Remembering who Jesus is

In this story of Jesus walking on the water, two things really strike me.

Amazingly enough, the fact that Jesus walked on water isn’t one of those two things.

I suppose it’s due to the fact that I’ve read this story hundreds of times, that Jesus walking on water doesn’t really strike me anymore. Maybe I need to recapture that wonder.

Anyway, first, Mark tells us that as Jesus approached the boat, he meant to pass by his disciples. Pass by them?!?

Not help them?

But Mark is very clear: Jesus wanted to pass by them. Why?

I think we find the answer in two Old Testament stories. One in Exodus 33:18-34:7, and the other in I Kings 19:11-12.

In both cases, God passed by first Moses and then Elijah, displaying his glory to them.

And I think that was Jesus’ intention, that in seeing him walk on water, they would see his glory and trust him.

I think that’s especially clear in his words to them when they thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them,

Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid. (Mark 6:50)

“It is I.”

I suppose Jesus could have simply been saying “It’s me.” But remember also that when God identified himself to Moses, he said,

I AM WHO I AM., This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you. (Exodus 3:14)

When “I AM” was translated into Greek, it was translated “eigo eimi.”

The Jews would later try to kill Jesus for applying those words to himself, because they knew he was identifying himself as God. (John 8:58-59)

Now when Jesus identifies himself to his disciples, he uses those exact words: “I AM.”

“I AM the God who controls the seas. I AM the God who showed himself to Moses and Elijah. Don’t be afraid.”

That’s probably what Jesus meant. But even after his disciples realized it was Jesus, they still didn’t understand what he meant by “I AM.”

And that leads to the second thing that strikes me: their response. Mark says of them,

They were completely astounded… (51)

Why?

…because they had not understood about the loaves (52)

Remember that this incident happened right after Jesus had fed the 5000. What had the disciples not understood about the loaves?

That the same “I AM” who miraculously provided manna in the desert for the Israelites was walking among them, providing bread for his people once again.

Christian tradition holds that Peter was Mark’s source for this gospel. And I can just imagine him saying this to Mark as he related this story:

“You know, even after Jesus fed the 5000, it never struck us who we were really dealing with. We were like Job.

“Do you remember what Job said, Mark? ‘Yahweh alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea…If he passed me by, I wouldn’t see him, if he went by, I wouldn’t recognize him.’ (Job 9:8, 11)

“That was us, Mark! Jesus was about to pass us by, and we didn’t recognize him. Even when he got into the boat, we didn’t recognize who he really was.

“But we should have. If only we had understood the significance of the loaves, we would have grasped then and there who he really was!”

How about you? What storms are you going through now? Are you “straining at the oars, with the wind against you?”

Remember who Jesus is. Remember he is the “I AM.”

And know that the same God who showed his glory to Moses, the same God who showed his glory to Elijah, and the same God who showed his glory to his disciples, will show his glory to you, and he will help you.

Don’t miss him when he passes by!