Then he made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. 47 When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. 48 Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out. 50 They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 51 He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were [completely] astounded. 52 They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened.
53 After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. 54 As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. 55 They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.
After Jesus miraculously fed the five thousand, the people wanted to make him king (Jn. 6:14). Jesus sent his disciples from Tabgha at the foot of the Mt. of Beatitudes on the northwestern shore of Galilee across the sea towards Bethsaida on the north-eastern shore of the lake. He then went up the mountain to pray (vv. 45-46). Tabgha is also traditionally held to be the place where Jesus appeared after his resurrection (Jn. 21:1-24). The multiplication of loaves was the type of miracle that those waiting on the Messiah expected to see.
Sometime between 3:00 am and 6:00 am, the disciples were far out on the Sea of Galilee and not making much progress. They were terrified when they saw Jesus coming towards them because they could not understand how he could be walking on the water. They had not understood the significance of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. Jesus said to them, “It is I, do not be afraid (v. 50)!” Only God can, “tread upon the back of the sea (Job 9:8).” God referred to himself as, “I am who I am (Ex. 3:14),” so when Jesus said, “It is I” it implied that he was God. Jesus walking on water was a manifestation of his divinity but at that time, the disciples did not understand his true identity; that he was the Son of God. They still lacked faith.
This miracle has been understood since the first century as an allegory for the Church struggling with persecution. The boat and the disciples represent the Church, and the wind and turbulent sea represent persecution. Jesus will come to their aid and save them.
When Jesus crossed to Gennesaret, the crowds recognized him and brought the sick to him to be healed. The sick just wanted to touch his clothes so that the healing power could flow from him. The crowds sought out Jesus because he worked miracles not because of their faith in him. Jesus’ goal was to generate faith that would lead to salvation (Mk. 4:40; 5:34), to heal sin (Mk. 2:5), and to reveal that he was the Son of God (Mk. 6:50).
Almighty God, grant us the grace not to presume that your loving mercy will always be extended no matter how rebellious we are. Shower us with your wisdom so that we may understand how to serve you and give us the strength to do so. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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