By: Obed Pineda
It had been a long and eventful day for the Master and His twelve. Mark relates that after returning from a successful campaign of preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons from the possessed, Jesus instructed His disciples “‘Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.’ For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mark 6:12-13, 30-31). Matthew also indicates that prior to the twelve reporting to Him about their success, His cousin (John the Immerser) had been cruelly decapitated by Herod and He was notified by John’s disciples (cf. Matthew 14:12). This tragic notice prompted the Savior to remove Himself to a deserted place, seeking to be away from the multitudes and be alone with His twelve for a moment (Matthew 14:13, Mark 6:30-31). The Lord and His disciples would not be granted the opportunity, however, since “many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities.They arrived before them and came together to Him. And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved to compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things” (Mark 6:33-34). Many Biblical scholars agree that Mark’s description of the people being as “sheep without a shepherd” is suggesting that they were very possibly disciples of the recently martyred John, and it was what perhaps sparked that profound compassion in Christ described by the inspired scribe. The Master taught the multitudes until evening time, and would miraculously feed five thousand men (women and children not included in this number per Matthew’s account) with five loaves of bread and two fish (cf. Matthew 14:15-21, Mark 6:35-44). It was not until after the day’s work that Jesus would finally have His chance to be alone and converse with His Father through prayer (cf. Matthew 14:23). The Bible unveils that while He was up in the mountain praying, His disciples rowed further in to the sea toward Bethsaida, in accordance to what He commanded them (cf. Mark 6:45-47). What typically should have been a normal task for experienced fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John (cf. Matthew 4:18-22) became more challenging because their boat was “tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:24). Keep in mind that prior to this event, the twelve had just returned from their evangelistic journey, spent an entire day tending to thousands of people, and were now rowing on choppy waters under the night’s obsidian skies. These twelve men were without a doubt fatigued by this juncture, especially considering that Holy Writ reveals that it was “in the fourth watch of the night” (between 3 – 6 AM in modern time) when “Jesus went to them, walking on the sea” (Matthew 14:25). Putting into perspective just how tired the Master’s disciples would have been this late at night (or early in the morning of the following day) and then witnessing Jesus walking on a rowdy sea provides clarity as to why they were perturbed and unable to identify the Lord, confusing Him for a ghost (cf. Matthew 14:26). Yet, this also beautifully illumines the Christ’s compassion and understanding toward His chosen twelve, Holy Writ declaring that “immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27). It becomes very easy sometimes to wrongfully judge or criticize the fearful reaction the disciples had, and miss the precious lesson found in Jesus’ immediate response to their fear. An argument is often made that they had just observed Jesus miraculously feed over five thousand people with nothing more than five loaves and two fish, thus how could they possibly be surprised by Him having the power to walk on water? The error with this train of thought is that it is trying to convert the disciples’ initial reaction to demonstrate a lack of faith on their behalf. If this were true, the Lord would not have responded with words of loving encouragement, aimed at quelling their roused emotions. Verily, He would have reprimanded their little faith as Scripture records Him doing so before in a similar situation (cf. Matthew 8:23-26). The reality that Jesus Christ was quick to provide comfort and encouragement to their initial reaction illustrates the value of being cognizant of everything that contributes to a person’s emotional reaction. It cannot be said that He did not respond appropriately to the situation because it has been established that His disciples physical and mental energy was very depleted by this point. Remember that when they returned from their journey, the Master prescribed them rest but were not allowed to do so because the multitudes were already waiting for them on the other side (cf. Mark 6:31-33). It is unwise to ignore how powerful a man’s mind truly is, and how unstable it can become when it is found in a state of constant unrest (physically or mentally). One example that verifies this truth is the danger of a man driving his vehicle late at night, exhausted from a long, grueling day at work. His mental acuity is compromised by the fatigue of the day and can lead him to making a regrettable mistake while driving. Observe that it was not the driver’s intention to make a mistake on the road, but his jeopardized rationale could still provoke it to happen involuntarily. Thus, the Master’s understanding of His disciples listless state allowed Him to mercifully tend to their needs as well. Mark states that Jesus “would have passed them by” possibly revealing what the Savior intended (Mark 6:48b). It is very probable that the Lord sought to prevent a repeat of what happened the first time He and His disciples attempted to depart from the crowd, but were unable to achieve (cf. Mark 6:33). Jesus, knowing that His twelve direly needed to rest to replenish their energy, was going ahead of them to ensure that there would not be another multitude of people that would prevent them from resting. This illumines another instrumental lesson in how being understanding of our peer’s situation can provide us with the tools to help bring peace to a restless mind. When we observe our brethren exhausted by the woes of life, let us be compassionate and lovingly remind them that God has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). Upon examining the Lord’s words of exhortation to His disciples carefully, we will confirm that this is exactly what He did, because He is God indeed (cf. Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50).