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 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has begun to teach in parables.  In yesterday's reading, 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!"  This story gives us an example of Christ's identity as both divine (Lord) and human.  Only God could give commands to the sea and the wind (note that He has the power to rebuke these natural forces); see Job 38:8-11; Psalm 66:5-6, 107:29.  On the other hand, Jesus was asleep on a pill showing His purely human need for rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, according to my study Bible, Jesus assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is one traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  It adds that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  This rebuke of the storm by Christ is also an image of His calming the tempests of the human soul.  

 

Jesus and the disciples venture off across the Sea of Galilee.  All of this, of course, happens at the urging of Jesus, at His command, "Let us cross over to the other side."  The Lord, who can even command the wind and the sea, must have been aware of where He was asking to go.  Indeed, we'll find quite an unusual mission awaiting Jesus and the disciples on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  We should always keep in mind, when we read about such storms at sea in the Gospels, that several of Christ's key disciples are in fact, fishermen, and it is the Sea of Galilee which is their home territory.  Granted their work is usually in familiar waters close to home.  But when these men become terrified to the point where they fear that they are perishing, we should take quite seriously the level of the threats to their safety.  This section (and the following story we will read in the next lectionary reading) remind me of the ancient seafaring myths, particularly of the Greeks in the stories of Odysseus or Jason.  It is quite an adventure, indeed, and will turn into an even stranger one.  They brave these frightening and wild elements of the sea.  Perhaps we should consider the ancient threat of sea-creatures such as Leviathan, a monster representing chaos and destruction (see Job 3:8, 41:1; Psalm 74:14; Isaiah 27:1), a demonic god worshiped in various forms around the ancient Middle and Near East.  Here, Christ in His role as Lord, commands the winds and the sea, and asserts His authority even over such chaos and threatening destruction.  There is no doubt that it is true, as my study Bible notes, that Christ deliberately brings the disciples through this threatening and frightening time, impossible even for these fishermen not to fear their own destruction.  But all of it is a lesson that will serve them well in their future apostolic missions, and in the time to come when Jesus is no longer present with them in the flesh as incarnate human being.  For we all go through frightening storms in our lives, do we not?  There is one thing and another that feels like a threat, and still more things we need to let go of in our lives.  We die small deaths in imitation of Christ on the Cross, when we bear our own crosses and deal with our own difficulties and seeming threats to our well-being.  But there is one powerful message in this story to add to Christ's leadership and His power, and that is in His sleeping in the boat.  There are times when God seems not to care at all, not to be aware of what we're going through.  Certainly Jesus asleep in the stern can in some sense be likened to the time He will spend in the cave that will be His tomb, and the time after His Ascension.  But we, like the disciples, need to call on Him, and we need to have our faith.  For this seems to be the lesson He wishes to impress upon them, that regardless of the threats that seem to present themselves, faith remains the one thing necessary.  

 

 

 

 

 

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 continued in His preaching of parables, after giving the parable of the Sower.  He said, "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 reveled, 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 may such parable 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 comments that Christ's mastery over creation is one more sign that He is the Messiah, and is divine.  Commands to the wind and the sea can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 66:5-6, 107:29).  He was asleep because He is both human and divine, and as a man, Christ needed rest.  In the Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, and sleep is one of those.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church, my study Bible tells us.  It says that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Jesus' rebuke of the storm is also an icon, or illustration of His calming the tempests in the souls of human beings.  

 

