.png)
I’ll give you peace.
Peace, I’ll give you peace when the wind blows on. Peace, whenever you call me, I’ll give you peace, when the wind -the storm-blows on. ~ Sandi Patti
In need of some R&R
Jesus was departing from the multitudes. He and his disciples had been serving the needs- urgent and impossible needs-of others for what we would deem 24/7…they were spent physically, mentally and spiritually. It was time for a breather. We find the account in Mark 6 when Jesus was about to orchestrate exactly what they needed.
They had very little, but it was all they needed
We’ve just seen, and they’ve just participated in, the miracle of thousands of hungry people being fed where there was no food save a couple fish and five loaves of bread. I mean, how big can a loaf of bread actually be? Yet, with a plan bigger than we can understand, Jesus’ power, and God’s blessing, He uses His disciples to feed the masses and collect the baskets full of leftovers around their full bellies. Let’s not forget this.
Quarantined for their own good
Then, Mark tells us what happens next. Jesus prepares the way for His disciples to escape the crowds and rest. (Today, we call this quarantine.)
The order in which Jesus unfolds this plan is so important. Why? Because we know that God is the same today as He has always been. What is the first thing He does?
Mark 6:45 And straightaway (don’t you love that, no time to waste, I am taking care of you right now-let’s do this!) He constrained His disciples to get into the ship , and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida…
Jesus takes care of us.
Do you see His compassion for His own? From the multitude, thousands of men, women and children according to biblical scholars, and from the mix of all who they were tirelessly working about and serving, Jesus gathers His disciples from the midst and puts them on a boat to send them away from any more peopling, serving, or working. He gets them out of the crowd and off of their feet-sends them out and away from their reach. Before anything else, Jesus takes care of His own.
The verse continues: “…and to go to the other side before unto Bethsadia, while He sent away the people. “
Jesus knows the power of alone time.
Jesus loved people. He was healing the sick, casting out their demons, performing miracles such as just feeding thousands with food that wouldn’t feed a large family, and now He was personally taking the initiative to send them away with full bellies and amazed hearts. I wonder what the masses were thinking, what the chatter was among them, and how they were reconciling who Jesus was, and how He did what they just witnessed. Whatever was in their hearts and minds, they were heading away from the shore and back to their homes. And as they left, His disciples off on the boat, He could be alone.
Mark 6:46 And, when evening was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and He alone on the land.
Throughout scripture, we read of Jesus getting alone regularly. “And He alone on the land.” Those six little words speak so much to me, and maybe to you, too.
Alone.
Do you need more “me time?”
I think most moms can relate to this picture. Though we love our families and the people we surround ourselves with daily, that moment we’re alone brings with it an all encompassing breath of solace, even if just a fleeting moment. It’s a time when we can think without someone else intruding our thought process. A second to not think and clear our mind. But Jesus’ purpose in being alone was always to seek His Father’s face, to find God’s will and to draw near to the Lord. That is what we’re missing in our quest, as women, for alone time. Hot baths, a good book, a funny movie, hidden in a booth with a hot cup of coffee to the last drop, a refreshing walk around the park or even aimless window shopping all hold a worthwhile place in our lives at times, but I think we all too often get it wrong when longing for-and filling- me time. Those things are little ways to give us a break, for sure, but they don’t fill our souls or increase our joy with any kind of longevity. When we want more peace, more joy, we need more Jesus; that is the most worthy way to spend the quiet moments we are afforded. And that is the example Jesus sets for us time and time again.
More peace, more Jesus. More joy, more Jesus.
The scene as Mark describes it has the beaches cleared, Jesus alone and His disciples safely out to sea on their boat. What a beautiful evening as the crowd has left the shore quiet, and the waves lapped against the background of a darkening sky. Dusk turned to night, and it seems likely the storm blew a cloudy cover across the night sky.
Mark 6:48-49 And He saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them; and about the fourth watch of the night. He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw Him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out.
Read it again, we jump to the problem: the waves and wind were causing them trouble. Ok, yes, we know troubled times all too well, don’t we? But don’t miss what is so easily glazed over: And HE SAW THEM. Jesus sent them away. Jesus cleared the beach. Jesus was alone on the land. BUT…
Jesus saw them.
