... Why? Why was He going to pass them?

But then they called out. They were afraid, thinking they were seeing a ghost. Jesus steps into the fear, offering Himself... "I'm here... There's no reason to be afraid." The One who made the earth, the very air swirling around them, the trees which had been formed into the vessel and each man sitting in it was here.

In a way, it's odd to me: He didn't speak to the winds. Wasn't that the original problem after all?

Rather, He spoke to the disciples then continued to move toward them.

He got into the boat with them. He didn't continue walking past them. He stopped and engaged. Then the winds ceased.

I don't know about you today, but for me, this is good news. The Author of Life is with me telling me not to be afraid. He sees me in a place of need and move towards me, but He's not going to keep walking past... Because when I call out to Him, He's going to speak to the real need and join me in the boat. 

Interestingly enough, the disciples are astounded (I mean, of course they are!), but then their hearts are hardened. I wonder about that, too. Why aren't they brought to a place of complete tenderness in the midst of what He's just done, in the midst of His very Presence?

Perhaps it's because they couldn't put Him into a man-sized box... The passage says they couldn't understand the miracle from a while before (the bread and the loaves)... They couldn't wrap their heads around Him, so they kept their distance. Maybe.

For me, this resonates though. After telling me not to be afraid, He gets in the boat and the winds calm down. In light of all I'd just experienced with Him, the amazing miracles I'd just seen and the way He spoke to my exact need, I think I'd wonder about what was next. In fact, I do...

So I'm just going to sit with Him in that spot today wondering about my need to make Him my-sized and yet still in awe of the astounding gift of His presence and the peace He ushers in. I hope to learn more about my need in the place where I need to bring Him down to my level of understanding. I hope He surprises me with more astonishing moments where I see how very out of my box He is.