"45 Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came toward them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 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 Then 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 because their hearts were hardened.
53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. 54 When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him 55 and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever Jesus went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed” Mark 6:45-56.
There is a dark moment in this story that has always haunted me: “They did not understand about the loaves because their hearts were hardened”
Mark 6:52. For me, the dark issue here has always come down to this conundrum in our lives: We don’t know Christ! When Mark pulls the curtain aside to show us who Jesus Christ is, what we discover is that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world — including our personal Savior. Mark desperately wants to show us that Jesus Christ is who He says he is — the Lord of heaven and earth — and our own personal Lord! We have a right to be astonished by Christ, just as the disciples “were utterly astounded”
John 6:51. If we can’t — or won’t — see who Christ truly is, Mark says we are in good company.
But isn’t time to see who Mark sees? The One and only source of our salvation? And all we have to do is just touch the hem of Jesus’ garment! All we have to do is “cross over” to where Jesus is standing and calling us to follow (see Mark 6:53) Him.
Take time today and ask God to let you touch just the hem of His garment (see Mark 5:28). Ask Him to let you cross over to Him!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy in me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“27 She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she said, “If I but touch his cloak, I will be made well.” 29 Immediately her flow of blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease”
Mark 5:27-29.
“The woman said to Jesus, ‘I know that Messiah is coming, the One who is called Christ. When He comes, he will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He’” John 4:25-26.
“John first found his own brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah, the Christ” John 1:41.
“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” Micah 5:2.
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