The account of Jesus walking on water is in three out of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and John. Luke doesn’t tell us about this event. Matthew records Peter walking on water while Mark and John do not. All three gospels record that the disciples were afraid and thought that Jesus was a ghost. In Mark, he also includes something very different than Matthew and John.

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.

Mark 6:48 (NIV)

Mark says that Jesus “was about to pass by them.” Was He really going to walk past them? Doesn’t that seem odd? It doesn’t seem within the character of Jesus to just walk on by.

I think the key to understanding what Jesus was doing here in Mark 6:48 can be found in Luke 24:28.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.

Luke 24:28 (NIV)

Luke 24:13-35 is the account of two disciples on the road to Emmaus after Jesus’ crucifixion. While walking to Emmaus, two disciples encounter Jesus on the way. However, they don’t recognize him as they walk along. While they were walking, they share the news about what happened to Jesus in Jerusalem, and Jesus then explains to them why everything that happened to him had to happen.

We see that “Jesus continued on as if he were going farther,” but we read in the next verse that the men invited him to sup with them since the day was almost over. Once they sit down to eat, Jesus breaks bread, and then they see him for who he really is.

This reminds me of Revelation 3:20.

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

On the road to Emmaus, the disciples had been in the presence of Jesus yet didn’t know who he was. Once the disciples invite Jesus to eat with them, he reveals himself to them as God and disappears.

Here in Mark, they saw him walking by on the ocean, and they cried out because they were terrified. They’ve been rowing for about eight or nine hours and hadn’t even gotten halfway across the lake. It was a terrible storm. And during the storm. They see him. They cry out to him, he hears them, tells them not to be afraid, and they are amazed when the storm calms. Because, as it says in verse 52, they hadn’t understood about the loaves. That means they didn’t realize he was God in the flesh.

For they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.

Mark 6:52 (NIV)

This account also reminds me of something the Lord said to Peter.

But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Mark 8:33 (NIV)

When Jesus was telling the disciples he was going to die, Peter took him aside and rebuked him. Hence, Jesus’ statement that Peter didn’t have the concerns of God in mind.

When we have earthly concerns on our minds, we can miss what God is saying to us. When the disciples were on the boat, they only had earthly concerns. The wind and the waves. The storm that surrounded them consumed their thinking. Even when they saw Jesus and thought he was a ghost, they were afraid. The disciples on the road to Emmaus only saw things through their perspective as people. However, when the disciples on the boat called out to Jesus, he responded, and the storm subsided. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus invited Jesus to go further with them, they saw him for who he was, God.

If we focus too much on the things of this world. In our circumstances, we can, as I’ve said, miss out on what God is saying to us and what God is doing in our lives. When Jesus told us we need to bear our cross and follow him, this is what part of that looks like. Turning away from the things in the world that want our attention, and instead, give our attention to where it’s due. The Lord and his majesty.

Do you know God? God knows you, and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart, and I receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.