Mark 6:49 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,

NIV: but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,

NASB: But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out;

CSB: When they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out,

NLT: but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost.

KJV: But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out:

NKJV: And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out;

"Ghost" is from the Greek root word phantasma and refers to an apparition or specter. Jewish tradition taught that demons wandered the wilderness and sea, so the Twelve may think Jesus is a demon. Ironically, they are afraid of the One who is actually there to save them! They like the kind of power which gives them notoriety among the people, but, similar to the people of Gennesaret (Mark 5:14–17), they fear power they can't understand (Mark 4:35–41).

Paul talks about the inability to discern spirits in 1 Corinthians 2. God made us with spirits that can get some sense of the spiritual world, but we primarily live in our physical bodies in the physical universe. Like the Pharisees from Jerusalem who claim Jesus' power came from Satan (Mark 3:22), without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we cannot recognize the difference between God's Spirit and demons. Jesus promises that those who accept Him as Lord and Savior will receive the Holy Spirit so that they can know the truth (John 14:15–17).

The Twelve have followed Jesus for some time by now. They have seen Him calm a raging sea (Mark 4:35–41), show authority over evil spirits (Mark 5:1–13), and raise the dead (Mark 5:35–43). But they do not yet have the Holy Spirit, and they are not softened to His leading. Before we receive the Holy Spirit, His job is to turn our lost, rebellious hearts toward Christ; it is after, as we are sanctified, that our spiritual discernment grows. We shouldn't get too frustrated when non-Christians miss simple spiritual truths. Until they are willing to listen to the Holy Spirit, those truths will not be available to them (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Mark 6:45–52 continues to escalate the scope of Jesus' miracles. From healing illnesses and injuries (Mark 1:33–34) to raising the dead (Mark 5:35–43). From exorcising one demon (Mark 1:23–26) to expelling a horde of them (Mark 5:1–15). From calming the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35–41) to this account, where Jesus walks on its waters. Still, the Twelve continue to misunderstand who Jesus is and what He has come to do. They think He will be king and save Israel from the Romans. By sending them ahead of Him, He shields them from the crowd who believe the same. This miracle is also found in Matthew 14:22–33 and John 6:16–21.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.