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That’s the background. Let me set it up so we can get
the principle. There are three ways to relate to Jesus. Keep in
mind that we are talking about faith. I’m going to describe three
scenes and in each scene the disciples don’t move. Jesus moves
but the disciples don’t move. In the first scene, Jesus is on a
mountain praying and the disciples are on a stormy sea. Mark
6:46&47, “And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the
mountain to pray. And when it was evening, the boat was in
the midst of the sea, and He was alone on the land.”

In the second scene Jesus is walking on the water and
He’s going to go past them. Mark 6:48, “And seeing them
straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the
fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea;
and He intended to pass by them.” So, the disciples are on the
sea and Jesus is on the mountain. Then the disciples are on the
stormy sea and Jesus is walking by.

Here’s the third scene, Mark 6:51, “And He got into the
boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were greatly
astonished…” He’s on the mountain, He’s on the sea or He’s
in the boat. At this point Matthew talks about Peter walking on
the water. But we aren’t going to look at that part. That was
just teaching the lessons of the loaves again.

So, I’m suggesting that we are on a stormy sea. We can
relate to Jesus on a mountain, we can relate to Jesus walking by
or we can relate to Jesus on the boat. Think about it. Which
would you rather have? Would you rather have Jesus on the
mountain or Jesus walking by or Jesus in the boat?
Let me discuss each of those. The first one, Jesus on the
mountain praying, Matthew 14:23, “...and after He had sent the
multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to
pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.” Mark
6:46, “And after bidding them farewell, He departed to the
mountain to pray.” We have no idea what Jesus was praying.
Maybe He was praying that they would pass the test. They had
a great ministry that day and maybe Jesus was praying for them.
Maybe He was praying for the people He fed that day. Maybe
He was just having fellowship with His Holy Father God. We