Jesus sees us, too, friends. He still sees His own, loves us, cares for us, has a plan for us, and comes to us.
Mark 6:50a For they all saw Him, and were troubled.
It was a dark and stormy night.
It was the middle of the night. They were on a boat somewhere surrounded on all sides by the tempest sea. It was, presumably, very dark. The boat was rocking and they were having trouble rowing, steadying, and directing their ship. And Jesus wasn’t with them. Or so they thought. I’m not sure which of those men would be the one to try to calm the group down, but either he wasn’t trying or it wasn’t working. No, collectively they ALL saw what they supposed to be a spirit walking on the water and were screaming out loud in fear. A boat full of men screaming at the sight of their hearts’ imagination. Another thing they were all seeing clearly was their own crisis. It would have done them good to step outside of themselves for a second. Did they forget who Jesus was? Did they think Jesus had sent them out there to die instead of out of compassion for their own good? Weren’t they the ones who just served a miracle dinner? If just one of them had reminded his buddies of the real truth they were living, their fear may have subsided. “For they all saw Him, and were troubled. “
Mark 6:50 For they all saw Him, and were troubled. And immediately He talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And He went unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.
Without further adieu, Jesus penetrated the darkness and storm with His voice and His men heard Him. First, He encouraged them, “Be of good cheer.” Then, He calmed their fears, “Be not afraid.” Do you need to hear that in the middle of your storm right now? The world is rocking and fear is among us. Jesus. He still sees His people. He’s still in control.
“Be of good cheer. Be not afraid.”
The storms of our hearts quiet in the presence of Jesus.
Jesus stepped from the water into the boat, and at His presence inside the boat, the wind ceased. You could think that John would have swipe- slapped the top of James’ head and said, “Why didn’t you remind us that Jesus was with us and it was all going to be ok?” Or one of them would have cheered, “OF COURSE, what were we thinking, Jesus is here!” Jesus’ very presence and calming words, the cessation of the storm and the still boat all should have resonated peace and truth of who they knew Jesus to be. But it didn’t. Instead, clammed up closely inside their own heads and hearts, these men marveled not at the Jesus they knew, but rather they were filled with an amazement they couldn’t rectify and continued to wonder what in the world was going on.
What in the world is going on?
Friends, they should have known. Jesus is God’s Son. He had been healing the diseased, deceased and desperate. He was sought out by the masses because of the power He had shown. He was heard because of His love. He was God. The ones who walked closest to Him shouldn’t have had to even look to recognize Him in their lives, but there they were struck with amazement and wondering what was going on, and who He was.
They should have known who Jesus was in their lives, and we should too.
What have you seen Jesus do in your own life? Has He saved you from your own sins’ demise of eternal damnation? Has He shown Himself faithful in times when no one else could have? Has He given you grace upon grace upon grace? Has He whispered into your heart just when you were sure you were all alone? Has He showered you with every good gift, even that of the beauty of His creation? Has He sheltered you under His wings? Have you known His presence in the hardest, deepest valleys and His glory on the mountain top? Who is Jesus in your life?
Mark 6:52 For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.
Journal your gratitude
Here is a good opportunity to encourage you to take a couple of minutes at day’s end to write down something you’re thankful for in that day. There is always something to be thankful for; journal your gratitude! We know, every good gift comes from the Father of glory. Even in the troubled times and days like we are living now, remember who Jesus is in your life. The disciples did not. We see how they refused to acknowledge the diety of Jesus Christ in their lives. and we can learn from them.
We may feel like those men caught alone in the dark sea unable to control our boat as the wind blows, but Jesus is still Jesus. Let us not allow our hearts be hardened. Remember who He is. Can we take our eyes off our troubles, and kindly remind those around us to do the same? We need to look at the Jesus we know in our lives. He still calms our fear with His voice and His presence. He still sees His people. He still loves us and He is ever compassionate. His mercy hasn’t run out, isn’t in danger of not being restocked, and His grace is yet sufficient in all our circumstances.