This image of Christ and the disciples on the boat is quite an interesting one.  Again, as my study Bible commented, it functions as an icon of the Church.  The stern of a boat is at the rear, so in this scene Christ is not guiding the boat nor giving commands for where to go.  Not only is He in the rear of the boat, but He's in a place where things would be stored (such as the pillow on which He sleeps, or possibly fishing nets).  It's a particular image for us of the times we feel that God is not awake to our peril or circumstances, neither does God seem to be actively guiding us through them.  At those times, like the disciples, we might ask the same question, "Don't You care?" ("Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?")  There are those who believe that the world or cosmos was created by God but then works on its own, without influence or energies of the presence of God with us and active in our lives.  But, aside from an indication that indeed, Jesus was fully human and so needed His sleep, this story tells us quite the opposite.  It seems to say that Christ had such confidence in the directions He's given the disciples prior to their crossing of the Sea of Galilee that He must ask them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  This tells us something powerful about how we're to live our faith, in the confidence of what we've been taught and known, and in trusting Christ's commands given to us for how we're to live our lives.  All that we've been taught, and all that we know, from His teachings in the Gospels, through St. Paul and all the saints, the traditions of the Church, and the countless faithful who have come before us and will come after walk in a faith that is all about trust in the One from whom we've been given all things.  This isn't trust in some distant, unseeing, hands-off God we don't know.  It is trust in the One who came to be one of us, lived with us, crossed this sea with the disciples, and slept in the back of the boat through a windstorm on the sea that frightened these seasoned fishermen for whom this sea is home territory.  For Christ is God with us, in our faith, our worship and prayers, and the communion of the saints, in our liturgies and Scripture and the gospel message we're given.  In the efforts of these men who strain at rowing on the sea and who would follow in carrying the gospel message to the world, so we are carried also as we trust in the only One who may truly command peace. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head

 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."  

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?" 

 

- Matthew 8:18–27 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus had come down from the mountain after preaching the Sermon on the Mount, great multitudes followed Him.  And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."  Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed."  Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."  The centurion answered and sad, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof.  But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!  And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  But the sons of the kingdom will be cast into outer darkness.  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you."  And his servant was healed that same hour.  Now when Jesus had come into Peter's house, He saw his wife's mother lying sick with a fever.  So He touched her hand, and the fever left her.  And she arose and served them.  When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed.  And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses." 

 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side.  Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go."  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead."    My study Bible comments that since the term Son of Man is a reference to the Messiah (Daniel 7:13), it's an expression of both His humanity and His divinity.  Here this refers to Christ's human condition.  In Matthew 25:31-33 it is used to describe Christ's divine authority.  Regarding the commend to "Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead," my study Bible says that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but rather is teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as our highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  Let us note that these verses follow upon the last in yesterday's reading, in which Jesus spoke of His human condition, despite His miraculous ability to heal illness.  Quoting from Isaiah 53:4 (see also 1 Peter 2:24), the text tells us that Jesus' use of the term Son of Man fulfills the prophecy of the suffering Messiah.  As Christ suffers with humanity, we who follow Him must be prepared for our own at to,es difficult choices made for the sake of serving God.

 

Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Lord, save us!  We are perishing!"  But He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?"  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled, saying, "Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"   My study Bible comments that the Lord's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  Commands to the sea and waves can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  Jesus was asleep because, as a human being, He needed rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, as has been the theme throughout this reading, Christ assumed all the natural actions and needs of the flesh, of which sleep is one.   Additionally, this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is one traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  My study Bible comments that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.

 

 How does Christ calm our tempests?  There is first of all the understanding of the trust which we put in Christ.  This is not the kind of trust in which we confide our deepest desires to Christ and expect Him to answer every prayer as we hope He will.  It is, effectively, the kind of trust in which we accept that whatever our circumstances there is something we can gain from them by trusting in Him even to guide us through what seems perilous, or horrific.  If we think back to the early Christians, we know of the terrible persecutions they endured for their faith, submitting to martyrdom as did He.  When we have times to make difficult choices, such as the man who had to choose between discipleship to Christ and going back to bury his father, we also begin to understand what it is to bring the Kingdom into this world and carry our own crosses.  We will come across the heartbreaking and difficult understanding that there are those who will hinder our capacity to do that, with demands which we cannot meet.  This seems harsh, but we need to consider that the world we live in imposes harsh circumstances on everyone at times, whether or not we can trace them to the struggle to serve God in a direct or obvious sense.  Indeed, we cannot be surprised at the difficulties that come in opposition to Christ and to Christ working in us and among us.  What we turn to Christ for is the kind of peace that is meant to teach us where our true roots are, where we find ourselves in the security of love, and how we can follow His love.  The Cross is the symbol of what is possible through God's work in our lives and in our world, turning grim prospects into a victory of spiritual truth and meaning, of Resurrection.  On the other side of the tempest, we don't know what awaits. We live in a world which in many ways reminds us of opposition to Christ, and yet we hold to His love for us.  He has lived as one of us, experienced what we do, and loves us.  In this we must trust.

