Mark 6:50 (AV)
For they all¹ saw² him,
and were troubled³.
And immediately⁴ he talked⁵ with them,
and saith⁶ unto them,
Be of good cheer⁷: it is I; be not afraid⁸.
¹) Each of them, everyone.
²) Perceived with the eyes.
³) Anxious or distressed. Meaning it caused an inward commotion, taking away the calmness of mind.
⁴) Straightway, immediately, forthwith.
⁵) Said to them, told them.
⁶) Pointed out with words.
⁷) Be of good courage, be of good cheer.
⁸) Don’t be scared; do not fear.
Other translations:
Mark.6.50 - For they all saw Him and were agitated (troubled and filled with fear and dread). But immediately He talked with them and said, Take heart! I Am! Stop being alarmed and afraid. [AMP] for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." [ESV] For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. [KJV] because they all saw him and were terrified. [NIV] They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "It's all right," he said. "I am here! Don't be afraid." [NLT] for they all saw Him and were troubled. But immediately He talked with them and said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." [NKJV]
Some further information:
For
Mark begins this verse by explaining why (gar, ‘for’) the disciples cried out in fear when they saw the Lord Jesus walking across the sea (Mark 6:49).
The beginning of this verse corresponds with that of the previous one: this repetition of the disciples’ seeing underscores the reality of the apparition (so is the double ‘Walking on the sea’ in Mark 6:48 and 49 respectively).
Observe that they were frightened at the sight of him, supposing him to have been an apparition; They all saw him, and were troubled (Mark 6:49), thinking it had been some daemon, or evil genius, that haunted them, and raised this storm.
We often perplex and frighten ourselves with phantasms, the creatures of our own fancy and imagination.
They all
The whole twelve and perhaps more saw this miracle and were afraid. Who would not be fearful seeing a man walk on water for the first time?
All saw Him
If only some of them had seen it happen, there could still have been an optical illusion. But now that they saw it all (the emphasis is on the ‘pantes’, ‘all’), that was out of the question.
Were troubled
No wonder that this apparition caused them to panic (the verb Mark uses here indicates a very strong mood movement; we encounter such verbs more often with him).
Immediately
For His part, Jesus then immediately (eutheos!) Re-established contact with the disciples by “speaking with them” (cf. John 20:16). In this way He made it possible for them to recognize Him. Moreover, He spoke to them to take their panicking fear away.
It is I
He further affirmed that they saw Him Himself go on the water: It really is I! (Compare Mark 14:62.)
The “I am” recalls the Old Testament formula, with which God revealed Himself to Israel in the past (see Isaiah 42:3,11,13,15). And though He now showed His majesty, there was no reason for them to be afraid, Jesus assured His disciples (cf. Mark 5:36; 16:6).
Observe that He encouraged them, and silenced their fears, by making himself known to them; he talked familiarly with them, saying, Be of good cheer, it is I; be not afraid.
Note that we know not Christ till he is pleased to reveal himself to us. “It is I; I your Master, I your friend, I your Redeemer and Saviour. It is I, that came to a troublesome earth, and now to a tempestuous sea, to look after you.’’
Note that the knowledge that the Christ is near to them, is enough to make the disciples of the Christ cheerful, and no longer fearful. Even in a storm.
If it is so, why should we be afraid?
If it is the Christ that is with you,
▪︎ you have reasons to be of good cheer,
▪︎ you have reasons to be not afraid.
Our fears are soon satisfied, if our mistakes are rectified, especially our mistakes concerning the Christ. (See Genesis 21:19; 2 Kings 6:15-17).
Christ’s presence with us in a stormy day, is enough to make us of good cheer, though clouds and darkness be round about us.
He said, It is I.
He did not tell them who He was (there was no need for that), they knew his voice, as the sheep know the voice of their own shepherd (John 10:4). How readily does the spouse say, once and again, It is the voice of my beloved (Song 2:8; 5:2)!
He said, ego eimi (‘I am He’; or ‘I am’).
As it is God’s name, when He comes to deliver Israel (Exodus 3:14).
So it is Christ’s, now that He comes to deliver His disciples.
▪︎ When the Christ said to those that came to apprehend him by force, “I am He”, they were struck down by it (John 18:6).
▪︎ When He saith to those that come to apprehend Him by faith, “I am He”, they are raised up by it, and comforted.
Now let us reflect on this
Our sea of life also knows storms and waves, which stir up the water and endanger the little ship of our life. Suddenly it can be there.
Suddenly it is there.
▪︎ Illness, setbacks at work,
▪︎ children who hurt us
▪︎ and worse when death enters our home and takes away what we love.
So it was with the disciples on the sea of Tiberias.
At night they struggled with the elements to keep the boat afloat.
But behold, now the Lord is coming over the waves to them. He had stayed behind to pray on the mountain.
Consoling thought, that His eyes had not watched them from the shore, but His prayer had also ascended for them.
He is also standing on the shore of our sea of life.
His eyes are watching over His church in love.
He comes to them. He comes over the waves and because of their fear, they don’t recognize Him, and fear Him. It’s as if He were a ghost. They recognized Him by His voice.
While reading your Bible, you will also recognize Him by His voice. “Be of good cheer, it is I, do not fear!” That gives peace to the soul even in the greatest need.
There is something in these two little words given by Matthew, Mark and John ( Matthew 14:27 , 6:50 , John 6:20 ): “It is I,”
It is not only the words, more than that it is the mouth that spoke the words, and the circumstances in which they were spoken. It passes the power of languages to express.
Here the disciples were they in the midst of a raging sea, their little bark the sport of the elements, and with just enough of light to descry an object on the waters which only aggravated their fears. But Jesus deems it enough to dispel all apprehension to let them know that He was there.
From other lips that “I am” would have merely meant that the person speaking was such a one and not another person. That, surely, would have done little to calm the fears of men who were maybe expecting to go to the bottom any minute.
But spoken by One who at that moment was “treading upon the waves of the sea,” and Who could hush the raging elements with His word, it became something quite different for them.
This was the voice of Him Which cried of old in the ears of Israel, even from the days of Moses, “I AM”; “I, EVEN I, AM HE!” (Compare John 18:5-6, 8:58). Now, that Word is “made flesh, and dwells among us,” uttering itself from beside us in dear familiar tones. “It is the Voice of my Beloved!”
How far was this apprehended by these frightened disciples?
And how far is this apprehended by you?
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