When we left off last week we found Jesus feeding the five thousand. Everyone is full now and there are twelve baskets of leftovers. Jesus knows it's time to make a quick departure for, as the Apostle John tells us, He realizes that the people "intended to come and make Him king by force". (John 6:15) The people who witnessed the miracle and were fed by the loaves and fishes likely do believe Jesus is the Messiah, but their desire is for Him to be king of the nation, not king of their hearts. Rome is a harsh taskmaster and Caesar extorts heavy taxes from the citizens of Judea. The people want nothing more than to throw off the yoke of Rome and to embrace a leader strong enough to make a bid for David's throne.
Suppose this had actually happened. Suppose the people had laid hold of Jesus, crowned Him, thrown a robe over His shoulders, and marched Him into Jerusalem while blowing the trumpets and shouting, "Long live King Jesus, the King of the Jews!" All those who were discontented in Judea would have joined the mob and an uprising against Rome would have ensued. But what then? Would Rome have come and destroyed Jerusalem and have imprisoned Jesus or put Him to death by the sword and not by the cross? Or would the uprising have been successful and would Jesus have found Himself in possession of David's throne at the wrong time and in the wrong way? Our salvation is at stake in the passage we're studying today! There is no other path to the throne for Jesus but through the cross. There is no other path to salvation for us but through the cross. He lived every moment of His life with these things in mind and, when He reads the thoughts of the five thousand, He knows it's time to make a hasty exit.
"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into a boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd." (Mark 6:45) Jesus also reads the minds of His disciples. They are becoming carried away by the charged atmosphere. They sense something big is about to happen and if the crowd wants to declare Jesus king, the disciples are all for it. The NIV simply says Jesus "made" the disciples get into a boat, but the original text indicates He had to do so quite forcefully. He had to tear them away from the situation. Things were about to get out of hand and the disciples were going to be caught up in the fervor if Jesus didn't separate them from the crowd immediately.
Jesus needs some time alone with the Father. "After leaving them, He went up on a mountainside to pray." (Mark 6:46) Did Jesus feel any temptation to allow Himself to be made king? Did bypassing the tortures of the cross seem attractive to Him? Did a crown of gold appeal to Him in His humanness more than a crown of thorns? I tend to believe that Satan incited the desire of the five thousand to make Jesus king; this was yet one more temptation brought about by the evil one. I also tend to believe that many scholars and theologians downplay Jesus' humanity. The Bible wouldn't tell us Jesus was tempted and tried if He never felt the pull of straying from His mission, but at the same time He was incapable of sinning. You and I can hardly imagine what a strain this must have been on Him. You and I, as completely human, can relieve the pressure of temptation by either walking away from it or by giving in to it. Jesus had neither of these options. He had to endure onslaughts of Satan on a level none of us will ever experience. He likely endured these attacks on a daily basis. It wasn't in Him to give in, but He couldn't escape Satan's offers for Him to avoid the cross and go straight to the throne. You and I wouldn't be able to stand up to such spiritual attacks. Only the Son of God was able to say no to saving His own life in order to say yes to saving our souls.
"Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and He was alone on land. He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn He went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified." (Mark 6:47-50a) Why did He allow them to go through a long night of hard work and anxiety? He did it because these men need to get their minds off the idea of Jesus seated on David's throne and of themselves serving as His top officials. This is not the path Jesus is taking and the disciples have to get in step with Him. The kingdom Jesus has been preaching about is of a spiritual nature, not a political nature. He wants to save the people of Judea, but not from Rome. He wants to save the people of the world, but not from any particular ruling authority. Jesus' purpose is to save souls. Someday He will rule the world from David's throne, and someday He will be crowned with many crowns, but that time has not yet come.
The long night is over and the men have gotten their minds off dreams of glory and are concerned only with getting the boat to shore. Now is the right time for Jesus to step into the situation. "Immediately He spoke to them and said, 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.' Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened." (Mark 6:50b-52) Mark clearly tells us here that Jesus allowed the men to endure a night of hard rowing because their hearts were hard. They were beginning to envision an earthly kingdom rather than a heavenly one. They were perfectly willing to have Jesus installed as king and for Him to bypass His intended mission on earth. They were in essence saying to the Lord, "Not thy will, but ours, be done."
"When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was. And wherever He went---into villages, towns or countryside---they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged Him to let them touch even the edge of His cloak, and all who touched it were healed." (Mark 6:53-56) Jesus healed tens of thousands of people...at least. The gospel writers never supply us with numbers, likely because they couldn't possibly keep track of how many were healed, but just picture Jesus walking through enormous crowds of people lying on stretchers. Just the brush of His cloak is enough to make them instantly whole. The healing work Jesus does helps the disciples to focus more on His mission than on their daydreams of glory. The disciples see Him serving mankind, not being served by mankind. What king has ever walked among the lepers? What king has ever touched those that society considers unclean? What king has ever laid down his life for his subjects? No king of an earthly kingdom! But the King of the heavenly kingdom came to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)
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