34. It is easy to imagine the groan of despair that must have gone up from the exhausted disciples, when they saw, long before they had reached the other shore, that the inevitable curious crowd had forestalled them. It is probable that this natural weariness accounts for the note of irritation in their question to Jesus in verse 37, as well as their obvious hint in verse 36 that the crowds had had more than enough teaching already. But Jesus, just as weary as the disciples and seeing the same crowds as they, had compassion on them (34).43 Note that he did the preaching to the crowds himself; he did not call upon his disciples to join in the task now.

The disciples are now functional “apostles,” as Mark calls them in 6:30, and they return to report to Jesus all they have done and taught. The fact that they report what they have “done and taught” indicates their participation in the twofold nature of Jesus’ work-and-words mission, for they have preached, healed, and cast out evil spirits. Theirs is a report of success, not of disappointment. (In Luke’s account of the success of the larger circle of seventy-two [10:17–18], Jesus describes a vision in which he sees “Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” a result of the assault on Satan’s kingdom by Jesus and his disciples.) The healing activity of the disciples is attested by the throngs who are coming and going and do not even give them time to eat. This gives Jesus occasion to withdraw with his disciples to “a solitary place” for rest (6:32), a recapitulation of the exodus and wilderness rest of Moses and Joshua, and the rest anticipated by the prophets (cf. Jer. 31:2). But the crowds get there ahead of them and, like sheep without a shepherd, evoke the compassion of Jesus, who proceeds to teach them and then to feed them.

Smallness of faith is a failure to remember God’s working in the past and to apply that knowledge of his nature to our present problems. If the early Christians, especially in centres like Rome, saw these storms as pictures of persecutions through which they must go, then this was an important lesson to learn.

For Mark’s readers the contrary wind is a challenge to faith in their own situation of testing. It is night, and Jesus is alone praying (cf. 1:35–39; 14:35–42), while his disciples are being assaulted by the hostile wind on the lake. They always seem to be in trouble when they are apart from Jesus. Jesus reminds them dramatically of their responsibility to take courage and not fear (6:49–50), and then manifests his absolute power as the sovereign “It is I” (Gk. egō eimi) who speaks and acts out his sovereign self-revelation (cf. Exod. 3:14; 33:19, 22; 1 Kings 19:11; Job 9:8, 11; Isa. 41:4–16). It is against this Old Testament background that Jesus works his miracle of theophany. He does not actually intend to pass the disciples by (v. 48), but seems from their perspective to be doing so (cf. their similar lack of understanding of the situation in 4:38). When Jesus joins them in the boat, the wind dies down. The lesson of the theophany is disclosed in Mark’s summary comment (v. 52). The disciples have not understood about the loaves because their hearts are hardened and they have failed to discern who Jesus truly is. Ironically, though they have been empowered to participate in the mission of Jesus and have already proclaimed repentance, healed the sick, and exorcised demons, they have only begun to penetrate the mystery of Jesus. The irony is that their reaction places them in the company of Jesus’ opponents (cf. 3:5; 10:5). Thus faith in Jesus’ authority over hostile powers as the Lord of creation is absolutely necessary if those powers are to be overcome.