Mark 6:38 He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go see.” When they knew, they said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves, and He gave to his disciples to set before them, and He divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate, and were filled. WEB
There is something important about feeding the multitudes as Mark follows up the story of feeding the five thousand in chapter 6 with a second story about feeding four thousand in chapter 8. Think for a minute about other feeding stories in the Bible. First to come to mind is Passover, which is the meal that establishes Israel’s covenant in Exodus. Passover speaks of redemption and of God’s saving purpose. In Revelation, we see the marriage supper of the Lamb that is the consummation of the covenant. Here, the feeding of the 5,000 is a precursor to the Last Supper that establishes the New Covenant as we see Jesus taking the loaves, blessing them, breaking them and then giving them.
Mark 6:45 And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat, and to go ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After He had taken leave of them, He went up the mountain to pray.47 When evening had come, the boat was in the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 He saw them distressed in rowing, for the wind was against them, about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and He would have passed by them, 49 but they, when they saw Him walking on the sea, supposed that it was a ghost, and began to scream; 50 for they all saw Him, and were troubled. But He immediately spoke with them, and said to them, “Cheer up. It is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And He got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were completely profusely astonished among themselves; 52 for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. NHEB
There is an urgency as Jesus forces the disciples to get into the boat and leave the area. Perhaps He senses that something is about to happen. In John’s telling of this event, Jesus realizes that the crowd is conspiring to make Him king as they appear to like having someone cater lunch. The problem is that if Rome catches wind of there being a king with followers then it will quickly move to destroy both Him and His followers.
Their intended destination is Bethsaida which is not that far away but as we will see, they end up in a different place (Gennesaret). Some might say that Mark is confused in his geography as Gennesaret isn’t Bethsaida but this doesn’t take into account the weather and wind. While there are several possible explanations, Mark’s point may simply be to show that they intended to go to Bethsaida but the weather caused them to end up in Gennesaret.
The fourth watch is a Roman military term (first watch is 7PM to 9PM, second is 9 to 12, third is 12-3 and the fourth watch is 3AM to 6AM). The disciples are likely staying close to the shore in case of trouble since to the Jewish mind, the sea just reeks of destruction and chaos. In the evening, Jesus sees the storm and also the fact that they are drifting but doesn’t do anything . Despite their struggles, He doesn’t do anything for hours before finally going out to help. This appears to be a strategic delay by Jesus – not that He doesn’t care but might be testing the disciples. Recall that the last time they were on the sea, Jesus is sleeping through the storm. They wake Him up in terror and He calms the storm causing the disciples to ask “who is this man”? Since then, they have seen raising the dead, casting out spirits and all manner of healing so at this point, the disciples should understand (but they don’t).
Christ’s intention was not to get directly involved this time but rather to manifest His glory to them (not unlike Moses’ experience in Exodus 33). The image of Jesus parting the waves in the storm and walking on the water points to the parting of the Red Sea. Seeing this, the disciples should understand who He is. Instead they are terrified of what they think is a ghost. The word translated as “ghost” is from the Greek word phantasma which is something inexplicable yet that possesses a personal quality to it, as well. It could be spirits of dead people or even a demon. Jesus ends up in the boat and the wind stops. Instead of manifesting His glory, He has once again rescued them as they think they are perishing.
It is not a flattering picture of the disciples as this is more than just ignorance on their part. They are still confused about Jesus and are being compared to the other group we see with hardened hearts (the Pharisees). This hardening is a willful turning away from what is in front of them. The story here is less about the walking on water than it is about the failure of the disciples to connect the dots. Mark points out their lack of understanding regarding the significance of the loaves rather than their inability to grasp the current story of walking on the water. Nevertheless, on your scorecard, they are 0 for two. In their defense, when we fast forward to early in Acts, we see the apostles ready to go kill Romans and establish the Jewish kingdom. Perhaps they are too focused on these two goals to see what is right in front of them (things don’t really click until Pentecost).
In Greek, the statement by Jesus of “it is I” is equivalent to “I am”. As “I am”, Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Anyone with a Hebrew background would understand the “I am” language. This is rather clear to us but since the target audience is Romans, this isn’t something that would resonate with them until after they come to faith. Instead they see a mighty man who steps in to save the day. It’s not unlike Paul in Corinth having to start the baby Christians on milk before they could move on to something of greater spiritual substance. Mark starts by showing the Romans the power of Jesus with deeper lessons to come for those who come to faith.
Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 54 When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran around that whole region, and began to bring those who were sick, on their mats, to where they heard He was. 56 Wherever He entered, into villages, or into cities, or into the country, they placed the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might touch just the fringe of His garment; and everyone who touched Him were made well. NHEB
The disciples aren’t seeing who Jesus is but we see a group who do. This group may not understand Him as the Son of God but they recognize that there is something different about Him. While they are driven primarily by need, they still have a keener insight than the apostles do. Wherever Jesus goes, people gather their sick and bring them to Him and the cycle starts over again. Another pallet story and a touching the garment story.
Matthew tells the story not included in Mark of Peter getting out of the boat to go to Jesus but failing. This is significant because Peter is the main guy and yet he fails. As the Gospel of Peter, Mark may have left this story out since it casts Peter in an unfavorable light.
2Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. 21 For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. BSB