Cold miracles- 6:49-52

but when they saw him walking upon the sea it seemed/they thought, that he was a ghost and they cried out. For they all saw him and were frightened.

You have to feel for the disciples here- there can't be too many people that have had similar experiences. Perhaps some of the Israelites- perhaps it was a bit of a similar thing to when they asked Moses to put a veil over his face because it shone with the presence of the Lord. There seems to be a similar dread here. Only a few hours before they had been sitting around with a few thousand of their countrymen in a convivial atmosphere (admittedly, Jesus had just turned two loaves and five fish into this feast- so somewhere there was that hint of the numinous; as Lewis talks about it rather than the definition I just read in the concise Oxford Dictionary- so that though the atmosphere is enjoyable and relaxed, a step away without perhaps the people really realising it, is a tinge of terror)
Still, multiplying loaves and fishes is a warm miracle. Walking on a lake on a windswept lake at night is not.

Just read France on this verse- he says the fourth watch of the night is just before morning, and suggests the evening at the start of this passage should be interpreted loosely- he also uses the word numinous, which I thought I was being a bit tricky using- (a total aside but this is another Romans 12, Luke 17 situation- Lewis has a great take on originality- a good grounding for people like me who sometimes feel the glory of seeming to be a bit original).

The outlook has switched from Jesus to the disciples- where he views them struggling on the lake in the distance, they see an apparition being where it should not, coming towards them, or perhaps looking like he's going to walk past them. I wonder who saw him first. How much light was there? Enough for Jesus to see them from the hills out in the middle of the lake. They'd mostly be looking back his way straining at the oars- would have been very tired by this stage. Would there have been a few double takes? Who cried out first? Did a few make the disturbing discovery at the same time? How on earth could they get a handle on him? They must have had many experiences of him as a strong earthy man- a Carpenter with an abiding love of the scriptures, who talked about Yahweh in a way they had never quite heard. He spoke with authority- the religious leaders could not match him- but they shared a camp-fire with him, slept under stars- and here he was walking across the sea- They've already asked, “Who then is this?” after he told a storm to be still- but this seems to take it one step further- how many expletives were uttered through this passage of time, audibly or under the breath? What were there prayers? - here and throughout these three years? What were Jesus prayers? No wonder they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And I've conked out- but what is the Father thinking as he hears these prays and is answering them?

And immediately he spoke with them and said to them, 'have courage. it is I ( I am- egw eimi) Do not fear'. And he climbed/ got into (anebe) the boat with them, and the wind dropped. (Once again the disciples are long way into eery). And they were very beside themselves with astonishment- there's an 'en eautois' -within themselves. Z & G- stupefied, astounded-existanto.- It would seem the idea here is that they are experiencing an extremely high levels of amazement.

for they had not understood about the loaves, but there hearts were hardened.
What an interesting postscript or narrators sentence- was it Peter who used to say this after recounting the story- or Mark with the benefit of hindsight- perhaps a bit of both?
That is a very difficult thing to get your head and your fear around- and Jesus, although not as harshly this time, says to them to take courage and not fear.
Why were the disciples hearts hardened?
I would think it would be linked with faith. Though they had seen Jesus do this amazing thing with bread, because their faith was nowhere near large enough to fit him in, they were prevented in 'seeing' his ability and potential. Post resurrection, I imagine these same disciples (or at least some of them) would have sat in their boat, perhaps still in awe- and with the fear that accompanies that, but with no small minded idea that they were seeing a ghost- their faith had enlarged enough to take in a messiah who had complete mastery of the sea.

