Swimming Lesson December 30

Mark 6:48-52

And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them.

But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

The Gospel of Mark, Mark is an intriguing man; we can find him in the book of Acts 12:12 after Peter was released from prison by an angel:

And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

Scholars also believe that Mark was the young man in the garden of Gethsemane on the night of Jesu's arrest.

Mark 14:51-52

And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:

And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked.

It's also possible that he was the rich young man in Mark 10:17-27 who Jesus looked on with Love and told him to give up all his possessions and "Come follow Me."

He was also a cousin to Barnabas in The Book of Acts and was the focal point of great contention between Paul & Barnabas. He went to Rome with Peter and stayed with Peter while he was in prison. Peter used Mark to interpret from Hebrew into Greek, writing the account of Jesus Christ as dictated by Peter, called The Gospel according to ST. Mark.

This brings us back to Jesus walking on water. Did you observe that there is no mention of Peter trying to walk on water? I find this curious that Peter did not share this with Mark. He told about getting rebuked by the Lord, getting corrected by God at the transfiguration, but he did not share his failed attempt to walk on water.

When we read Mathew's account, we see Peter getting scolded by Jesus for not having enough faith:

Mathew 14:31

And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Of all the things he shared, why not this? I have worked offshore in the ocean, and I can tell you firsthand that a six-foot swell is violent when in the water, especially in a storm with the fierceness of the wind.

We see after the resurrection that Peter was an excellent swimmer when he dove into the water without thought and swam to meet Jesus.

I think when Peter began to sink, and fear consumed him. He suddenly realized his situation, and he cries out to Jesus to save him.

My point is, Peter looked at this as a personal failure, something too hurtful to share. We all have disappointments, hurts that are just too painful to reveal, especially in the best-selling book in history. I think Peter was harder on himself than the Lord was.

But his Failure did not stop him, Selah.

He is: Rum Rosh

The One Who Lifts My Head

Blessing's