Jesus [compelled] the disciples to get in, or perhaps the struggle of temptations and circumstances, into which one is compelled by the Word and, as it were, comes unwillingly, since the Savior wished to train the disciples in this boat that was being battered by the waves and the contrary wind? But since he immediately compelled the disciples to get into the boat and go before him to the other side, Mark also recorded it, slightly <but> changing the wording and writing: “and immediately he compelled his disciples to get into the boat and go before him to the other side to Bethsaida,” it is necessary to pay attention to the [word] ‘compelled,’ after we first look at the slight variation of Mark, who indicates something more definite through the addition of the article; for ‘immediately compelled the disciples’ does not signify the same thing, but “his disciples” as written in Mark has something more than simply ‘the disciples.’ Perhaps, therefore, so that we may attend to the wording, the disciples, being difficult to separate from Jesus, are not able to be separated from him even for a chance moment, wishing to be with him; but he, judging that they should have experience of waves and a contrary wind, which would not have happened if they were with Jesus, laid a necessity upon them, once separated from him, to get into a boat. The Savior, therefore, compels the disciples to get into the boat of temptations and go before him to the other side and to get beyond circumstances by conquering them. But they, having come into the midst of the sea and the waves of temptations and the contrary winds preventing them from going to the other side, while struggling have not been able, without Jesus, to conquer the waves and the contrary wind and to reach the other side. Therefore the Word, having pity on them who had done everything in their power to get to the other side, came to them walking on the sea, which for him had no waves nor a wind that could oppose him, even if it wanted to. For it is not written that he came to them walking on the waves, but on the waters. And Peter said: Command me to come to you, not on the waves, but on the waters; who at first, when Jesus said to him, ‘Come,’ getting down from the boat, walked not on the waves, but on the waters, to come to Jesus, but when he doubted, he saw the wind was strong, though it is not strong to one who puts away little faith and doubt. And when Jesus got into the boat with Peter, the wind ceased, being no longer able to have any effect with Jesus having come aboard it. 11.6 And then the disciples, having crossed over, came to the land of Gennesaret, whose interpretation, if we knew it, we might also derive some benefit from it for the narrative before us. Observe, since “God is faithful,” not allowing the crowds to be tempted beyond what they are able, in what manner the Son of God compelled the disciples to get into the boat, as being stronger and able to reach the middle of the sea and to endure the torment from the waves, until they should become worthy of divine help and see Jesus and hear <him speaking and be able> when he got in to cross over and come to the land of Gennesaret, but dismissing the crowds, who did not experience [it] as being weaker than the boat and the waves and the opposing wind, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. And for what did he pray? Perhaps for the crowds, that having been dismissed after the loaves of blessing they might do nothing contrary to the dismissal from Jesus, and for the disciples, that having been compelled by him to get into the boat and go before him to the other side they might suffer nothing on the sea, neither from the waves tormenting their boat nor from the contrary wind? And I would venture to say that, because of Jesus' prayer to the Father concerning the disciples, they suffered nothing, though the sea and waves and contrary wind acted against them. Let the simpler person, therefore, be content with the history; but we, if ever we fall into the necessities of temptations, let us remember that Jesus compelled us to get into the boat, wishing him
