Mark 6:48

And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. AND HE SAW THEM TOILING IN ROWING; FOR THE WIND WAS CONTRARY UNTO THEM - putting forth all their strength to buffet the waves and bear on against a head-wind, but to little effect. He "saw" this from His mountain-top, and through the darkness of the night, because His heart was all with them: yet would He not go to their relief until His own time came. AND ABOUT THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT. The Jews, who used to divide the night into three watches, latterly adopted the Roman division into four watches, as here. So that, at the rate of three hours to each, the fourth watch, reckoning from 6:00 p.m., would be three o'clock in the morning. "So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlon...

45-56 The church is often like a ship at sea, tossed with tempests, and not comforted: we may have Christ for us, yet wind and tide against us; but it is a comfort to Christ's disciples in a storm, that their Master is in the heavenly mount, interceding for them. And no difficulties can hinder Christ's appearance for his people, when the set time is come. He silenced their fears, by making himself known to them. Our fears are soon satisfied, if our mistakes are set right, especially our mistakes as to Christ. Let the disciples have their Master with them, and all is well. It is for want of rightly understanding Christ's former works, that we view his present works as if there never were the like before. If Christ's ministers now could cure people's bodily diseases, what multitudes would flock after them! It is sad to think how much more most care about their bodies than about their souls...

See this passage explained in the notes at Matthew 14:22. Mark 6:52 THEY CONSIDERED NOT THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES - They did not remember or call to mind the “power” which Jesus had shown in feeding the five thousand by a miracle, and that, having done that, he had power also to save them from the storm. THEIR HEART WAS HARDENED - Their “mind” was dull to perceive it. This does not mean that they were “opposed” to Jesus, or that they had what we denominate “hardness of heart,” but simply that they were slow to perceive his power. They did not quickly learn, as they ought to have done, that he had all power, and could therefore allay the storm. The word “heart” is frequently used in this sense.

EXPOSITION MARK 6:1 Our Lord now left the neighbourhood of Capernaum, and came INTO HIS OWN COUNTRY, the district of Nazareth, where he had been, not born indeed, but brought up, and where his kinsfolk after the flesh still lived. Nazareth would be about a day's journey from Capernaum. This was not the first public exercise of his ministry at Nazareth. Of that and its results St. Luke gives us the account (Luke 4:16). It would seem reasonable to suppose that, after the fame which he had now acquired, he should again visit the place where he had been brought up. His sisters were still living there. St. Mark here again uses the historical present ἔρχεται, "he cometh," for which there is better authority than for ἧλθεν_. _HIS

AND HE SAW THEM TOILING IN ROWING,.... He saw them either with his bodily eyes from the mountain on which he was; or he perceived in his Spirit, he knew, by virtue of his omniscience as God, what distress his disciples were in; being tossed about with the waves of the sea, and were labouring with all their might and main against the wind: and were vexed and tortured, as the word signifies; they were in the utmost pain and uneasiness of mind, as well as fatigue of body, assisting the men in rowing; for the ship they were in was no other than a vessel managed by oars; and hard work it was to keep it from being overset: FOR THE WIND WAS CONTRARY UNTO THEM; it blew from the other side they were making to, full in their face, hard against them; so that it was with great toil and difficulty, that they got any thing forward: AND ABOUT THE FOURTH WATCH OF THE NIGHT; or three o'clock in the mor...

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Servant rejected in Nazareth. (Mark 6:1. Matthew 13:54; Luke 4:16)_ 2. The Servant sends forth the Twelve. (Mark 6:7 .Matthew 10:5; Luke 9:1) 3. King Herod troubled. (Mark 6:14. Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7)...

JESUS DISMISSES THE CROWD AND WALKS ON THE SEA. The first verses of this section apparently touch on an unexplained crisis in the life of Jesus. Why does He compel the disciples to leave Him? Why does He spend the night alone in prayer? Is the dismissal of the crowd a farewell, like Paul's farewell to the elders of Ephesus? The word used in Mark 6:46 occurs in Acts 18:18; Acts 18:21. There is, as J. Weiss sees, significant history here to which the evangelist does not give the key. Jesus seems to be in a condition of soul which makes the presence even of the disciples insupportable and communion with His heavenly Father indispensable (SNT, i. 131). Possibly John 6

WITHOUT HONOR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY (Mark 6:1-6)...

HE saw He having seen. App-133. TOILING. distressed. Greek. _basanizo,_ translated "tor ment "(Mark 5:7; Matthew 8:6; Matthew 8:28; Luke 8:28; Revelation 9:5; Revelation 11:10; Revelation 14:1 Revelation 14;...

_he saw them toiling in rowing_ The word translated "toiling," which also occurs in Matthew 14:24, is a very striking expression. It denotes (1) _to test metals with the touchstone_, (2) _to rack, torture_, (3) _to torment_as in Matthew 8:29, "art Thou come to _torment_us before the time?", and Matthew 8:6, "Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously _tormented_." Here it seems to imply that they were _tortured, baffled_, by the waves, which were boisterous by reason of the strong wind that blew (John 6:18). Wyclif translates it "_travailing in rowing;_" Tyndale and Cranmer, "troubled in rowing