ABOUT TO PASS BY…
47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, Mark 6:47-49
“…To pass by them…” (NIV) has greater meaning than simply walking past the boat, which one would understand at face value. Why would Jesus want to “pass by them” if they were struggling to row against the wind? What deeper significance is in these words? Where else do they appear in Scripture? Exodus 33:19; 34:6 – God “passed in front of Moses”.
Moses had requested a revelation of God’s glory and God capitulated by promising to “pass in front of Him.” God revealed His glory to Moses by proclaiming His name – compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Since Moses was alert to God and looking for something, God’s revelation of His name was not lost on Him.
The disciples, on the other hand, were too preoccupied with their predicament to be anticipating a revelation of Jesus in these circumstances. They completely missed His identity and His intention. Instead of recognising Him, they lapsed into terror and screamed out in fear. Their spontaneous interpretation of the situation was a premonition of doom. They were going to drown – hence the ghost!
Is there a very big lesson for us in this story? What is our first reaction to a life-threatening situation – say a deathly illness or some grave physical danger? Do we see ghosts or do we see Jesus? He wants it to be a revelation of Himself, but what we see will depend on what rises up in us – fear or faith.
If, in a crisis, we are afraid of perishing, the core of our being contains a lie which opens the door to fear and panic but, if we are at peace in our hearts, the core of our lives is anchored in God’s faithfulness to His Word. We will not know what we believe until the crisis brings it to the surface. The disciples were continually finding themselves in situations which exposed their hearts. Ghosts or Jesus? What do we see?