God Gets into Our Boat

                     

by Hans Boersma

8/5/24

The disciples are scared out of their wits. Demonic waves and wind are all around. Who is that shadowy figure walking on these waves?

Jesus means to pass them by (Mark 6:49). This is our ultimate reality check. Recall when Moses is in the cleft of the rock, as the Lord comes down in the cloud: “The Lord passed by him” and proclaimed his name (Exod. 34:6). And remember Job—“Behold he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him” (Job  9:11). When God passes by, it means he has come down from his heavenly mountain temple—like he came to Moses, like he came to Job.

But like Job, we “see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him.” Like the disciples, our hearts are hard; we cannot see. We are beside ourselves with fear. “It is a ghost,” we cry. Well, no, it is not a ghost; it is God himself. God has descended from on high. “Take heart,” he says, “it is I—egō eimi—I am.” “Do not be afraid.” Read it all!