ἐμβῆναι τοὺς μαθητὰς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἢ τάχα ὁ τῶν πειρασμῶν καὶ περιστάσεων ἀγών, εἰς ὃν ἀναγκαζόμενός τις ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου καὶ οἱονεὶ οὐχ ἑκὼν ἔρχεται, βουλομένου τοῦ σωτῆρος γυμνάσασθαι τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐν τῷ βασανιζομένῳ τούτῳ πλοίῳ ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων καὶ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἀνέμου; Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εὐθέως ἠνάγκασε τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέραν, ὀλίγον <δ'> ἐναλλάξας τὴν λέξιν ἀνέγραψε καὶ ὁ Μᾶρκος ποιήσας· «καὶ εὐθέως ἠνάγκασε τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέραν εἰς Βηθσαϊδᾶ», ἀναγκαῖον ἐπιστῆσαι τῷ ἠνάγκασεν, ἐπὰν πρότερον ἴδωμεν τὰ τῆς ὀλίγης παραλλαγῆς τοῦ Μάρκου, ὡρισμένον πλεῖον ἐμφαίνοντος διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἄρθρου προσθήκης· οὐ γὰρ ταὐτὸν ἐμφαίνεται ἀπὸ τοῦ εὐθέως ἠνάγκασε τοὺς μαθητάς, ἔχει δέ τι πλεῖον τὸ «τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ» παρὰ τῷ Μάρκῳ γεγραμμένον παρὰ τὸ ἁπλῶς τοὺς μαθητάς. Τάχα οὖν ἵνα καὶ τῇ λέξει παραστῶμεν, οἱ μὲν μαθηταὶ δυσαποσπάστως ἔχοντες τοῦ Ἰησοῦ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸ τυχὸν αὐτοῦ χωρίζεσθαι δύνανται, βουλόμενοι παρεῖναι αὐτῷ· ὁ δὲ κρίνας αὐτοὺς πεῖραν λαβεῖν κυμάτων καὶ ἐναντίου ἀνέμου, οὐκ ἂν γενομένου εἰ ἦσαν μετὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ἀνάγκην αὐτοῖς ἐπήρτησε χωρισ θεῖσιν αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς πλοῖον. Ἀναγκάζει μὲν οὖν τοὺς μαθητὰς ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον τῶν πειρασμῶν ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ προάγειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέραν καὶ ἐπέκεινα τῶν περι στάσεων διὰ τὸ νικᾶν αὐτὰς γενέσθαι. Οἱ δὲ εἰς τὸ μέσον τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν ἐν πειρασμοῖς γενόμενοι κυμάτων καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων ἀνέμων κωλυόντων αὐτοὺς ἀπελθεῖν εἰς τὸ πέραν, παλαίοντες οὐ δεδύνηνται χωρὶς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ νικῆσαι τὰ κύματα καὶ τὸν ἐναντίον ἄνεμον καὶ φθάσαι εἰς τὸ πέραν. ∆ιόπερ ἐλεήσας αὐτοὺς ὁ λόγος πάντα τὰ παρ' ἑαυτοῖς πράξαντας, ἵνα εἰς τὸ πέραν γένωνται, ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν αὐτῷ μὴ ἔχουσαν κύματα οὐδὲ ἄνεμον ἐναντιοῦσθαι δυνάμενον, εἰ καὶ ἐβούλετο. Καὶ γὰρ οὐ γέγραπται ἦλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τὰ κύματα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἶπε· Κέλευσόν με ἐλθεῖν πρός σε, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὰ κύματα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα· ὅστις κατὰ τὰς ἀρχάς, εἰπόντος αὐτῷ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐλθέ, καταβὰς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλοίου περιεπάτησεν, οὐκ ἐπὶ τὰ κύματα, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὰ ὕδατα, ἐλθεῖν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν, ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐδίστασεν, εἶδεν ἰσχυρὸν τὸν ἄνεμον, οὐκ ὄντα ἰσχυρὸν τῷ ἀποθεμένῳ τὴν ὀλιγοπιστίαν καὶ τὸν δισταγμόν. Καὶ ἀναβάντος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μετὰ Πέτρου εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ἐκόπασεν ὁ ἄνεμος, μηδὲν ἔτι δυνάμενος ἐνεργεῖν εἰς αὐτὸ ἀναβάντος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. 11.6 Καὶ τότε οἱ μαθηταὶ διαπεράσαντες ἦλθον εἰς τὴν γῆν Γενησαρέτ, ἧς τὴν ἑρμηνείαν εἰ ἔγνωμεν, καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὠνάμεθα ἄν τι πρὸς τὴν τῶν προκειμένων διήγησιν. Παρα τήρει δέ, ἐπεὶ «πιστὸς ὁ θεός», οὐκ ἐῶν πειρασθῆναι τοὺς ὄχλους ὑπὲρ ὃ δύνανται, τίνα τρόπον ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοὺς μὲν μαθητὰς ἠνάγκασεν ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, ὡς ἰσχυρο τέρους καὶ δυναμένους ἐπὶ τὸ μέσον τῆς θαλάσσης φθάσαι καὶ ὑπομεῖναι τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν κυμάτων βάσανον, ἕως ἄξιοι τῆς θείας βοηθείας γένωνται καὶ ἴδωσι τὸν Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἀκούσωσιν <λαλοῦντος αὐτοῦ καὶ δυνηθῶσιν> ἀναβάντος αὐτοῦ διαπεράσαι καὶ ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν γῆν Γενησαρέτ, τοὺς δὲ ὄχλους ἀπολύσας, οὐ λαβόντας πεῖραν ὡς ἀσθενεσ τέρους πλοίου καὶ κυμάτων καὶ ἐναντιουμένου ἀνέμου, ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος κατ' ἰδίαν προσεύξασθαι. Περὶ τίνος δὲ προσεύξασθαι, ἢ τάχα περὶ μὲν τῶν ὄχλων, ἵνα ἀπολυθέντες μετὰ τοὺς τῆς εὐλογίας ἄρτους μηδὲν ἐναντίον τῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀπολύσει πράξωσι, περὶ δὲ τῶν μαθητῶν, ἵνα ἀναγκασθέντες ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον καὶ προάγειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πέραν μηδὲν πάθωσιν ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, μήθ' ὑπὸ τῶν βασανιζόντων τὸ πλοῖον αὐτῶν κυμάτων μήθ' ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου ἀνέμου; Καὶ θαρρήσας εἴποιμι ἂν ὅτι, διὰ τὴν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα περὶ τῶν μαθητῶν εὐχήν, οὐδὲν πεπόνθασιν οὗτοι, θαλάσσης καὶ κυμάτων καὶ ἐναντίου ἀνέμου αὐτοῖς ἀντιπρασσόντων. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἁπλούστερος ἀρκείσθω τῇ ἱστορίᾳ· ἡμεῖς δέ, εἴ ποτε ἀνάγκαις πειρασμῶν περιπίπτομεν, ἀναμιμνη σκώμεθα ὅτι ἠνάγκασεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, αὐτὸν βουλόμενος