Mark 6:45-56
Impossible Made Possible
Are ghosts real? Short answer… Yes. But it’s not what you think. I can’t fathom humanity’s fascination with ghosts and the supernatural. I remember a show I watched a long time ago, called Ghost Hunters. The sad part was that there were numerous other shows just like it. They went to what was “the most haunted” places looking for any shred of evidence of ghosts. You know what they found in multiple seasons? Nothing. It turned out that the so-called “ghosts” they were chasing were all special effects, mirror placements, fans, and other such deception. For the common idea about ghosts is that they are those who have died trapped here on earth and unable to enter the “afterlife.” That just isn’t true. Though, as I said, ghosts are indeed real… in a sense. For ghosts are a tool of Satan aimed at scaring us and making us doubt God. If you were to see a ghost, you would probably be speechless and ready to run for the hills. It's for this exact reason, because we know they shouldn’t exist. They’re impossible. When we come face to face with impossible, we’re almost always terrified. But this is often the problem that science has. It doesn’t have any room for the supernatural. Science assumes that earth, or reality is a closed system, that there are no outside influences. In reality, we must expand our scope of what’s possible. For both Satan and God can enter into our little sphere and influence nature in their own way.
This is what we see in our Gospel reading today. Jesus shows his mastery over the laws of nature. He does what we would classify as impossible. He walks on water. For so we shouldn’t be surprised at the disciples’ fear as they see this supernatural sight. Yet, let us not be afraid, and so understand this simple truth:
JESUS DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE SO THAT ALL MAY BE POSSIBLE FOR US!
I.
Here we are two weeks in a row where the disciples get shoved into a boat and sent across the sea. Last week, at least, Jesus was with them when they see the crowd. But this time, Jesus decides to stay behind to deal with the crowds. We’re told from John that the crowds were on the verge of rioting to make Jesus their king. But for the sake of the disciples, Jesus sends them off before they’re sucked into the mob and away from Jesus. For then we read, “And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and [Jesus] was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea,” Mark 6:47-48. The disciples are not only in a boat, in the middle of the sea, heading against the wind, but it’s also early in the morning. It’s roughly 3am. Can you imagine how tired the disciples are? At least, the couple that are staying awake to keep watch. As if that’s it. Let’s add the last piece. They see someone walking… in the middle of the sea!
When’s the last time you’ve seen someone walking in the middle of a lake? Probably never? It’s physically impossible. We know that… so our brains try to start making sense of what we see. But sometimes, they can’t. For so the disciples cry out in fear because they think it’s a ghost (Mark 6:49). While this isn’t an everyday occurrence for us, we know that should we encounter something we know to be impossible, be it ghosts, or otherwise, our first response is typically fear. It’s the impossible that gets us to instantly question our faith, or even despair in the heat of the moment. For while we may not all encounter a ghost, or someone walking on water, we all deal with things that make us afraid. Part of the point is that we need a faith stronger than our fear. Even the impossible shouldn’t be able to scare us out of believing. It’s also the impossibility of freeing ourselves from sin. It’s the impossibility of escaping death. It’s the impossibility of making it across to the other side.
II.
But when has the impossible ever stopped God? Where does it say that God has to obey the laws of nature? Cannot God do anything… like walk on water? For Jesus sees the disciples. He sees their struggle, and he means to join them in it. I don’t think Jesus intended to scare the disciples, but rather to come and help them. He came to help them in a way only he can. For Jesus does the impossible in this case just so he can rejoin with the disciples in the boat, to calm the raging wind, to ease their journey. As we read, “But immediately [Jesus] spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.’ And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased,” Mark 6:50-51. Take heart! Don’t be afraid! That is, stop letting fear take control. Stop being afraid of the impossible and the unknown because the one who can do all things and knows all things is here with you! In between these two phrases is the very name of God. I AM. I am here. I am for you. I am your peace and security. I am your God.
This is how we fear-proof our faith. We look at the one who has sought to join us in our struggles. He has come to join us in our boat, to calm the wind, to stay the waves, to bring us across to the other side… by doing the very impossible for us! Jesus does what in all rights should be impossible… coming down from heaven to dwell with us. When he comes to us, he doesn’t mean to frighten us either. Though his presence does cause us some fear. Yet, Jesus does the impossible because he has to… for you. He does the impossible task of forgiving us even when we don’t deserve it. He does the impossible task of loving us when we can’t love ourselves. He does the impossible task of going to the cross and dying for all of our sins… so that by his death, all things may become possible for us! For it’s Jesus who comes to us, seeing us in our struggles, in our sins, in the grips of death and says, “You shouldn’t be here. You were never made to be here. You were made to be with me.” No longer is it impossible for us to find forgiveness. No longer is it impossible for us to be in the presence of God. No longer is it impossible for us to have life everlasting!
May our faith be greater than our fear because we know that Jesus has done the impossible… for us! He has died, been buried, and even raised from the dead so that we may have life eternal in the very presence of God! In Jesus’ name! Amen!