Last week we looked at a 2-for-1 miracle: the feeding of the 5000 in chapter 6 and the feeding of the 4000 in chapter 8. We saw that Jesus had to perform this miracle twice for the sake of his slow-to-believe disciples because they were still trying to wrap their heads around his true identity. They were still learning that Jesus isn’t just fully man, but he’s also fully God. 

Today’s lesson is more of the same. It was just a few weeks ago that we read about Jesus calming the storm in a boat with his disciples (Mark 4:35-41). We asked this question: “How do you react to fear?” And we listed 4 options: fight, flight, freeze, or faith. Today’s story in chapter 6 is going to feel a little bit like a repeat: the disciples in a boat, afraid in a storm, waiting for Jesus to bring calm. 

It’s tempting to skip the story, but Mark didn’t. He wanted us to see the disciples, warts and all. They were slow to learn the true identity of Jesus, and so are we. So let’s tell the story.