Lake-walking- 6:47-48

Evening finds the boat in the middle of the lake (sea- thalasses) and Jesus alone upon the land. The next bit seems to come from Jesus perspective- and he saw them harassed (basanizomenos- ptc pass. izw torture) / straining at the oars, for it was a contrary wind to them (head wind). About the fourth watch of the night he came towards them walking upon the sea, and intended to pass by them.
Had Peter questioned Jesus alone at some time about this? How did Mark know that Jesus intended to pass by them? Why did he intend to pass by? What was the thought process when he say them down on the middle of lake and decided to just walk across? He must have known that they would be terrified- or at least a little amazed when they saw him... Was he still in deep conversation/ communion with the Father and thought to continue that before he rejoined the disciples- so wasn't particularly thinking about what their reaction might be? Did Jesus experience a thrill as a man, walking across the waves? How did that work? It was a windy night- the disciples were making hard work of it against the wind- there must have been a fair bit of chop- did he walk on the water or just above it? -erchetai pros autous peripatwn epi tes thalasses – he came towards them walking upon the sea. How far back did his memory go? John has put things together by the time he writes- in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the Word was God, he was with God in beginning. All things came into being through him and not one thing came into being apart from him... Did Jesus have remembrances of creation? I would have thought not- that this was something he laid aside in becoming a man- but perhaps he somehow appropriated much that was formerly his through exercising faith, and sort of rediscovering it. Were there resonances of ancient times as he felt the wind and the chop on the water...?

Response to success- 6:46

Perhaps another part of the sending them off before him, was his need to spend time alone with the Father. After he had taken his leave of the crowds, he goes into the hills to pray. Seems a pretty good response to 'success'. Feeding 5000 people is pretty miraculous. Two nights ago I had another panel appearance at church- some of the answers I gave, I thought were good- I had prayed beforehand, and then you have the event- the fluidness of the present, filled with possibilities, a mixture of a whole lot of things- the reading I have done, the people I've sat under, the experiences I've had- and a whole lot of other people with the same process going on, and the Spirit in and amongst. Thought I expressed something of Jesus mission- the Kingdom has come- we can experience something of God's future rule now- and now is what is important. Then I went to young adults group (I'm officially too old this month) and thought I directed things (not that I was officially leading) in good directions- what has been happening with you and God in the last month- the present story of you and the spirit rather than 'not that recent' testimonies. And I was thankful as I walked away from the study than night, that I'd been used in service- or had given a good service. It wouldn't have surprised me if there were some people that night in both places who were thankful for my contribution. And I'd say there is a danger in this moment. It is good to feel well utilised and that you have made a difference, or perhaps just done the Father's will- perhaps you can even accept a small 'well done faithful servant' from the spirit- but in the next moment I imagine we should think of Romans 12 or Luke 17- to have a sane estimate of ourselves and remember that we are servants- what else would we do- We shouldn't presume to sit down with the master and have some mutual admiration time- its inappropriate- doesn't fit with how things are- “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty”.
Perhaps this was the main thing going on for Jesus at this time- a keen awareness of the strong tendency of man to be a glory hound. A determination to keep things in perspective. As John shows so well- a preoccupation and delight to do the Father's will above all else.

A big day- 6:45

I have a note in my NIV bible about the immediately Mark starts this sentence with. Wrote this before I had any knowledge of Mark's proclivity towards the word. Apparently his sending of the apostles off to Bethsaida creates a few geographical issues- especially combined with the 'peran' (on the far side) of the lake. France thinks the best way to solve this may be to view Luke's parallel account as mistaken on this point. Without having looked at both, it seems more likely for a mistake to run that way- if we take Peter to be the main source for Mark's account- a man who spent a good part of his life on the lake, whereas Luke's knowledge could not be as deep, or maybe even first hand. Another solution that has been offered is that there was another Bethsaida apart from Bethsaida Julias on the North Eastern side of the lake. Bethsaida means simply fishing village- so it is not altogether unlikely- but there is no evidence apart for this.

Jesus stays behind to release or dismiss the crowd. I wonder if part of this is Jesus concern for the disciples (John's account could give another reason...). Perhaps still a little tired from their own adventures- and its been a big day, that Jesus was intending to be more recuperative, perhaps, for them. Also, he is the major attraction- so this would have also given the disciples a bit of a breather.
I wonder what their conversations in the boat were like. Or were they a bit beyond long excited conversations of amazement?- a little later when Jesus amazes them again, we have the phrase- ou gar sunekan epi tois artois, all' en autwn he kardia pepwrwmene. - 'for they had not understood (lit-on the occasion of...') about the loaves, i.e. what was involved in the multiplication of the loaves, what the miracle meant (Z&G), but their hearts were hardened- mentally insensitive, obtuse, dull.
I wonder how Peter told this?