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

Rebuking the Sea, 16th century fresco.  Dionysiou Monastery, Mt. Athos

 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, after preaching the parable of the Sower, 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."   The other side means the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a strange territory for the disciples.

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?"  This story illustrates, among other things, the full humanity of Jesus.   My study bible explains that He was asleep because, as a man, he needed rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, including sleep.  It also teaches us something important about our faith, that it does not render us free from the challenges the world will present to us.  My study bible says that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He's sleeping so that the disciples' faith may be perfected, and weaknesses rebuked, so that they will eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  Their faith is mixed with unbelief:  they show faith in coming to Him, and unbelief when they ask, "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!"   Coupled with the expression of His full humanity in sleeping, His divine identity is revealed by mastery over creation, a sign of that He is Messiah.  Commands to the sea and waves, my study bible says, can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 65:5-6, 106:29). 

Many is the time in our lives when we will face great temptations.  There is none so great, perhaps, as when we feel that we ourselves, or our loved ones, are threatened.  These threats may come in many and myriad forms, such as natural disasters, storms such as the one we read about in today's reading, illnesses, war and violence, and a host of other circumstances in which we feel that we ourselves or those about whom we care deeply are threatened.  So there is a depth of reason why our Gospels include stories about the temptations and hardships -- and sheer human fear -- experienced by the disciples even while under the direct care of Christ, even while Jesus was alive as human being in this world.  We pray for strength and for protection as faithful, but we so often forget that included in the understanding of such prayers is the need for our faith.  Our strength is necessary in order to endure temptation and retain our faith, our protection is necessary not simply as vulnerable human beings to physical or other threat, but as beings whose need for faith may be tempted and tested by that which opposes our faith.  What we might frequently forget is the great need we have of faith, and its importance.  Faith is not blindness to adversity.  It does not pretend there is nothing that is threatening to our well-being -- or to our faith.  Far from it!  Faith requires that we recognize that temptations and challenges will come to us, and that the work of faith is to seek God's will through all things.  More clearly, we seek to retain our communion with God through every thing that comes that may threaten that communion, threaten our bond with Creator, threaten our active faith.  The story in today's reading is given to us so that we may understand that God permits challenges to us, temptations.  We are not exempt from the life of humanity because we are faithful.  In our world today, there are many temptations to our faith.  Currently, we are in the midst of what has been declared a pandemic of a variant of a known virus that seems to be highly contagious.  It is most threatening (as are other viruses) to those whose systems are weakened already through disease, or age, or other conditions which impact human health.  There seems to be a great impulse to panic and fear -- and this is precisely where today's reading comes in to give us direction in the midst of such fears.  We must recognize that temptation comes in this form of panic and fear, for they do not do us any good when they are the only things we are willing to hear or to tolerate.  They do not liberate us to think clearly about what we need to do and how to respond.  Neither do they, especially in regard to what we need at this time of Lent, strengthen us in our faith.  They do not help us to follow and listen to the still, small voice that will help us to know how to endure this time, how to care for our loved ones, and how to focus on the necessities of life should they arise to challenge us in the midst of a panic by others.  Moreover, to focus and to understand that such things arise to give us challenges -- and that temptations are challenges that are permitted even to the disciples, the Twelve who will carry the gospel message to the world -- is a most important understanding of our faith.  We are asked to rise -- with God's help -- to the occasion.  We are asked most of all to remain centered within the context of faith, and the One in whom we place our trust.  Life may be threatening in all kinds of ways, but it is a strange thing to experience the calm in the midst of the storm, the moment alone with Christ when He asks, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   The disciples will undergo many challenges in their lives as His apostles in the future, just as the Church undergoes many challenges in the world at all times.  But what we must ask ourselves first is where our faith is, because through all things we are asked to focus on Christ as the center around which we understand and build everything else.  In times of fear and such temptations, strengthen your faith through prayer.  Take time to do the things we are to do in Lent:  make extra time to be alone to pray or to practice in worship what we know to be good.  Remember to nurture soul and body in adequate rest (as does Jesus in today's reading).  Eat foods that are wholesome and healthy (as Lenten practice teaches us to focus on even more acutely).  Another form of fasting is to simply stay away from those influences who seek or encourage panic and fear, including even friends or other types of influences who focus only on disaster.  Give up all things to God, especially fear, and dwell upon the things we are asked to do as profitable servants:  encourage one another and support one another, shining the light of faith through all that we do and for others as well.  Christ asks us to be the ones who reflect Him, the light of the world.  In the whole history of the Church, it has often been depicted as this boat in the middle of a stormy sea, with Christ at the helm.  Let us dwell upon how our faith does not teach us to fear, but rather to endure.   For that we seek the strength of our faith, and the light of Christ who overcomes -- and we remember that it is indeed our faith which remains the true medicine we need through all things.  Let us heed the words of St. Paul:  "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7).  Above is a fresco which gives today's story in its fullness, as well as the expression of both the human and divine natures of Christ.  We see Jesus both asleep and rebuking the windstorm.  In the corner we see something not included specifically in the Gospel but nevertheless implies a particular kind of understanding:  a small demon (upper left) stirring up the windstorm.  This is not meant literally but so that we understand the storm as temptation to our faith, and the One upon whom we rely, even when it seems that God sleeps.