Flashback Episode — Closed Mind, Open Heart: Mark 6:45-56

After one of the most famous miracles in Jesus’ ministry, we discover a second miracle that happened that night. While the famous miracle where Jesus fed a crowd of over 5,000 people prompted the disciples to believe more fully that Jesus was the Messiah, the miracle that happened that night challenged their impression of Jesus even more.

Immediately following having the disciples collect the leftover bread from the feeding of the 5,000, we come to our passage for this episode. While this event is included in all 4 gospels, let’s read what happened from Mark’s gospel to discover some things Mark chose to focus on. With that said, our passage for this episode is found in Mark’s gospel, chapter 6, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Jumping into the event in verse 45, we read that:

⁴⁵ Jesus quickly made his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him while he sent the people away. ⁴⁶ After saying goodbye to them, he went up a mountain to pray. ⁴⁷ When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.

⁴⁸ Jesus saw that they were in a lot of trouble as they rowed, because they were going against the wind. Between three and six o’clock in the morning, he came to them. He was walking on the sea. He wanted to pass by them. ⁴⁹ When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought, “It’s a ghost!” and they began to scream. ⁵⁰ All of them saw him and were terrified.

Immediately, he said, “Calm down! It’s me. Don’t be afraid!” ⁵¹ He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were astounded. ⁵² (They didn’t understand what had happened with the loaves of bread. Instead, their minds were closed.)

⁵³ They crossed the sea, came to shore at Gennesaret, and anchored there.

This miracle is amazing in my mind. We read that as soon as Jesus steps into the boat, the wind, which had been blowing against them, simply stopped. While other gospel writers include Peter’s big water walk during this event, Mark’s gospel ignores this detail while instead adding some details about what happens after they landed the following morning.

However, I paused reading our passage here because Mark’s gospel also chose to include the side-note about the disciples’ minds being closed. With the amazing miracle of the loaves of bread, and the astonishing miracle of the calm sea, we discover that the disciples’ minds were closed to understanding the significance of these miracles.

This detail challenges me to wonder if my mind is ever closed to what God wants to teach me. If those who were the closest to Jesus while He was alive on earth had their minds closed, who am I to believe that my mind could not fall into a similar trap.

While I read these two miracles, I cannot escape the detail that each miracle points to Jesus being the promised Messiah, and that Jesus is God. In the Old Testament, we find one of the prophets, Elisha, feeding 100 people in a miraculous way. For those of you who are curious, this relatively unknown event happens at the end of 2 Kings, chapter 4.

While I don’t know if the minds of the disciples were closed to seeing this connection, or if their minds were closed to seeing anything but this connection, the connections are mind-boggling. When looking at 2 Kings, chapter 4, we discover a miracle where oil is multiplied and it allows a widow to pay her debts. This miracle in some ways echoes Jesus turning water into wine, which was Jesus’ first miracle.

Also in chapter 4 of 2 Kings, we find a miracle where the prophet Elisha raises a child back to life. In Jesus’ life and ministry, there are several instances where Jesus raised a child back to life, and I imagine that many of those present saw this connection between Jesus’ ministry and Elisha’s.

Another notable miracle in Elisha’s ministry is making an axe head float. This miracle happens a couple chapters later in 2 Kings chapter 6. In Jesus’ ministry, we just read about Him making Himself “float” as He walked on the water. Peter even gets to experience this miracle when reading about this event in a different gospel.

I don’t know if what we see described in Mark’s gospel about the disciples minds being closed relates to them not seeing these connections to Elisha’s ministry, or if they could not see that Jesus came to fulfill more than what Elisha had accomplished. Whatever the case is, if those closest to Jesus fell into the trap of being closed-minded, we should be extra cautious about being closed-minded as well.

With all that said, Mark includes another set of details about what happens when Jesus and the disciples reach the shore. Picking back up in verse 54, we learn that:

⁵⁴ As soon as they stepped out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus. ⁵⁵ They ran all over the countryside and began to carry the sick on cots to any place where they heard he was. ⁵⁶ Whenever he would go into villages, cities, or farms, people would put their sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.

The last phrase in this passage jumped off the page at me when I read this. Mark tells us that those who were sick begged Jesus to “let them touch the edge of his clothes. Everyone who touched his clothes was made well.”

Just a couple of weeks ago, we talked about a woman who snuck up to Jesus believing that if she just touched the edge of His clothes, she would be made well. When I read this passage in Mark’s gospel, I couldn’t help but wonder if the news about the woman’s almost secret miracle had spread like wildfire, causing people to believe that they simply needed to touch Jesus’ clothing to be healed.

The way Mark’s passage concludes, we learn that even though the disciples struggled with closed minds regarding who Jesus was, those who were sick didn’t let doubt about Jesus get in the way of their faith that He could heal them. Jesus honored the faith of those present by letting them be healed simply by touching His clothing, because Jesus knew that this faith would grow into a life-saving belief in Him.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Be sure to place your faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus does not worry about how or why we place our faith in Him, but simply that we place our faith in Him. While we might be tempted to over-think what it means to place our belief in Jesus, in the context of how our passage concludes, faith in Jesus simply means trusting that He will help us and/or heal us in the ways we need help and healing.

Also, be sure to pray and study the Bible for yourself because through it, the Holy Spirit will teach you way more than any author, pastor, or podcaster ever could.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or doubt your way out of where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!