 

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 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 says that Christ's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  Commands to the wind and to the sea could only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 66:5-6; 107:29).  But Jesus was asleep because, as a human being, He needed rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, my study Bible explains, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, including sleep.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used to illustrate the Church.  Commentary notes that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Here, my study Bible notes, permitting the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping is in order to perfect the disciples' faith and to rebuke their weaknesses, so they will eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  Christ's statement to the disciples, "How is it that you have no faith?" might more accurately read, "How do you still not have faith?"  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they claimed we are perishing.  Additionally, Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.  

All of us know that life is full of ups and downs, difficulties and struggles.  But here Jesus seems to affirm for us that this is par for the course for the life of faith.  In fact, in the literal sense of the Greek, Jesus seems to be somewhat surprised:  "How do you still not have faith?"  It will not be the last time He will marvel at the disciples' lack of faith or understanding, either (see Mark 8:13-21).  Apparently, we are to infer from this passage that the life of faith is one in which we will continually face challenges.  Certainly this was true for the disciples and for the early Church, and, as history progresses, we can see that new questions and new discernment seem constantly necessary.  The history of the Church is a long history of conflicts and struggles for answers.  But the challenge of our individual lives of faith is similar.  We will always have new issues before us, new questions to answer in light of our faith.  But the one thing that is asked of us seems to be not to have all the answers, but rather to be persistent and to endure in faith.  That is, we need to take confidence that our struggle is known and that our answers are to be found in persistence and courage.  It's wise to consider that the word faith, in Greek, is rooted in the word "to trust."  To put one's faith in something is to trust in it, and we trust to Christ through all things.  We are mindful of the story of Israel in the Old Testament, wandering for forty years as guided by Moses to the Promised Land.  We can look more deeply at the story of Moses, and how Moses never entered that land himself, and this, too, tells us about the importance of the journey, of the persistence of faith, of our continual prayer resting in God to help us find the way we're asked to go, to remain in that faith and follow.  We trust in Christ that there is a way He wants us to meet our challenges, and that every new struggle is simply a challenge for deepening faith, for growth, for the pursuit of the goal He has in mind for us.  That is, to shape the person He desires us to become in fulfillment of the promise of discipleship.  Through our struggles and the twists and turns of our lives, we are shaped in faith.  We are meant to grow into something, to fulfill something through time and through experience, and this is the purpose of God for us.  Let us continue through our own windstorms and waves, frightening perspectives in which life may seem to pose dangers and perils we didn't count on, but understand that through them all our courage is about persistence in faith, finding the way of Christ for us.  The story gives us an image of Christ asleep in the stern of the boat, and this may serve to teach us that there will be times when God will seem to us to be sleeping and not hear our prayer, nor know of our peril.  But that is just a time for testing, for finding new ground of faith, for deepening our confidence in facing the future and knowing what we are to be about.

 

 

Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?

Christ Commanding 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 int he 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 int he 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!"   On this passage my study Bible has several different observations.  The first is regarding the Lord's mastery over creation:  it's another sign of Christ's divinity and His identity as Messiah.  Commands to the wind and the sea could only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  On the other hand, Jesus was asleep because, as human being, He needed rest.  In His Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, of which sleep is one.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is traditionally used as an illustration of the Church.  My study Bible adds that God both permits storms and also delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Jesus' rebuke of the storm also serves as illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.  

