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.