Mark 4:35-41
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Did you ever have a long demanding day? One thing after another presented to you requiring your attention. An unrelenting wave of tasks that wears you down.
You find yourself mentally and physically drained. You can't wait to get away from it all to relax and unwind. When you finally get that time to rest and perhaps take a little nap you are awakened to resolve an "end of life as we know it" problem.
Any of you moms have this happen to you? Of course you have. The horrific problem that is going to compete for airtime on the evening news is really a minor issue. What is your response? A few loving and tactfully presented words to insure you aren't awakened again.
I think that is what Jesus must have experienced in our Gospel reading.
Let's take a moment to set the stage for this Gospel reading. The Sea of Galilee is nearly 700 feet below sea level and surrounded by mountains. It's a deep lake about 150 feet deep and fairly large 13 miles by 7 miles. It's not unusual for storms to descend on the lake without warning. The mountain passes funnel the wind increasing its velocity across the open water. As a result 20-foot waves are not unheard of on the lake.
We have Jesus ministering to the people all day long. Healing the sick and teaching in parables, a wave of humanity and suffering He finds difficult to turn away. As evening comes He is exhausted and wants to rest. He commands the disciples to get a boat so they can sail to the other side of the lake.
On the boat He finds a cushion in the stern of the boat and falls asleep. This is often the place reserved for guests of honor. During the crossing a furious squall catches the boat on the open water and the disciples are frightened. We know that at least five of them are fisherman, so if they were afraid we can be certain this was a particularly nasty storm.
At this point we read that the disciples woke Jesus and said, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" Notice this is as much an accusation hurled at Jesus as a question. These men are in a panic they truly fear for their lives and Jesus appears to be unconcerned.
Jesus rises and commands the wind to stop and the sea to be calm. He turns to the disciples and says, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" The interesting thing here is that Jesus rebuked the wind and the disciples. Jesus had full authority over the wind and nature itself. His divine being is revealed in His power to directly affect the forces of nature. His question to the disciples was a rebuke as well. Their faith was overshadowed by the fear of physical harm.
We can draw on this Gospel to help us in our lives. Everyone goes through at least one traumatic event in life. Sometimes health issues, sometimes from bad choices or sometimes external forces are at work. It's inevitable that as sinful humans we will have trials.
As we look through the bible we find God's messengers going through some extraordinary experiences to mold them for the task God has chosen for them. I always think of the many trials Paul suffered. His conversion was perhaps the most traumatic of his experiences.
Every one of those messengers survived the ordeal and was stronger in their faith. So as believers, when some trial challenges us our first thought should be, I've been expecting you, and not panic or fear.
As we sail through life we know that Christ is the master of our ship. No matter how fierce the storm, or how high the waves He is at the helm. If the storms threaten to sink our ship we can have comfort in the fact that our captain has tamed the sea before and can surely do it again. The storm can be no stronger or last no longer than He desires. There is no reason to allow fear to overcome us.
Fear manifests itself in many ways from worry and fretting to terror. Fear has its way when we forget our faith and think that in some way we are going to prevail on our own efforts. Sailing on your own has its risks. You can check the weather as many times as you like before leaving the dock. As the boat pulls away you may have confidence that you have things under control. If that's where you are then you need to find a new captain before the ship sinks. We all know how dependable weather forecasts are.
If you sail with Jesus, as your captain I can assure you that there will be storms that will try to shake you from the faith you have in Him. There will be times when you think He is sleeping in the stern of the boat unaware or unconcerned about your storm. You may even address Him in an accusatory manner like the disciples did. Those times are not because He doesn't care but a time to show you what it means to be a Christian.
What would you learn if He quickly awoke and calmed the storm? You may think that you had it under control and didn't need Christ in your life. If the storm builds to a crescendo before Jesus intervenes then you learn two things. You learn that you can't sail the boat on your own, you need the master at the helm. You also learn that He cares for you as an individual.
His love for every one of us was borne out on the cross. And He continues to show us that love with each rescue from peril. The disciples learned that they could trust Him in the most difficult circumstances and the same is true for us.
The next time you find yourself sailing into a storm remember to face it boldly and say, I've been expecting you and my Lord will conquer all.
In the name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, Amen.
