After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied,
Jesus made his disciples get into the boat
and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida,
while he dismissed the crowd.
And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
They were completely astounded.
They had not understood the incident of the loaves.
On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.Todays reading is the story of Jesus walking on water. In Matthew’s version of this story we normally focus on the miracle of Peter being called out of the boat to stand with Jesus on the water. But in Mark’s version he leaves out this episode, and instead focuses directly about the miracle of Jesus walking on water, and Mark gives us a lot of extra, very interesting details, and I want to focus on those.
The reading starts with Jesus sending His discples ahead of him in boats to the other side of the sea. And Jesus stays behind to pray. This event happens directly after the feeding of the five thousand, and He wants to pray, and He wants His disciples to go out and contend with that miracle as well. Many of the disciples are still not able to understand what they saw, and they do not know (or believe) who Jesus really is, and are contending with the reality that Jesus is actually God, and some do not understand the miracle of the bread. As such as they go out onto the sea they are being tossed about by the world.
Then it says “about the fourth watch,” Jesus comes walking on the sea. The fourth watch of the night consisted of the hours just before dawn (3am to 6am). They were considered the darkest of hours, and some scholars suggest that these are the hours where the deamons are most active. It is at this time that Jesus comes walking “by” them, not “to” them. Jesus was showing that He was near, but was waiting for them to cry out to Him. And when they do, Jesus speaks, says take courage, and gets in the boat. Immediately the winds die down, and they are all astounded.
I think the message is clear here. Jesus performs miracles in our lives all the time. We hardly ever notice them. Many of us even reject them and the part that God plays in bringing them to us. As a result we are tossed about by the trials and tribulations of life, and we are often terrified. But Jesus is always there, and always watching, and when the times are hardest, and the hour is darkest, that is when He comes near. You only need cry out to Him, and He will be with you. And when He climbs into your boat, the storms will cease, and the tribulations will dissappear.
This is the message that God wants you to understand…, that He is always with you. Good times and Bad, it is up to you to recognize that, and invite Him into every moment of your life. He wants to be with you, but He will not force Himself upon you, you must call Him to you. But be assured that when you do He will be there, and your life will be forever changed. This is the call today, invite Him into your life and watch the world around you calm into peace.
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to invite you into every aspect of my life, and to believe that you are God, and that with you all things are possible, amen!