A Second Supervised Mission
(Matthew 14:22 NKJV) Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.
Jesus is the ultimate disciple maker. Like any good trainer, after showing and telling them what to do, he instructed them to do things while he watched. He assessed where they were competent, and noted areas where they were not yet competent. The Master then gave them more coaching to bring them up to competence in the areas they were lacking. But they had to undertake further assessment tasks to give evidence of their readiness to graduate.
Where are you in this process?
Mark 4:35–41 describes the first time Jesus commanded his trainees to cross the lake (See: Book 1 for detail). It occurred during the second phase of his training program: we do it together. During that crossing, the apprentices had their Master in the boat with them to guide them in how to succeed. But after that assignment, Jesus assessed them as not yet competent with the words, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 NKJV). He rescued them on that occasion, but after correcting them and giving them some more training, they would need to do the same assessment task again to give evidence of their competence in this area.
The first time Jesus assessed his apprentices at crossing stormy lakes, he gave them the rhema instruction from his Father, delegated the task to them, and went to sleep on a pillow while they did it. All went well … until, that is, his trainees encountered a deadly storm, began to sink, panicked, and then awoke him. When he arose from sleep, he showed them what to do by using his faith and words to calm the storm.
However, the second time he instructed them to cross the lake they were in a new phase of training—I watch you. Here the assessment tasks were a little more challenging. So, for their reassessment at crossing the stormy lake, they would have to do it without Jesus’s physical presence in the boat. He sent them on ahead of him, while he watched over their mission from the mountain of prayer—covering them, and observing them in the spirit. Let’s see how they went. Would they pass this re-assessment task?
(Mark 6:45–47 NKJV) Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. (46) And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray. (47) Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone on the land.
The predictable enemy resistance to their advance arose on schedule: “the wind was against them.” Another gale tried to swamp them and blow them off course. How did they respond this time? Jesus had modeled how to stop the wind for them on the previous crossing. However, it appears that instead of using their faith and releasing Jesus’s authoritative command against the wind— “Peace; be still!”—they were back to trying to fight the enemy in their own strength: they were “straining at rowing.”
This was a supervised mission. So the Master was nearby, on hand to keep an eye on them, and to rescue them when needed; but he wasn’t physically right next to them. This would reflect more realistically what their walk with him would be like after he took up his new role at Father’s right hand as Head of the Church.
Note: Jesus is always with us, but in their early training days, he was at hand physically to rescue his trainees if needed, and to show them how a believer can operate supernaturally while in their physical body. But as they advanced, he was training them to operate in the way we have to operate; we don’t have Jesus with us physically, but he is always with us in his Spirit and through his living Word.
(Mark 6:48 NLT) He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them.
Jesus wasn’t in the boat with the trainees, but he was watching from a distance. This was a little like a trainee pilot on his first solo flight. He is alone at the controls, but he can see his instructor standing near the runway watching, and still hear his voice inside his head: “Park brake off, pressure on the toe brake, undercarriage down, mixture fully rich, etc.” Like the flight instructor, Jesus was observing from afar. But when the action heated up, he came near the afflicted boat walking on the water; he was watching to see what they would do.
Having seen all that Jesus did for his apprentice leaders up to this point—how he had trained them patiently, taught them effectively, and modeled what he wanted before them perfectly—we can be sure that he had fully prepared them for this supervised mission. Without ever wanting to criticize those twelve brave followers of Jesus, I can still imagine the outcome Jesus may have been hoping for:
While walking out onto the tempestuous lake to observe the storm-besieged boat, and to assess the progress of his trainees, our Lord could rightly have been thinking: “I’ve given them the living rhema of instruction from Father: ‘Go to the other side.’ I’ve taught them; I’ve trained them; I’ve shown them how to deal with storms. I know they are ready. But I wonder what they will actually do? Hopefully, Peter will jump up on the bow of the boat and yell to the storm: ‘Peace, be still!’ Then he will look at me and say, ‘How was that Lord? Did I do it right? Is that how you showed us to overcome the storms in your name?’” But sadly, that is not what happened:
(Mark 6:49–50 NKJV) And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out; (50) for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Jesus’s closest followers saw him walking on the sea. But sadly, instead of doing as he showed them and then celebrating with him, they made a very serious mistake—one we all have to watch out for. They didn’t recognize Jesus doing something they hadn’t seen him do before. Even though they were with him day and night for a long time, they didn’t recognize him: walking on water, in the middle of a storm, outside their own boat.
This litany of failed revelations should enlighten us all. We will continue with the outcome of this assessment event tomorrow, but for today, let’s think about the times we have failed to recognize Jesus in what’s happening in our world.
We often use the term “walking on water” to describe what it’s like for us when we move forward by faith, without any visible means of support—emotionally, financially, or even spiritually. These moments—when we are “flying by the seat of our pants,” so to speak—are very scary; we feel alone and extremely vulnerable, knowing we could so easily sink. While out there, feeling alone on the water; it is very easy to miss seeing that Jesus is in this with us—happily walking on water without a care in the world. “They all saw him” but “they supposed it was a ghost” (a demonic operation, not God). That’s a very costly mistake. Make sure you know how to recognize Jesus—even while walking on the tenuous, treacherous, intangible waters.
The storms of life come to us all. In this case, Jesus was in the storm—watching, ready to reassure, to coach, or even to rescue if needed—but hoping to see his students overcoming it with strident faith. To mistake him for a specter at that time—because we don’t realize that he can easily walk us through storms—is again, a very costly mistake.
We need to become the master of storms by his example and training, not their victims. Is a storm confronting you—impeding your progress, swamping your faith, and overwhelming your emotions? If so, Jesus is right there with you in the middle of that storm—preferably as your coach and cheer squad—as you overcome it in his name, his way. But if you are not yet competent—if you still need a little more training; he is ready, willing, and happy to reach out and calm the storm … for now. Nevertheless, if you don’t face up to your storms and rebuke them in Jesus’s name today, you will obviously have to take the test again some other time. He has trained you; he believes you can overcome in his name.
Today, you may also be missing a great opportunity to see Jesus at work because you cannot conceive him operating in his glory outside your boat. You like to have him with you exclusively where you are familiar with his operation. But up till now, when he has done a new thing, when he has moved in the world, or in other uncomfortable, unfamiliar settings, you haven’t recognized him. But now that you know he operates from outside the limitations of your little boat, relax; do what he has shown you, and enjoy watching his other kingdom-work all around you.
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