When Jesus Almost Passed Them By

What It Reveals About How God Shows Up

There’s a small detail in Gospel of Mark 6 that’s easy to miss.

Jesus walks on water toward His disciples…
and the text says:

He was about to pass by them.

Why would He do that?

Why come close—only to keep going?

The Hidden Detail

To modern readers, this feels confusing.

But in Scripture, “passing by” is not random.

It’s something God does when He reveals Himself.

• In Book of Exodus 33, God passes by Moses

• In Book of 1 Kings 19, God passes by Elijah

In those moments, God isn’t ignoring them.
He is showing them who He is.

What the Disciples Missed

The disciples were:

• exhausted

• afraid

• focused on the storm

So when Jesus came…

They didn’t recognize Him.
They thought He was a ghost.

He was there.
But they didn’t see Him clearly.

The Deeper Meaning

Jesus didn’t come just to fix the situation.

He came to reveal something greater:

Who He is.

Not just:

• the One who helps

• the One who rescues

But:

• the One who has authority even over chaos

A Shift in How We Ask for Help

When we ask God for help, we often focus on:

• what He can do

• how quickly He will fix it

• whether the situation changes

But this moment invites a different posture:

Focus more on who God is for you in that moment,
not just what He can do for you.

Because sometimes:

• the storm doesn’t stop immediately

• the answer doesn’t look obvious

But His presence is still there—
quiet, steady, and closer than we think.

See Differently Reflection

He came close enough to be seen…

But not in the way they expected.

And the real question becomes:

Would we recognize Him…
if He didn’t stop right away?

Closing

He Maybe the moment you’re in isn’t about being overlooked.came close enough to be seen…

Maybe it’s an invitation:

To see differently.

To recognize Him—not just in what He does,

but in who He is.