Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.
Mark 6:47
This is a seemingly unremarkable passage, falling between descriptions of two of the most well-known miracles that Jesus performed during his lifetime. Earlier, Jesus had preached to and fed a crowd of 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish. He then sent the apostles ahead of him, across the water to Bethsaida, while he went up the mountainside to pray. While he was alone on the land, he spied the returning boat with the apostles inside, struggling against a heavy wind – and walked across the water to assist and comfort them.
It's easy to overlook a brief description of Jesus' location between these two seminal events. The passage, however, is beautiful for its simple and evocative language. It suggests a brief moment of serenity in Jesus' otherwise hectic life. It also reminds us that for all the works of the apostles, Jesus – largely on his own – bore heavy burdens of knowledge and responsibility. And lastly, it confirms that in times of duress, we are never really on our own.
George and Claire Pickart
