Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the great wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

- Mark 4:35-41

In the past couple of readings, Jesus has been introducing us to Parables, and using them to teach about the Kingdom. First, He told the parable of the Sower (in Monday's reading). Then yesterday we read three more parables about the Kingdom and its growth, how it works, and how so much depends on how we hear. See To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? The lampstand, the harvest, the mustard seed.

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. It's interesting how Mark's Gospel will give us these glimpses of the days in the life of Jesus. Between His ministry work, and all the fame He has garnered, He travels over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. We know that there was such a crowd gathered where He preached at the sea (telling the parables in the previous two readings, mentioned above), that He had to stand in a boat and teach. So they set off, and they are also accompanied with little boats of those who wish to follow Him. Despite the windstorm, Jesus is taking time to rest. We read often of His time out for prayer, which always occurs before great decisions, and also rests and renews Him. Here, He sleeps. The disciples do their best to follow as He teaches them -- and now He commands to go to the other side. But here the forces of nature seem to beat against them, while Jesus sleeps.

And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" It's as if they are exerting all kinds of effort for this ministry, there is tremendous effort, and the waves are filling the boat. They ask Jesus, "Don't you even care that we are perishing?" Does He care about them, is He concerned? They feel they are about to drown! How many times do we feel this kind of anxiety about something we undergo in our lives -- even, and sometimes most especially, in the context of faith? Even Jesus will pray on the Cross from Psalm 22 the words of seeming abandonment (but in the context of the psalm, one reads of faith).

Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the great wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" My study bible points out that the same Greek word (phimoce) that Jesus uses to tell the storm to "be still" is the word used for telling the demons to "be quiet" in chapter 1. Its root is from the word for "muzzle." So we can view this storm as part of all the things that seem to conspire to knock us off the road of faith, to fill us with terror and fear about going forward. Jesus actually uses a word that expresses the loss of gumption, a fear that produces cowardice. It also teaches us, of course, about Jesus' power even over nature, another attribute of His divinity. But the important words to us here are those that emphasize faith. Even so, we observe, the disciples then fear Him after He rebukes the storm! But this word for fear is one that is also used to invoke reverence and awe -- and involves an encounter with the power of the divine at work, something beyond the "worldly."

So, in some sense, when we encounter life's hazards on the journey of faith, we make a choice. What do we reverence most? Where is our faith? The storm bears a similarity to the demons (from chapter 1) in this sense -- what is it we choose to put our faith in? It is the courage of faith that can give us strength to go forward when we feel threatened in some way; it is faith that can give us courage to face life when we are asked to go forward into new and unknown places. We are reminded that Jesus also taught, when He proclaimed the great value each disciple had for God, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). We make a choice what we will reverence in our lives; what we put our faith into most. Does He not care? The answer is clear: yes, ultimately, absolutely. But He asks us to go forward with His courage, His strength, His faith. And so, we do.