Chapter # 6 Paragraph # 5 Study # 4
February 22, 2022
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
(288)
1901 ASV
6:48 And seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea; and he would have passed by them:
6:49 but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out;
6:50 for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he straightway spake with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
6:51 And he went up unto them into the boat; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves;
6:52 for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart was hardened.
- I. The Attitude Jesus Sought From His Disciples.
- A. The "trigger" for this issue is Mark's statement that Jesus "was willing to bypass them".
- 1. This is Mark's comment alone; no other record of this event tells us this.
- a. The translation here is "key": one edition of the NASB translates, "He intended to pass by them"; the Authorized Version translates, "He would have passed by them"; the older NASB follows the translation, "He intended to pass by them"; the NIV translates, "He was about to pass by them"; the New Living Translation says, "He intended to go past them"; the ESV translates, "He meant to pass by them"; etc.. None of the translation options give the sense that the text, and character of Jesus, demands.
- 1) The text demands that we understand that Jesus' "attitude" of "willingness" was to be considered "contingent" ("determined by conditions or circumstances that follow": The Sage).
- 2) The character of Jesus demands that we see no "pretend" (deceptive activity) or "settled determination" ("intend" implies that this was a dominant predisposition).
- 3) Text (the use of thelo) and Character insist that Jesus held this "option of action" open if His appearance did not have the impact He sought from The Twelve.
- a) thelo has, built into its meaning, the idea of a "contingent desire" (1 Timothy 2:4) that may, or may not, be pursued unto fulfillment because there are other considerations involved in the situation and/or circumstances.
- b) There is a Greek word that contains the idea of "intention" and Mark did not use it here; the "intention" of Jesus was to allow the disciples' reaction to determine whether He would "go past", or "get into the boat".
- b. Because Mark was the sole recorder of Jesus' "willingness to make a final decision after the reaction of The Twelve", he has to have had a particular "point" in mind.
- 2. This is also an integral aspect of Mark's "method" of recording "a first event with purpose" (the storm on the sea, in chapter four, and its indictment of them for "yet having no faith") followed by "a second event with purpose" (this record before us and its "BUT [alla] was of them the heart having been hardened" -- Perfect Passive Participle).
- a. Without debate, "yet having no faith" is a "lesser evil" than "yet having a heart made hard".
- b. If their response had been other than it was, Jesus would have simply walked on by.
- B. What was, then, the attitude Jesus was seeking?
- 1. Our only clues are these...
- a. The statement that Jesus "was willing to bypass them" is followed by "But [de] those who beheld Him walking upon the sea...".
- 1) This has to mean that He was looking for a legitimate response from them in regard to His "walking upon the sea". In terms of 'levels of magnitude', walking upon the water is significantly greater than the earlier calming of the storm. It is probable that this demonstrated ability is a harbinger of Paul's revelation that every enemy shall be put under His feet, with "death" being the last of such enemies (1 Corinthians 15:26) and the prophetic picture in Revelation 15:2 of the saints standing upon the "sea of glass mixed with fire", the understanding of which is tied to Daniel 7:10 and Revelation 19:20: "the fiery stream" generates a "lake of fire", but the saints are able to stand on it with it under their feet because they have been made exempt from its nature and impact.
- 2) The "but" is not strongly contrastive; it is, rather, a mild contradiction of expectation. This means that the disciples did NOT react in a way that meant Jesus was going to "fulfill His willingness" to simply walk by. What was the attitude, that would have moved Him to simply pass? Most likely, an attitude of self-sufficiency that would have manifested itself in a greater determination to force the boat forward into the wind; i.e. "the attitude was either that 'we do not need any help here'", or "there is no hope of any help here".
- b. The description of the attitude of The Twelve was "...they were of the opinion that 'It is a ghost'.
- 1) The word "fantasma" is only used twice in the New Testament (here in Mark and also in Matthew 14:26 with both texts referring to this one event).
- 2) The strong implication is that "they were of the opinion that they were being subjected to powerful oppositional forces that spelled doom for them" (they had been subjected to a very long time of strenuous activity without rest).
- c. This "opinion" caused them to "cry out". The text says "for they all saw Him" (i.e., there were none whose participation in the darkness had resulted in total "blindness").
- 1) Their expression of fear was automatic; thus indicating that a "phantom" was, for them, something seriously fearful. Secular sources tie a "phantom" to an evil demonic spirit.
- 2) This "crying out" is, typically, "a loud vocal expression of serious alarm" because of the implications of what was being seen (Mark 1:23/Luke 4:33; Mark 6:49; and Luke 8:28 and 23:18). The texts indicate "an anticipation of a terrible outcome".
- d. Then the text says "they were troubled". Mark only uses this word in this one text, but the other New Testament uses signal "a sudden chaos within" where the issues of the soul are put in diametric opposition so that a "terrible" outcome is very likely.
- e. There are four attempts by Mark to indicate their "attitude": "crying out"; "being troubled"; "having no courage" and "being fearful". Without contradiction, these four issues of their attitudes mean that they were on the verge of "total collapse". These are instantaneous, visceral reactions that simply reveal the deep (beyond thought) issues of the heart/mind.
- f. Thus, the answer to our question of what Jesus was seeking from them is "a total departure from self-sufficiency" coupled to "an awareness of His compassion": gone is the "determination to force the boat on its way", and abject despair takes its place. These are the two "attitude issues" that can either"bring repentance" into being, or to drive one as far away from God as possible.
- 1) In the first episode of the stormy sea, "fear of the storm" was their greatest "issue". It was met by Jesus' question as to why they did not yet "have faith".
- 2) In this second episode of a stormy sea, "determination to do" was their greatest issue with "failure" writ large over them. They were not afraid of the storm, but of the "ghost". It was met by "be of good courage"; the very characteristic that needs to dominate when "personal failure" is a proven fact.
- a) "Be of good courage" is a verb used in seven texts of the New Testament and it means something like "what you are anticipating/seeing is not what you think in terms of some form of disaster". It is an exhortation to dismiss the "interpretation" of what is going on as seriously flawed; what is going on is not going to lead to the disaster you think is coming". Jesus is not a "phantasm"; He is a compassionate shepherd.
- b) "Be not afraid" is a major issue in Mark. The only real ending of his gospel that we have is 16:8 which ends with "for they were afraid". This is, perhaps, Mark's way of pointing out how little "Love" they possessed (since perfect Love casts out all fear) as a way of revealing the point of his perspective of Jesus in his Gospel: Jesus, believed and loved as a compassionate shepherd, is the sufficient provision of God for "Life": none can overpower Him and none can frustrate His provision and intention.