Take Heart; it is I
Mark 6: 45-56
Pentecost 10 (Proper 12)
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen. The sermon text for the tenth Sunday after Pentecost is the Gospel reading Mark 6. By the end of the day the disciples were tired, worried, and afraid. It was the end of a very long day. We have been hearing about this day for the past several weeks in our Gospel readings. The day started with Jesus sending His disciples out into the towns to preach the Word of God. They preached, healed the sick, and cast out demons. They called people to repent. When they returned to the Lord, they were tired. They were so busy with their work that they had very little time to eat. Jesus brought them to desolate place to rest. As it turns out they had no time to rest because a great crowd was waiting for Jesus when they arrived. Our Lord told the disciples to feed the crowd. This was no small task. There were five thousand men plus women and children to feed. The tired disciples were now worried because they did not have enough food to feed the crowd. In our reading for today Jesus told His disciples to get into a boat and cross the lake. They had to fight strong winds that made their journey difficult, and they were terrified when they saw the Lord walking on the water because they did not recognize Him. After a very long day the disciples were tired, worried, and afraid.
Yet, we see that Jesus was there to deliver them from their troubles and He was there to strengthen their faith. When the disciples went to the various towns to call people to repentance the Lord was with them, and it was by His authority that they were able to preach the Word of God and to heal people. When they were tired after their work it was the Lord who refreshed them with His teaching. When the Lord asked them to feed the five thousand the disciples responded by giving Him five loaves and two fish. They knew that they were not able to feed the multitudes with such a small amount of food and so they became worried. They had no need to worry. They could not feed the people, but Jesus could. Our Lord took the five loaves and two fish and miraculously fed the entire crowd. When the disciples were afraid in the boat it was the Lord Jesus who came to them walking on the water. When He arrived, He calmed the wind, and He said these words to them. “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” Mark tells us that when the disciples recognized the Lord they were astounded. The disciples went through the day being tired, worried, and afraid. It was Jesus who refreshed them, provided for them, and gave them peace. They did not fully understand the Lord at this time, but they soon would.
As we continue to look at our text we see that that the disciples were not the only ones who looked to the Lord Jesus. When Jesus and the disciples came to the other side of the lake they got out of the boat and were met by lots and lots of people. People from every town and village came to the Lord bringing Him the sick and injured to be healed. Jesus had compassion on the people. He healed all who were afflicted.
When we look at our reading and the verses before our reading, we see a contrast between the power and authority of Jesus and the weakness and frailty of the human race. Jesus miraculously fed five thousand people, walked on water, calmed the wind, and healed all the people around him. The disciples spent most of the day tired, worried, and afraid. The crowds were hungry. The towns and villages were filled with sick and injured people.
Jesus is the cornerstone of the church. He is the King of kings. He is our great High Priest. He is our Shepherd. We have been conceived and born in sin. We live in a fallen world. We have weaknesses and frailties. We don’t like to admit this. In our pride we think that we are in control of our life. When someone offers to help us, we often tell them that we don’t need the help and we can handle everything ourselves. But the truth of the matter is that we are not in control, and we need a great deal of help. The fact of the matter is that human beings can be easily damaged physically, emotionally and spiritually.
We are like the disciples for we are often tired, worried, and afraid. We get tired because we work all day. We get tired because we are raising children or watching grandchildren. We get tired because we are getting older. We certainly can get worried. We worry about the welfare of our families. We worry about the nation. We worry about the church. We also experience fear. We are afraid of the unknown. We are afraid of the future. We might be afraid of what will happen in the upcoming election. We are also like the sick and injured people mentioned in our reading. We could be living in good health and then all of a sudden have a serious health problem. Some of you are battling health issues right now. If you are not, you certainly know people who are. And of course we are continually dealing with our own sins. When Jesus walked on water and calmed the wind the disciples had trouble understanding Him because of their sin. We can also be blinded by our sins and fail to see the goodness of God. Like the disciples and the sick people who are mentioned in our text, we also look to Jesus Christ. He is our Lord. He is our Savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit we trust in Him.
Remember what Paul said in our epistle reading. “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”
We do indeed come before the Lord this day to receive forgiveness. It all starts with the forgiveness of sins. The Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead so that we could be forgiven. You came here this day to receive absolution. The Lord forgives you all your sins and He restores you. It is Jesus who has made you right with God and He is the one who brings you to the Father. As a forgiven child of God you can now call upon His name in prayer. Through Christ you have a relationship with God. That means He hears your prayers and answers them according to His good and gracious will. The Lord brings you healing in this life and if He does not remove your ailment, He gives you strength to endure your hardship. Whatever you face you know that the Lord will fully restore you at the final resurrection when He visibly returns. The Lord has given to you the gift of everlasting life.
The Lord sustains you and gives you every blessing both temporal and eternal. He strengthens your faith so that you can see His gracious hand in all things. He refreshes you with His Word. He turns doubt into faith. He tells you to fear not for He is near. He brings you close to Him so that you will know the love of God. Amen.