Why would God leave us to go through difficulties, fears, and tribulations?  Why, indeed, would Jesus deliberately lead the disciples through this frightening storm as they crossed over the Sea of Galilee?  My study Bible says that Christ deliberately permits this windstorm to arise while He sleeps in order to perfect the disciples' faith and rebuke their weaknesses -- so that they would eventually be unshaken by life's temptations.  My study Bible further points out that in today's reading the disciples' faith is still mixed with unbelief:  they showed faith when they came to Jesus, but unbelief when they said, "Do You not care that we are perishing?"   Many of us might be tempted to ask God the same question when we go through difficulties in life, especially when we can't discern God's response for us to any of our troubles and the pain we are experiencing.   There are all kinds of fears and tribulations that life can bring to us.   The Scriptures do not shy away from illustrating the human experience of fear or despair:  In Psalm 39 we read this plea:  "Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears! For I am Your passing guest, a sojourner, like all my fathers. Spare me, that I may find the place of refreshment before I depart and am no more!"   In Psalm 44, we read what might be the words of the disciples, "Awake! Why do You sleep, O Lord? Arise, and do not cast us off forever!"  It seems that we are not spared from all of these experiences of what it is to be a human being; even on our faith journey, we will experience the reality of terror and fear and dread.  This is part of our inheritance of an imperfect world.  And so, we have to ask ourselves why this is so.  Why would Christ coming into our world not simply set it aright, banish death and sins, bring us back to life in the Garden?  I would venture to guess that we are called to a higher purpose than that, that human beings, in our capacity for "God-likeness" are meant to thoroughly experience the reality of our world and its problems, and in so doing call upon faith to transcend and transform, to become a part of that force for change that is our call back to God in the gospel of the Kingdom.  It's not about fixing the world or setting it aright or making it perfect; rather, we are invited in to the beauty of faith, the goodness of the Kingdom, the truth of Christ who is with us even though He may seem to be sleeping.  For despite our fears and despair and dread, God is with us in the form of love.  And although our prayers may seem delayed in their answer, oftentimes our response is subtle, may go without noticing, but is reassurance nonetheless that God listens, hears, and offers not perfection in some worldly sense, but rather a different answer, a peace, a capacity for faith that shores up assurance and confidence, lets fall away the things that will fall, but also teaches us what will endure.  For life is about finding what's real and releasing the false hopes of what isn't.  In today's story, the disciples travel across the Sea of Galilee, where they will find a strange scene of demonic influence, something entirely alien to what they know.  But they will also discover a mission and the power of Christ to set aright and heal and redeem with new purpose.  They will find their calling and the new life to which He leads them.  So may it also be with us.

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 read that Jesus said to His disciples, "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 comments on this passage that it shows Christ's mastery over creation, and thus gives another sign that He is the Messiah and divine.  Commands to the sea and waves, it notes, can only be issued by God if we take a look at Scripture (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 66:5-6, 107:29).  Jesus shows His human in being asleep, as He needed rest.  In the Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, and sleep is a human need.  This image of Christ with His disciples in a boat is a traditional one used to illustrate the Church.  My study bible says that God both permits storms and also delivers us through them, so that we can see God's protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul.  The Church has also traditionally seen Christ as permitting this windstorm to arise while He sleeps in order to perfect the faith of the disciples and to rebuke their weaknesses, a part of their learning and preparation for their future as apostles, so they won't be unshaken by the temptations or trials of life.  Here the disciples' faith is mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they awoke Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

