Only God Walks On Water (Job 9:8)

He came to them walking on the lake;
and he was going to pass them by.
(Mark 6:48)

The above verse is from the Gospel where Jesus walks on the water. What did St. Mark mean when he says that Jesus was going to pass them by (Mark 6:48) Why would Jesus want to pass by his disciple even after seeing them struggling in the boat against the storm? I am sure some of us have wondered why.

Surely, our God is not one that ignores us. He promised to be with us through every storm we face (Matthew 28:20). Now we all know that the first bibles were in Greek later translated to Latin and then English. Parechomai is the Greek word for “pass by.” And when connected to a divinity refers to an epiphany or “appearance", "manifestation.” In the Old Testament, “the Lord is about to pass by Elijah” (1 King 19:11-12) and in (Exodus 33:14) God makes his goodness pass before Moses. God allowed Moses to stand in the presence of “all his beauty” as he passed by. That scene was dramatic enough, but in Christ, God goes a step further! There God passed by Moses and Elijah, but now he climbs into the boat with us. That is another promise fulfilled.

In conclusion, “Jesus wants to pass by his disciples, he wills for them to see his transcendent majesty as a divine being and to give them reassurance.” He will never pass us by or leave us with nothing but a memory of his mercy and grace. Nor will he leave us with just the fading echo of his voice. He dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. His grace and mercy is there with us when the waves of fear, discouragement, anger or sorrow threaten to swamp us. His mercy is also there when the sun is shining and joy fills our heart. God wants to get into our boat so as to assure us that he is Lord of all, and will continue to be with us through all the storms.

“Jesus, climb into the boat with me today! I want to know the peace and calm that you bring. I want to see your beauty and hear your voice of assurance.”