When
evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. Seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he would have passed by them, but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.”
Mark 6:47-50
Mark 6 [45.] Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he himself sent the multitude away. After he had taken leave of them, he went up the mountain to pray.
Mark 6 [47.] When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land. Seeing them distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary to them, about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea, and he would have passed by them, but they, when they saw him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were troubled. But he immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” He got into the boat with them; and the wind ceased, and they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled; for they hadn’t understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
Mark 6 [53.] When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, and ran around that whole region, and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard he was. Wherever he entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch just the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched him were made well.
Meaning:
After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent his disciples across the lake by boat and went up the mountain alone to pray (Mark 6:45-46). Through the night the disciples struggled against a contrary wind. In the early hours Jesus came to them walking on the water. These verses are one of the clearest revelations of Jesus’ divine identity in Mark’s Gospel. They echo the Old Testament language used of God himself: the one who treads on the sea, who passes by his servants, and who says, “I am.”
- Alone on the land, watching
“The boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.” Jesus was separated from his disciples by miles of dark water, yet he was “seeing them distressed in rowing”. The word for distressed can mean tormented or straining. The wind was against them, and they had been rowing for hours without getting far. Unlike the earlier storm, when Jesus was asleep in the boat (Mark 4:39-40), this time he was absent. Yet he was not unaware. From the mountain where he had been praying, he saw their struggle, and he came.
- The fourth watch of the night
The Romans divided the night into four watches; the fourth ran from about three to six in the morning. The disciples had set off in the evening and had battled the wind for most of the night. Jesus did not come at the first sign of trouble, but he did come, at the darkest and most exhausted hour. Often God’s help comes not before the struggle but in the middle of it, when human strength has run out.
- Walking on the sea
In the Old Testament, the sea stands for chaos and danger, and only God rules over it. Job describes God as the one who “treads on the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8), and the psalmist says that when sailors cry out, Yahweh “makes the storm a calm” (Psalm 107:29). When Jesus walks on the water, he does what Scripture says only God can do. Matthew records the same words of reassurance, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27), and adds Peter’s attempt to walk to Jesus on the water (Matthew 14:29-31).
- He would have passed by them
Mark’s strange remark, “he would have passed by them”, uses a phrase from the great revelations of God in the Old Testament. On Mount Sinai “Yahweh passed by before him”, and Moses heard God’s name and character proclaimed (Exodus 34:6). To Elijah on Mount Horeb, “Yahweh passed by” (1 Kings 19:11). Jesus was not trying to avoid his disciples; he was revealing his glory to them as God revealed himself to Moses and Elijah. But the disciples, terrified and exhausted, thought he was a ghost and screamed.
- It is I
Jesus “immediately spoke with them”: “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” The words “It is I” translate the Greek ego eimi, literally “I am”, the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush: “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). The footnote in the World English Bible points this out. The command “Don’t be afraid” echoes God’s promises through Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (Isaiah 43:2). The calming of the wind follows when Jesus gets into the boat (Mark 6:51).
The Significance of Mark 6:47-50
- He sees your struggle
The disciples could not see Jesus, but he could see them. Believers who feel alone in a long night of difficulty can know that Jesus sees, prays for them and comes to them.
- Fear and recognition
The disciples were so afraid that they mistook Jesus for a ghost. Fear can make us misread even God’s presence. His word, “It is I”, is the answer to fear, then and now.
- Courage in the storm
“Don’t you be afraid, for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10). Jesus does not always remove the storm at once, but he comes into it, speaks to us and makes himself known as the Lord of wind and wave.
Cross-References:
Job 9:8: "He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea." Only God walks on the sea, and Jesus did.
Exodus 3:14: "God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”" The divine name behind Jesus’ words, “It is I.”
Isaiah 43:2: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you." God’s promise of presence in the waters.
Exodus 34:6: "Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth…”" God “passed by” to reveal his glory and character.
Conclusion: In the darkest hours of the night, while his disciples strained at the oars against a contrary wind, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. He would have passed by them, as God passed by Moses and Elijah, but they cried out in fear, thinking he was a ghost. At once he spoke: “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t be afraid.” The passage reveals Jesus as the Lord who rules the sea and bears the divine name, and it assures believers that he sees their struggles and comes to them in the storm.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible