Mark 6:53-56 53When they had crossed over to the land, they came to Gennesaret and anchored. 54And when they got out of the boat, immediately upon recognizing him, 55they ran about that whole region and began to carry on their beds those who were sick to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he entered in villages or towns or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and urged him in order that they might touch even the edge of his garment. And as many as touched him were healed.
Jesus and the disciples just could not get away from the crowds. The winds had evidently calmed enough with Jesus’ presence so the disciples could move west to the village of Gennesaret, which was located on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. This village was close enough to other areas of Jesus’ ministry that the people knew he was. Very likely, he and his disciples had already passed through there since it was on the route to places like Capernaum. The people who saw Jesus get out of the boat spread the word, and the response was significant. The narrator, Mark, uses big terms that border on hyperbole: whole region, wherever, everywhere, all who touched. These exhaustive terms indicate the sweep and breadth of Jesus’ ministry.
The emphasis is on healing. Jesus did not seek out the people, but they sought him. We might question their motives. Were they only in it for the miracles? Did they know deeply the one who could heal them? Their faith was half superstitious since they thought they could be healed by only touching the hem of his garment. They needed to go from believing in Jesus’ miracles to believing in Jesus as a person. The crowds in Mark’s gospel always come to receive. People often come to get a miracle, but few come to give themselves. The disciples’ amazement matches the peoples, yet “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened” (verse 52). What more did Jesus need to do? He needed to rise from the dead and send the Holy Spirit to transform them. The sequence is significant for discipleship: the people recognized Jesus, spread the word, came with their needs, and experienced healing. But there was still one essential step in discipleship that Jesus needed to teach his disciples and all who have experienced his healing power.
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