Seeing the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) He came to them, walking on the sea. And [acted as if] He intended to pass by them. Mark 6:48 (Amplified)

Most of us have probably heard the story of Jesus walking on the water. There is so much good stuff in these verses! How awesome is our God that He can literally walk on water as if it’s a sheet of glass? How mighty is our God that when He climbs into the boat, the wind and waves cease? There is absolutely no other god like our God! But this time when I read the story, something else jumped out at me, “And acted as if He intended to pass by them”… Why? What does this mean? Was Jesus really headed toward another boat that was farther out than the disciples’ boat? Was his intention to walk all the way across the sea to the other shore? Did He not know that the disciples were in trouble? Was He trying to walk by without being seen because He just didn’t feel like helping? Of course, I really have no idea what was going on in the mind of the LORD in that moment, but I do have some thoughts.

Have you ever been in a store and see someone you know across the way but, for some reason, instead of going directly to them and saying hello, you want to see if they will notice you and speak to you first? So you wander around in the vicinity of where they are, trying to be nonchalant, yet noticeable. Will they recognize you? Will they care enough to stop what they’re doing to speak to you? Or will they be so busy and engrossed in their shopping, that they don’t have time to talk? I wonder if this might be what Jesus was doing.

Jesus knew the disciples were in trouble. At the beginning of the story, the Bible says, “Jesus insisted his disciples get in the boat and head out across the sea”. (Mark 6:45) He knew He was sending them out into stormy waters, I mean, come on, He is God, there’s not a storm in our life that ever sneaks up and surprises Him. He knew they needed help. I can only imagine what it must have been like for the disciples. They were struggling with the boat because of the wind and the waves. I can just see the boat rocking side to side, water filling the boat. I bet they were scared, possibly in a panic. I can just hear them yelling at each other, “Grab the rope. I need help with this. What are we going to do? Will we ever get to the shore?” And there comes Jesus walking up beside their boat. I wonder if He was testing the disciples as He “intended to walk past them”. Maybe He wanted to see if they would be so caught up in their fear and the struggle, so consumed by the storm, that they would miss Him walking by altogether.

I think Jesus does this in our lives today. God tells us in His Word that we are never alone, that He will never leave us nor forsake us, but sometimes I’m afraid that we are so caught up in our own lives, our own problems, our own storms, that we let Him walk on by. We live in such a fast paced world, we all have long to-do lists, places to go and we are rushing trying to get everything done. But it’s not just the hurrying, sometimes we let our selfishness and pride convince us that we don’t need anyone’s help. We can fix this problem, we can accomplish this task on our own. I hate to think how many storms in my life have been harder and lingered longer simply because I didn’t take time to notice Jesus walking by. Whatever the day may bring, whatever trial, pain, battle or storm that God sees fit to allow into our lives, my prayer for each of us, is that we slow down, let go of our pride and take notice of the Savior who wants to help. He wants us to notice Him, to recognize Him. He is always right there, patiently waiting on us to see Him, hoping that we will realize our desperate need for Him and He longs to hear us call out, “Jesus, wait, don’t pass me by!”

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