an adverse wind

Scripture:  Mark 6:45-52.

45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. ⁴⁶After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was out on the lake, and he was alone on the land. ⁴⁸When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the lake. He intended to pass them by. ⁴⁹But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; ⁵⁰for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ ⁵¹Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, ⁵²for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Observation:

After a day of teaching and feeding hungry people, Jesus spends time alone in the mountains in prayer.  He sends the disciples on ahead of him.  They experience an adverse wind on the lake.  Without Jesus, they struggle to make headway.  I always wondered about Jesus' intention to pass them by.  But they do see him walking on the water and are afraid.  As soon as he enters the boat, the wind stops.  I also wonder about the last sentence; "they were utterly astounded for they did not understand about the loaves, but their heart were hardened".  What did the mutliplication of loaves have to do with their astonishment about Jesus' power to walk on water?  And what does hard heartedness have to do with this story?  Are they struggling to comprehend his power?  Are they failing to understand his identity as God's anointed messenger?  They fail to perceive the truth about Jesus. 

Application:

It's difficult to understand Jesus' actions and abilities.  He is fully human like me and you; and he is somehow different.  He is able to do things we cannot do.  He walks on water.  He calms waves.  He multiplies loaves of bread.  He has enough energy to teach, heal, and feed thousands of people and then abandons his disciples to remain alone on a mountain to pray.  He causes fear and says "Don't be afraid."  The disciples are entering D2, a season of conscious incompetence.  They will fail to understand or believe Jesus, even while they watch and listen and experience him in action every day. 
Think of a time when you struggle to comprehend something that was taking place; when you had a hard time learning something.  We all have these challenges.  They are part of any learning process.  We hit a wall, a point of uncertainty, a moment of doubt when we fail to comprehend.  Any life of faith that is real will encounter a D2 period, when one does not know or understand.  God is gracious and patient with us when we do.  It is necessary for growth to go through these times.  We must face the harsh headwinds of uncertainty and ignorance, in order to experience the calm and peace of new understanding.  This moment on the water will begin to prepare the disciples for another experience, in which they will see Jesus and not know how he is alive with them.  Perhaps then they will remember this time and trust that what they are seeing is possible and real.  Sometimes God gives us experiences we don't understand that will only become clear to us in the future.    

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes we don't understand you, what you're doing or what you're teaching us.  Be gracious and patient with us. Encourage us to keep following you, even when we fail to perceive your powerful presence.  Amen.