Mark vi. 51, 52. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased : and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves : for their heart ivas hardened.
OUR blessed Lord, after feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two small fishes, sent his Disciples over the Lake of Gennesaret, whilst he dismissed the people : and then he went up into a mountain to pray. The Disciples laboured, for many hours, to reach the place of their destination ; but were unable, on ac- count of the violence of the wind. After nine or ten hours' toil, they were still far from land (notwith- standing the lake was not above five or six miles
broad ;) and, behold, they see one walking upon the water, whom they supposed to be a spirit ; and, filled with terror at such an extraordinary spectacle, they cried out. Our blessed Lord, however, drew nigh to them, and, in the most condescending manner, dis- pelled their fears, and went up to them into the vessel : and instantly the wind ceased ; and they were transported in their boat, by miracle, to the very place where they had been enjoined to land. On many other occasions they were " amazed%" and "astonished with great astonishment15," yea, and beyond measure " astonished0 :" but, on the present occasion, it is said they were " sore amazed within themselves beyond measure, and wondered."
Now, we shall find it by no means an unprofitable subject for our consideration, if I shew you,
I. What we are to think of the astonishment here expressed —
I suppose that there are few amongst us who would not highly approve of it, as exactly suited to the occasion. For our Lord to come to them walking upon the sea, and in an instant to still the winds and waves, and to transport the ship, without any further effort on their part, to the desired haven, was beyond measure wonderful ; and therefore we should be ready to commend the sensibility which they mani- fested, and the amazement which they expressed. But I am constrained to say, that their feelings on the occasion were altogether wrong ; and that their astonishment, instead of being commendable, was highly criminal ; since it was nothing but a com- pound of ignorance, and forgetfulness, and obduracy.
1. Of ignorance —
[They knew not who our Saviour was : they supposed him to be a mere man. Had they known him to be the God of heaven and earth, they would no more have wondered at his walking on the sea, or stilling the winds, than they would wonder at a man walking on dry land, and stopping a wheel which he himself had set in motion. He had indeed
a Mark ii. 12. f Mark v. 42. * Mark vii. 37.