Peace, be still!

 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 read that Jesus taught, "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!"  My study bible emphasizes Christ's mastery over creation on display in today's reading.  This is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  To command the sea and the waves is possible only for God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-6, 106:9).  Jesus' humanity is also on display:  He was asleep because as human being, He needed rest.  In the Incarnation, Jesus assumes all the natural actions of the flesh -- one of which is sleep.  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is also classically used to illustrate the Church.  My study bible says that "God both permits storms and delivers us through them," so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  The rebuke of the storm by Christ also illustrates His capacity for calming the tempests in the human soul.

In certain ways, today's passage is a perfect illustration of setting out on a road to expansion in a personal sense.  Jesus tells the disciples, "Let us cross over to the other side" of the Sea of Galilee.  These are experienced fishermen with Him; Peter and Andrew and James and John Zebedee were professional fishermen when they became followers of Christ.  Moreover, the Sea of Galilee is their home.  Their whole lives have been spent on its shore and working in its waters.  But the wind and the waves of this storm terrify even them; all of the men in the boat clearly fear they are about to die.  In the course of Jesus' ministry, it's the first time they're setting out into uncharted waters, so to speak.  They've spent their time among peoples that are known to them, territories more or less close to home or at least familiar.  The Sea of Galilee isn't really a sea at all but a very large freshwater lake, about 13 miles long by 8 miles wide.  But it was home to many peoples and cultures, which included Greek and Roman influence.  For the first time, Jesus commands the disciples now that they must sail across the sea to the other side, and they will encounter there something entirely different and unusual.  But in the setting off in the dark across unfamiliar waters, and sailing into a storm, we find a perfect metaphor for the times in our own lives when we are challenged to learn something bigger and deeper than we've encountered before.  God challenges us to expand ourselves not with simple and easy tasks, but with tasks that involve risk and adventure, upsets and even frightening obstacles.  Usually we may encounter right away the fears that come to us when we set about doing something brand new.  Let us take note that this storm is very real; it's not an illusion and its not a hallucination.  It's not merely a fear, but rather a fear manifesting before them and surrounding them with things that are truly threatening.  But it's faith that has to go the way here, and it's faith that leads the way.  They would not be here unless Christ had commanded it.  In my experience, God does lead us into the place where we need healing, where life isn't really something we've mastered and understand well.  In other words, into places where we've got something to learn -- and where we need to learn it the right way, God's way.  We'll be led into places where our faith can shine a light in us, and faith itself will be tested and must be relied upon.  Life is a journey, and our faith the journey into it, more deeply.  Faith also commands that we be healed ourselves, in whatever ways may be necessary.  These are journeys we can't pretend to know for ourselves, because they are always to places we haven't explored, into which we need to expand and to grow, and within which we may need correction, healing, transcendence of our own self-imposed or worldly limits.  In particular, our own fears will be confronted.  When our fears are raised, our assumptions challenged, it's time to turn to God, to prayer, to find the way through.  Nothing may be what we've predicted, but that's the nature of life, the nature of change, and the only path to healing and growth.  It's God's love we find along the way, the and trust (faith) we place in that love.   In the Greek, Christ's command, "Peace, be still!" is more literally translated as demanding silence and commanding that the storm "muzzle" itself.   It is Christ whose true peace we need, which demands quiet and commands the threatening roar to cease.