FRIDAY, March 13

And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

— Mark 6:56

In today’s reading, Jesus first walks on water, then, when the boat lands at Gennesaret, he begins healing the sick. He had gone up a mountain to pray, as his disciples went ahead to Bethsaida, but then nearly scared them to death by appearing to walk on water as the wind tossed their boat around.

My favorite part of this passage is “He intended to pass them by,” which evokes a hilarious image of Jesus strolling casually past the boat when the disciples see him and think he is a ghost. This story is a bit difficult to understand, and it unfolds in a somewhat comical way because the disciples are so human in their confused reaction. They remind me of all of us. I think we’d all react in much the same way as we tried to wrap our primitive, human minds around the incarnation of the Divine.

When the whole confused band of disciples arrives at Gennesaret with Jesus, great crowds bring people to him for healing. These people, too, do not fully understand who this miracle worker actually is. The idea that any man could be God, come to earth in human form, is just beyond them. To them, he is simply a human who can heal.

Reflect: When was a time in your life when you were truly surprised by God’s presence?

This Lenten Meditation can be found at Episcopal Relief and Development