June 6, 2021
Mark 6:45-52
Troubled Waters
Introduction:
This is the second time in the Gospel of Mark where we find the disciples struggling in a boat in the middle of a storm.
The image of a ship being tossed around the sea in a storm is a universal image. It shows up in famous paintings, well-known novels, and in popular movies. It also appears in multiple places throughout the Bible.
This image resonates with each of us because we know what it’s like to be tossed about by the storms of life.
The first episode happened in Mark 4. When I preached on that passage, I mentioned that this image is so potent that when the early Christians started building their first church buildings, they called the inside of the building where the people sit “the nave.” Nave comes from the same root word as Navy. It means ship. Christians saw themselves, as the church, as a ship tossed about by a storm.
It’s no wonder therefore that a story about the disciples in a boat on the sea appears twice in the Gospel of Mark.
Even so, both stories are different. In Mark 4 Jesus is sleeping in the boat when the storm hits. Here, Jesus is up on a mountain praying. In Mark 4, Jesus calms the storm by speaking to it. Here, Jesus calms the wind by his sheer presence.
In Mark 4, the storms is so violent, it threatens to capsize the ship. Here, the disciples encounter an extremely strong wind.
In today’s passage in Mark 6, I want to consider two points:
The Futility of the Disciples
The context here is that Jesus has just sent the 12 disciples out on a mission trip to the surrounding villages to share the gospel. They come back and report all the amazing things God has done, but they’re exhausted. They need a break. On top of that, they got news that John the Baptist has been beheaded. They try to get away to rest and process, but a crowd follows them. The crowd is hungry so Jesus multiples a few loaves of bread to feed them. He has the disciples help out. They need a break. It’s time to get away.
Jesus has the disciple cross the Sea of Galilee in a boat while he spends some time praying on a mountain. He plans to meet them on the other side.
But instead of a time of relaxation and rest, the disciples trip ends up looking like an exercise in futility. There are 3 reasons why their trip makes them feel frustrated and futile.
In v.45 that Jesus dismisses the crowd, has the disciples get into a boat, and directs them to the town of Bethsaida. This is a small town at the very northern end of the Sea of Galilee. Destination point: Bethsaida.
But if we skip down to the very next passage and look at v.53, it says, When they had crossed over; they landed at Gennesaret. Gennesaret is a different village on the western shore. They do not arrive in the town they set out for. In fact, they don’t even arrive in the area they were shooting for!
They try to go where Jesus sends them and do what Jesus tells them. But the winds of a storm take them to a different place.
This is a picture of the times God calls you to a certain path. You obey. You follow. You even make sacrifices! But the winds of life—take you to a completely different destination than the one you set out for.
You try to follow Jesus, you marry a Christian spouse, and maybe it was a sacrifice because there were other non-Christian people who were viable options—and then you end up miserable in your marriage or it ends i