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 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, after beginning to preach in parables, then asked, "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 explains that the Lord's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  Commands to the sea can only be given by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-6, 107:29).  It notes that Jesus was asleep because, as a man, he needed rest.  In Christ's Incarnation, He assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, including sleep.  Additionally, this image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is a traditional one used to illustrate the Church.  My study Bible remarks 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 illustration of Christ's calming the tempests in the human soul.  

My study Bible comments that Christ's  rebuke of the storm is also an illustration of His calming the tempests in our souls.  Such a commentary makes it clear that "tempests" are the stuff of life within all of our collective experiences, and thus we should think about how we bring them to the Church, to Christ.  If we all experience these upheavals, times when we're afraid, when we don't know what is going to happen next or what the outcome will be, then we all have times when our faith is tested and our trust in Christ becomes, at least in some sense, challenged.  The disciples ask Jesus (who is asleep on a pillow), "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  This is clearly a time of the testing of their faith, as their challenge to Jesus expresses.  Doesn't He care?  Doesn't our Lord care if we perish?   But this question phrased in this way in the Gospel indicates something much deeper than human physical death, for this word is quite often used for a deeper, eternal death, a spiritual death.  It's also translated as to destroy or to annihilate, a certain death.  So, if we hear this question posed to Christ on those terms, we can most certainly say with confidence that Christ cares indeed about whether or not we will perish in an eternal or spiritual sense, because it is for this reason that He has come into the world, to save us all in this sense.  And perhaps, this is what we should think about when we think of perishing, and the tempests of life.  For the times of the testing of our faith don't really rest so much upon the outcome to our physical life conditions in this world, but the spiritual ones.  Do we come out of harrowing times with resentment toward God, or a detachment, or with a lack of faith?  These are the questions that seem more pertinent than whether or not we suffer in some sense that is physical, for all of us have expectations that we one day will die in the human, mortal sense.  While life in this world is indeed precious, and is given to us and created by God for us to cherish and cultivate, there's a deeper death implied in the word to "perish," and that's particularly true of the Greek word from which it's translated (ἀπόλλυμι/apollymi).  It's also the root word used to name "the Destroyer" or the angel of the bottomless pit in Revelation 9:11.   So, we may ask, does Christ care if we are perishing?  And most certainly and emphatically the answer to that question is "yes."  He will die on the Cross to save us from that permanent, eternal spiritual death.  But in the reading, Jesus asks the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  In some sense, we can also understand that there are times in life we're given this experience of some sort of "storm" so that we strengthen our faith through it.  Relying on Christ, on prayer, on help from other faithful in the Church, becomes a way of learning and growing in dependence upon Christ through our fear, teaching us more about resilience and endurance, and even how our faith works through difficult circumstances.  So, in this context, the disciples will learn about facing the tempests which are yet to come to them, when they will go out into the world and preach the gospel, and brave persecutions of all kinds.  Oftentimes we may find that it is through difficult circumstances that our faith becomes deeper, teaching us not only about resiliency under duress, but even the creative potentials hidden to us that become revealed through persistent faith, to see a light in the tunnel, a path forward, a way to resolve something which remains a blessed sense of life and its continuity.  Frequently, outcomes may not be what we hoped for or expected, but faith leads to a different path that turns out to be one filled with light, one we had not expected nor understood before the storm and testing.  A persistent faith in facing a difficult situation may frequently produce unforeseen solutions and new ways of thinking to learn.  So Christ's faith works in us, and His powerful care remains active, even when He seems to be asleep or missing to us.  As human beings, these form our common experiences, for we are so often weak and at the mercy of forces beyond our personal control.  We can either put faith in the power of control, or faith in Christ who teaches us what is possible for us.  So often our choices seem to come down to that, a basic dichotomy that poses to us the very question of the reality of our existence and what foundation life is based on.  Where will you put your trust?

Truly You are the Son of God

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

 

 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well. 

