Take Heart! It Is I!
Mark 6:45-56
Discussion questions
What stood out to you most in the Scripture?
After a long, exhausting day of ministry how does Jesus respond (Mark 6:46)? What can we glean from this?
In contrast, the disciples are described as “making headway painfully for the wind was against them” as they struggle to do what Jesus had called them to do. In what ways has following Jesus been a struggle or felt like painfully making headway for you?
How does Jesus respond to seeing their struggle? In what ways is it significant that he responded by coming to them when he could have just spoken a word and ended the winds?
In what ways have you been either encouraged or frustrated by God's response to you in times of struggle or suffering?
Joel pointed out that when Jesus seeks to “pass by” and proclaims “it is I,” he is asserting that he is both the glory of the Father and that he is God.* Why might he have specifically wanted to emphasize these things to the disciples in the midst of their struggling?
How does the gospel offer strength and hope in times of pain, struggle, or suffering?
*The two times that we see God “passing by” in the Old Testament are when he allowed Moses to partially see his glory in Exodus 33:17-23 and his appearing to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:11-13. Meanwhile, the phrase “it is I” translates more literally to “I Am,” which is the name God gives for himself (YHWH is Hebrew for “I Am”) in Exodus 3 and Exodus 34:5-7.
(The English Old Testament usually reads “THE LORD” in place of YHWH).