:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

Continuing my series of posts on the Gospel of Mark…

In Mark 6 Jesus continued to draw crowds by the thousands to the point that he and his disciples hardly had time to eat or to catch up on what had happened with their recent ministry trip. Jesus wanted to give them a time of rest to recover from their work, but as they pulled further away the crowds followed.

By moving into the wilderness Jesus placed himself and his disciples outside the bounds of human resources. The longer the crowds lingered, the more serious the situation became and the disciples knew they didn’t have the resources on hand.

To their surprise, Jesus once again asked his disciples to feed the people. Besides asking them to trust and to depend on him, Jesus is also teaching his disciples to have compassion on the crowds. Rather than seeing them as a nuisance that needed to be sent away, they were sheep in need of a shepherd and a good shepherd didn’t just teach and run. A good shepherd cares for the physical and spiritual well-being of the crowds.

Just to be certain that no one followed him, Jesus had to stay and dismiss the crowds while his disciples started on the journey across the lake. I’m not sure how Jesus intended to join them eventually or what he told them. Did he plan on walking around the lake? Did he plan on walking across the lake all along? Whatever he had in mind, just to find privacy at this busy time of ministry he had to stay awake late into the evening in order to pray.

As the disciples struggled to cross the lake, Jesus walked on the water out to them. It seems that he may not have even been walking directly to them, but once they spotted him, he walked over to them. After yet another spectacular miracle his disciples continued to wonder who Jesus was. They still didn’t know if he was a prophet or the Messiah. Walking on water didn’t line up with any of the deeds of the prophets recorded in the Old Testament.

The chapter closes with Jesus continuing to show compassion on the crowds who came to him and specifically asked him to heal them through his robe. The people continue to approach Jesus on the basis of the law, not wanting to make him unclean. Though Jesus makes them clean rather than making himself unclean when they touch him, he is patient and compassionate to still heal them within the bounds of their expectations since they have approached him by faith.

Whether teaching the crowds, providing bread, ministering to his disciples, or healing the many sick brought to him, we see Jesus in this passage overwhelmed with so much to do and yet taking the time to personally address the needs of those around him. Regardless of his circumstances he showed unlimited compassion to those around him.

Jesus reminds us that he isn’t concerned about creating comfortable situations for his followers, but he won’t abandon them in the midst of these times. In addition, when we come to Jesus by faith, even our misconceptions and errors can be overlooked. He’s not looking for perfect form, just solid faith.