Lessons at Sea (Continued)

If you think about it, the sea is a good place to learn lessons about discipleship. After all, though as humans we are totally dependent upon God for everything (see Job 12:10; Dan. 5:23; Acts 17:28), it is not so easy to forget it when you are out on the water, where what is beneath your feet will not hold you up but will swallow you instead. Perhaps that is why the Lord chose to use the sea to teach His disciples a few more lessons about faith, the key element for any successful discipleship.

Following a successful missionary tour (Mark 6:6-13), the feeding of the five thousand, and their first encounter on the lake, the disciples finally should have been catching on. The evening after the feeding of the five thousand, another storm overtook them on the lake, now without Jesus in the boat with them.

Read Matthew 14:22, 33 and Mark 6:45-52. What are the numerous mistakes the disciples made in these two accounts?

The disciples, like us, had seen the power of Jesus. Yet, they continued to be afraid and doubt “because their hearts were hard.” This is why we need to pray that Jesus will create in us a new heart, one that is not hard. We need to become as little children and believe what our Father says, without doubt and fear. I pray that God will give us all hearts of flesh to replace the stony ones. (Alastair)

Though one account omits the story of Peter walking on the water, one point both make is that those who witnessed what happened were duly impressed. Some openly called Jesus the Son of God; in Mark's account, they were amazed beyond measure about what they had experienced. It was one thing to be able to get the weather to obey Him, but to have the power to walk on water, especially during a storm? Truly they had been witnesses to the power of God in ways that few people have ever seen. Read Mark 6:51, 52. What point do you think Mark was making about faith and belief? What lessons might there be for us in that point?

Mark is reminding us that we have short memories and hard hearts. Jesus had just performed two miracles, and the disciples were amazed. Yet, a short time later, they were back to being afraid again. Am I the only one that has had a similar experience? Jesus works wonders in all of our lives, continuously answering our prayers; but we continuously fall into doubt. I am convinced that His grace is sufficient for us all because where we fall short, His grace much more abounds. Praise God! (Alastair)