There is a particular blog that I like to read on occasion, written by a priest of the Orthodox Church of America.  Recently I was asking in a comment forum about the state of anxiety I seem to feel and detect all around myself and in many people from all walks of life and perspectives.  It is an uneasy feeling of instability, a worry about what is coming next.  The father reminded me that we are repeatedly told in the Gospels "Do not fear" and "Do not be anxious" in one form and another.  Today's reading is one of those times, as Jesus asks the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   A friend reminds me that, in fact, we are to focus on the state of our souls first, for this is the real life Christ emphasizes -- and then "all these things [about which we worry] shall be added to you" (Luke 12:31).  God knows we have needs, God knows our lives and our necessities.  God became one of us, as illustrated in this story, and lived among us, so that God could teach us what it is to become more "like God."  Faith is possibly the most necessary ingredient in achieving this "God-likeness."  It becomes the key to setting forward on a path that is dictated not simply by our own simplistic point of view in which our fears may sway us at any time, but rather one in which we are also led forth by grace, setting forth a way to grow and to transcend and to walk in the ways He takes us.  In this story, Jesus deliberately sets out across the Sea of Galilee into unusual and strange territory.  The story reads almost like a passage out of the myths of Homer, in which these men set forth across a story sea to an unknown destiny (where indeed a strange and unusual sight awaits them).   These seasoned fishermen, now frightened on their own known Sea of Galilee as they cross over to the other side in the windstorm, are being trained to become fishers of men.  As apostles they will eventually be going out to the whole world of strange lands in which to preach the gospel.  It serves us as an example of how life is lived in a state of prayer, if we but pay attention.  God will build up our capacity for learning how to live God's way through various tests and trials.  It is not that there won't be things that shock us, make us fear, or severely test our capacities and resources.  But our own capacity to face ourselves and our fears and shortcomings is something that is gradually drawn out through a prayerful life.  There will always be our own fears we need to discard, to work past, and ways of thinking we need to exchange for new ones on this journey.  Thus, the image of Christ and the disciples in a boat on uncharted waters  as a perennial image of the Church.  So as we, also, embark in uncharted, unexplained, and unpredictable waters ourselves, let us think of this picture.  There will be times when we consider the Lord to be sleeping and unresponsive to our own fears when we're surrounded by and facing the unknown.  But we should look to Christ's question:  "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   And emphatically our response must be to seek out that faith, to seek Him, and find the way He wishes us to carry on through it all, and whatever may come in life.  Let us have faith that He will provide us with His way, that our lives are not meant to be without pitfalls, the unknown, and times in which we are tested.

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 read that Jesus continued to teach in parables.  He said, "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 has several observations about today's reading.  First, it says that Christ allows the windstorm deliberately.  This happens while He's sleeping in order to build and perfect the faith of the disciples and to rebuke their weaknesses.  Eventually they must be unshaken by life's temptations in their mission as apostles.  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  In faith, they awake Him, but express unbelief when they declare that they are perishing.  I always note in this story that several of these men are seasoned fishermen, used to fishing on this sea.  Jesus' mastery over creation is another sign that He's the Messiah, and also divine.  But as a man, He sleeps and needs rest.  He has assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, says my study bible, of which sleep is one.  This image of Christ and the disciples in a boat is as traditional one to illustrate the Church.  My study bible says, "God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see His protection more clearly.  Christ's rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in the human soul."

It's interesting to look at some of the Greek words in today's reading.  When Jesus says, "Peace, be still!" the Greek gives us two words that actually mean "silence."  The word translated as peace is a command to be quiet.  It gives us a sense of the roaring sea and storm.  It is clearly a command from someone in authority.  The word translated as be still is from the word for "muzzle."  It is a command for silence, to cease the fuss, the roar, and the noise.  In these words we have an image of God silencing a chaotic, clashing, and frightening world.  In a way, the "hush" conveyed through these words echoes the Spirit of the Lord hovering over the dark waters that covered the world in the beginning of Genesis (Genesis 1:1-2).  When Jesus challenges His disciples, saying, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?", He's asking them, in a sense, where their trust in His leadership and guidance is.  To be fearful, in the context of the Greek word used here, is to doubt the future and the success of the current endeavor.  Faith, as discussed frequently in this blog, is another word for trust.  Trust is the fuller meaning of the word for faith in Greek, its root and heart.  Christ shows His authority as supreme, and also His knowledge in His guidance for the Church.   When He calls all of us to faith through His words to the disciples, He's assuring us that regardless of what we experience, we must trust in Him, trust in God.  As readers, we know what these disciples will experience when He is no longer living as the human Jesus in the world.  They will face persecutions and martyrdom, and make a host of sacrifices in their mission of the Church.  At the root of this trust in Christ we find the deep need for a kind of unity with our Creator.  That is, a depth of loyalty and love that endures through all the difficulties of life, the struggles that face us for that faith and that Church, the kinds of evils that may exist in the world.  That is a call for faith that goes far beyond a nominal acceptance of a way of thinking or viewing life, but into the depths of the most difficult kinds of struggle.  The image of Christ with the disciples in the boat, as noted above, is by tradition given to us as an image of the Church.  It places Christ squarely in the center as leadership, before all else.  Our trust and confidence is in Him, and in His peace, even as we may be guided through a sea of troubles.