Sunday, June 6, 2010

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...?

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