Mark 6:1-6. It's the people closest to us; coworkers, family, and children maybe especially that we have a hard time realizing talent and giftings in. It's so easy to brag about the friend we grew up with who is now a big star. A movie star or musician or such, but what about when we are still close to them? We can gain a sort of popularity or even influence by a connection to the distant star. How about?; we grew up together, went to the same school, same Bible camps, then I went to 4 years of seminary while he slept his way across Europe for 2 years and now he has an amazing ministry and I'm a cashier at Safeway working 50 hours a week just to get by? It's not fair! What's so special about him? Jesus grew up in a society or town where everyone is basically the same or equal. Suddenly He turns 30 and starts healing people and claiming to be the son of God. Everybody was like, we know who you are and where you come from, you can't fool us. Sometimes knowledge or familiarity blind us to the supernatural.
6:7-13 The disciples went out two by two and preached a simple message that people should repent. In 1:15 Jesus said "the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news." In 1:4 John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Repent, repent, repent. Should our message be any different today?
Jesus gave the disciples authority over evil spirits-they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. The disciples had yet to receive the Holy Spirit. It was only by Jesus' authority that they are able to do it now.
6:31 Jesus says to his disciples "come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Jesus is leading them in the importance of Sabbath rest after a time of ministry. Do we get this?!! Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was never meant to be a day of well meaning ritual, but rather a time of spiritual renewal thru rest, through no effort of our own.
6:34 Jesus had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I once heard two older ladies talking. One said she'd been a Christian her whole life but it wasn't until her husband died that she had to forge a faith of her own. She had always lived off of her husband's faith. This is what these people had. The priest took care of all the religious duties and the people did what was commanded of them. They didn't have their own religion or relationship with God. Add to this that Jesus was set to bring change. This change was to take people from a religion of fulfilling duties and ritual (external) to a direct one on one personal religion with their creator (imternal). The religious leaders of the day had no understanding of this or ability to lead people into it. Hence they were sheep without a shepherd. So Jesus began teaching them many things.
6:45-46 One of the things we get stuck or hung up on is how much man was Jesus and how much God was Jesus? If He was God, then why did He have to pray to God, and if He was man, then why did the demons fear Him? Imagine Jesus has always been in perfect relationship. With God, with the Holy Spirit. Even with war in heaven they have always been in perfect unity, perfect harmony. Now Jesus has had to leave the group. He's doing a solo tour while His space sits empty on the team's bus. How hard that must have been. So Jesus sends everyone away. He isolates Himself, goes up on a mountainside, and prays. To the degree possible He joins the circle He's always been part of. How refreshing it must have been. Home again. No matter how He loved His companions, the 12 disciples and others, to some degree they were idiots. Trying their very best they could barely grasp the minimum of what Jesus was teaching them. How frustrating it had to be at times for Jesus. Here Jesus demonstrates variety in life. Time for family, time for friends, time to minister, time to recharge. As busy as His life was, He lived Ecclesiastes 3.
6:45-48 So Jesus sent His disciples away on the boat to go across the lake, the He goes away on his own, walks up a mountainside, talks with God. He walks back down and to the lake, then walks out on the water and gets half way across where He meets the disciples. They have been fighting some furious weather and have only managed to reach the middle of the lake. Even if it had been 9pm when they dismissed the 5 thousand men vs.44, that would mean they had been fighting the weather for an easy 6 hours or more. Their muscles had to be jello by now.
6:47-50 Jesus was heading out to the disciples but instead of going straight to them, He makes like He's walking past them. I wonder if He was letting his humorous side out. I can't wait to see how they react to this, this'll be epic. Or, was it something about having to call Him for help? Kind of like, you've obviously got this handled so I'll just keep on walking. I wonder what would have happened if they would have called out to Jesus before He showed up. What if Jesus had been praying on the hill and the disciples called to Him for help? I can only imagine He'd have been there Johhny on the spot. Jesus knew how long to leave them in their trial. He always knows the right time to step into our trial too. How many times do I miss what God is doing in my life because I focus so on getting out of my trial rather than discover what I am getting out of my trial. They'd been straining at the oars for hours and hours already. Also, I know I seem to forget that this is a monster storm when Jesus is walking on the water. Maybe the first miracle here isn't just Jesus walking on water, in a storm no less, but more like Jesus owning the laws of nature. Maybe in Jesus's eyes He's walking on a beautiful path through a sunny garden and they are right next to Him in a boat on stormy waters. Certainly, however Jesus sees the situation, He is master of it and He calls us, with His help, to be the master of ours.
6:51 Jesus was in a peaceful place already when He stepped into the boat, the boat and it's surroundings became enveloped in that peace.
6:52 The disciples had seen many, many miracles, yet, or maybe because of that, their hearts were hardened.--seeing the supernatural does not create faith in the supernatural--faith is built by believing without seeing.
6:54-56 Just a short time ago, before the disciples first mission trip, Jesus had been and could do little due to their lack of faith. But here in Gennesaret people are brought from everywhere to be healed. Jesus could have healed anyone and everyone. His goal is not to use His faith, but the people's faith. He didn't come to grow himself (that'd have been a quick visit), but to mature and build the faith of us, of them, his followers. So, where the people have great faith, Jesus does much, where they have little, Jesus does little. He still does some though, He gives them something to start with. This further illustrates the parable which says he who has much will be given more, and he who has little, even what he has will be taken away.
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