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We will start by looking at what is actually involved in stepping out of the boat,
what the boat represents and why we might concider leaving it behind.
The story of Jesus walking on the water is so well know to us that we fail to
ask the right questions.
What was Jesus up to, walking around on the lake at three in
the morning?
In Mark 6 v48b
it gives us a clue what he was up to, it says,
"He was about to pass by them".
Why did Jesus want to "pass by them" Did he decide to race them?
Did he want to impress them with a really neat trick?
What was going on here?
The verb, the doing word, "to pass by" is used in the Greek translation of the
Old Testament as a technical term to refer to a theophany - those defining
moments when God himself comes down and makes himself known and in doing so
communicates a message.
For example God put Moses in a cleft in a rock so he could see God's glory as
he passed by
(Exodus 33 v19).
God told Elijah
(1 Kings 19 v11-15a)
to stand on the mountain "for the Lord is about to pass by".
The disciples didn't fully grasp it yet, but God was visiting them. Mark wants
his readers to know that Jesus often comes when least expected, three in the
morning, in the middle of a storm. Within our own experiences, when things are
going from bad to worse, it is in those places, frequently God meets with us.
Though for a time the storm had their attention, their focus has now shifted to
the figure that was walking towards them on the water. But it is possible if we
get consumed by the storms of life, our focus stays on the problems, if we are
not looking for Jesus, we just might miss him.
Jesus speaks into their situation
Mark 6 v50
"Take courage! It is I. Don't be
afraid".
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