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Wanna learn something cool about Jesus today?

I love the story in the Bible when Jesus shows up at the last minute to save his followers from a sinking boat in the middle of a wild storm. Just when everything seemed lost, Jesus walks on the water to rescue his disciples … you know the story, right? 

But, have you ever noticed that in the version of this story written by Mark—who was one of the first followers of Jesus—that Jesus actually “meant to pass by them” (Mark 6:48).

Wait.

What? 

So Jesus planned to walk past them and let them drown? 

That doesn’t seem right. 

I had always questioned this verse until I looked deeper into the phrase: “pass them by”. You see, this phrase was a first-century symbol for God that is actually used throughout the Bible. Look it up for yourself! In the book of Exodus, God tells Moses He will “pass by” him so Moses can see Him. In 1 Kings, a book written by a prophet named Jeremiah, we see that God does the same thing to Elijah. So the idea of Jesus “passing by” is not meant to indicate that Jesus was ignoring them … but that he was about to reveal himself as being God! And to underline the point, Jesus then calmed the raging storm to prove he is God! 

Isn’t that cool?!

So ... I pray that Jesus may “pass by” you today—so that you will know that no matter what storm you’re walking into or how fast your boat is sinking, he is God and he has got it all under control. 

For reflection:

And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them — Mark 6:48