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.
After the feeding of the five thousand, Mark says Jesus “immediately” made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead “to the other side toward Bethsaida,” while he dismissed the crowd (Mk. 6:45). The movement is deliberate. Jesus is directing the scene, not reacting to it. The commentaries also note that Mark’s geography can feel complicated here: Bethsaida is associated with the northern/northeastern side of the lake, while the next scene has them landing at Gennesaret on the northwestern side (Mk. 6:53). The point for Mark is not a travel log but what Jesus is about to reveal.
When Jesus has taken leave of the crowd, he goes up the mountain to pray (Mk. 6:46). Read in the light of the wider Gospel witness, this withdrawal also keeps Jesus free from the crowd’s desire to make him an earthly, political king who would keep providing bread and solving their immediate needs (Jn. 6:15). The disciples are alone on the sea, and Jesus is alone with the Father before he comes to them.
As evening comes, the boat is far out on the sea while Jesus remains on the land (Mk. 6:47). The disciples are “tossed about while rowing, for the wind was against them” (Mk. 6:48). Mark then adds a time marker: “About the fourth watch of the night” Jesus comes toward them (Mk. 6:48). The fourth watch is late, near dawn, roughly between 3 and 6 a.m. Mark is describing a long struggle for the disciples, not a brief inconvenience.
Jesus comes “walking on the sea” (Mk. 6:48). This miracle is not written mainly as an act of help or healing, but as an act of revelation. In the Old Testament, walking upon the sea belongs to God’s authority over creation (Job 9:8; 38:16; Ps. 77:20). Mark presents Jesus doing what Scripture associates with the Lord, so the action itself carries an implicit claim about who Jesus is.
Then Mark writes a line that can sound puzzling: Jesus “meant to pass by them” (Mk. 6:48). This makes strong sense theologically, because “passing by” echoes the Bible’s language of divine self-manifestation. Moses is granted a glimpse of God’s glory as the Lord “passes by” (Ex. 33:21-23), and Elijah encounters the Lord as God passes by in a revealing moment (1 Kgs. 19:11-12). In that light, Mark’s wording is not indifference. It signals disclosure. The disciples are meant to see something of Jesus’ glory.
When they see him, they think he is a ghost and cry out (Mk. 6:49-50). Jesus speaks at once: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” (Mk. 6:50). This moment fits the Bible’s pattern of God making himself known. “It is I” can carry the force of “I am,” echoing God’s self-revelation (Ex. 3:14) and the Lord’s identifying speech in Isaiah (Is. 41:4; 43:10). The command “do not be afraid” often accompanies God’s self-disclosure in Scripture (Gen. 15:1; Josh. 1:9). Mark’s narrative and wording work together: Jesus’ act and Jesus’ voice identify him.
Jesus then gets into the boat with them, and the wind dies down (Mk. 6:51). Mark says they were utterly astounded, but he immediately diagnoses the deeper problem: “They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened” (Mk. 6:52). Mark is not merely reporting emotion. He is exposing incomprehension. The feeding had already pointed beyond itself, echoing God’s provision for Israel (Ex. 16) and the multiplied loaves associated with Elisha (2 Kgs. 4:42-44). Yet the disciples still have not grasped what these signs disclose about Jesus’ identity. This is why Mark pairs the loaves with the walking on the sea: both are meant to reveal who Jesus is, while the disciples struggle to see.
Lord Jesus, when fear and confusion rise, steady my mind to understand your works and your words so I can faithfully serve you. Give me a heart that is not hardened and an unwavering faith. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament (Ignatius Press), notes on Mk. 6:45-52.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre, The Navarre Bible: Mark (Four Courts/Scepter), commentary on Mk. 6:45-52.
- José Enrique Aguilar Chiu et al., eds., The Paulist Biblical Commentary (2018), commentary on Mk. 6:45-52.
- Raymond E. Brown et al., The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (1990), commentary on Mk. 6:45-52.
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