Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?

 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 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

Yesterday, we followed Jesus' preaching of the Parable of the Sower with yet more parables.   Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."    And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

 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 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!"  Of today's reading, my study bible says to us, "The same Greek word (phimoœ) by which Jesus commands the storm to be still is used for His telling the demon to 'be quiet' in 1.25.  As Lord of all, He commands all.  In obedience, the storm subsides instantly and fully."  This word  that is here translated as "be still" and in Mark's first chapter as "be quiet" is a verb whose root means "to muzzle."  So, in each of these instances, Jesus is demonstrating His superior power as the "stronger man" to muzzle forces that are chaotic, out of control, threatening, and dangerous to human beings.

It's interesting to consider Jesus' power as that which consists in the action of "muzzling" something else.  This is at work here in the midst of the great and threatening storm in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, and also in the presence of the demon in chapter 1.  If we look at both of these images, we see some similarities.  The storm is in some sense disturbing the work of God, and particularly among the men whom Jesus has chosen as apostles and disciples, as they cross the Sea of Galilee.  We remember these are experienced fishermen, and this is their home territory -- they've grown up and lived their lives on this sea and as men fishing these waters.  But it's now the night, and the waters are so fierce that even these very experienced men are frightened that they are about to die (while He's asleep on a pillow).  We have to think of what it means to them to disturb the Master while He's asleep.  It's a scene of great chaos and panic, danger, and mortal threat.  In the midst of the congregation, in the synagogue in chapter 1, on the Sabbath, while Jesus is preaching, a demon disturbs the gathering in the midst of the people, shouting, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!"  Jesus "muzzles" the demon as well, into silence, and commands it to come out of the person.  In each of these circumstances we experience the presence of the "fallenness" of the world, or the presence of evil forces in some sense, as chaos, that which is threatening and destructive to human beings -- something that diminishes the overall quality of human life.  The wilderness can be thought of in the same way in biblical terms.  When Jesus is thrown by the Spirit, after His baptism, into the wilderness, to be tempted by Satan for forty days, with wild beasts, we're also in an arena of a world that is -- although basically and essentially good as created by Creator -- somehow also corrupted by particular elements, made dangerous and wild and chaotic for human beings, threatening.  One should add that the word for "wild beasts" in the Greek is also used for "monster."  In that scenario, Jesus is also ministered to by the angels.  So, we get a picture of the world in which all kinds of things are happening, a world that is basically good, but yet with profound difficulties and threats to human beings.  And this is the world into which Jesus enters, as a friend, a helper, one who is redeemer, who saves.  He's the stronger man who can bind the "strong man" of this world -- and all the effects of "fallenness."  He's a Redeemer who has come not just to unbind us, but to bind up and muzzle that which somehow keeps us caught, trapped, threatened, limited, bound, and endangered.  We can take the picture of the wildness of this world and think about things that threaten us and are out of control in our own lives, and think about how we invite Christ into that place.  We can think about the Companion we've been sent, the Paraclete (the one we call to be by our side), the Holy Spirit, the Comforter who comes to assist.  As we walk in the world and go about the business of being the disciples we can be, we may feel all kinds of afflictions, from the physical to the emotional, to the spiritual, that will act like roadblocks, those things that hamper our journey, maybe threaten us, that are essentially uncontrollable for us.  There may be people in our lives who make us miserable or afraid, and we simply do not contain the strength or ability of ourselves to do anything about it.  Whatever the chaos is, whatever the threat, the message that comes in the Gospel is that we have a Savior who has come to help, to assist us with His power.  He will share and voluntarily be victim to the same forces that may catch us, which are profoundly unjust.  But we are called to be with Him in faith, to walk through this world and to endure, to be the reflection of the light of His Kingdom that takes root in us.  So, let us remember, in that context, His words to His disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   Let us remember that we are not called by Him to live in fear, but to walk and to endure, in faith.