 

- Matthew 14:22-36 

 

Yesterday we read that, when Jesus heard that King Herod Antipas now feared Him (Herod believed that Jesus was John the Baptist, raised from the dead), He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.  And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.  When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late.  Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food."  But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away.  You give them something to eat."  And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish."  He said, "Bring them here to Me."  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass.  And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.  So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.  Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.   

 

 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away.  And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  Let us consider that Christ has just instituted a new change in His ministry, the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness -- a "new" mighty work, and one with Eucharistic indications.  He withdraws at this point, up on the mountain by Himself to pray.   He has sent the disciples in a boat by themselves, to travel across the Sea of Galilee.

 

Now when evening came, He was alone there.  But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.  Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!"  And they cried out for fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer!  It is I; do not be afraid."  My  study Bible comments that this is the second time Christ permits His disciples to be caught in a storm (see this reading).  The first time, He was with them; this time He has sent them across the sea alone.  In this way, my study Bible explains, Christ strengthens their faith that He will always be with them midst the storms of life.  It is I is literally translated "I Am," which is the divine Name of God (see John 8:58; Exodus 3:14).  This is a reminder to the fearful disciples of the Lord's absolute and divine authority over their lives.  The fourth watch of the night is approximately 3:00 in the morning.

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  So He said, "Come."  And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.  But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!"   My study Bible says that it is Peter's faith that allows Him to walk on the water.  It asks us to note that Peter does not ask to walk on water per se, but to come to Jesus; Peter's desire is not to perform miracles but rather to be with the Lord.  Let us see that Peter is able to participate in this divine miracle as long as he keeps his focus on Christ.  As soon as he is distracted, my study Bible says, he begins to sink.

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"   My study Bible explains that the Greek term for doubt used here means to waver, vacillate, or hesitate, indicating an uncertainty between two things.  The cause of Peter's sinking, it says, wasn't the storm, but rather his doubt.  So therefore Christ does not rebuke the wind, but Peter.  

 

And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."   This is the first time that the disciples confess that Jesus is the Son of God.   My study Bible says that knowing only God can be worshiped, they confess Christ's divinity by worshiping Him (the word translated as worshiped indicates a bow of prostration).   The boat is symbolic of the Church 

When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret.  And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent out into all that surrounding region, brought to Him all who were sick, and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment.  And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.  They have crossed over to another area of Galilee south of His ministry headquarters of Capernaum, and so the people there have recognized Jesus.  We can see Jesus' fame by now, they've sent out into all that surrounding region, so that all who were sick were brought to Him.  My study Bible comments that Christ permits miracles through touch to show that His very body is life, and that that contact with His flesh is life-creating (see Matthew 9:20-22).

Perhaps the image of Christ walking on the water is the most iconic one we have of Christ's identity as divine being.  My study Bible comments that only God has dominion over nature; so, therefore, this miracle confirms the divinity of Christ.  Walking on water is the perfect image of the impossible -- the defiance of all known laws of physical life in this world.  But let us also note that Christ not only comes walking on the water to join the disciples (I mean, He could clearly have crossed over at another time by boat), but in order to assure them that -- no matter what -- He is there for them.  And, we might say, it tells them that He will do that even if He has to walk on water to do so.  This is a miracle that is specifically for them, for they are the only ones present.  Let us consider it in the context of yesterday's reading, that Christ has just fed five thousand people in the wilderness from a couple of fish and five loaves of bread.  Now that is an extraordinary miracle, and meant for several thousand people (five thousand men, and yet more women and children).  And yet, we know the time will come when the disciples will reveal that they haven't quite grasped that miracle in their minds (see Matthew 16:5-12).  But this miracle in today's reading -- this walking on the water -- this is something which makes its extraordinary impact.  We can possibly attempt to read St. Peter's mind and what he was thinking when he asked to walk on the water.  The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost (for how can a human being walk on water?), and so Peter demands some kind of proof that it really is the Lord.  Peter asks to be commanded to walk on the water too.  Let us first consider here that Peter by trade was a fisherman, working on the water for his livelihood, so this is quite a thing to ask.  But if it is really a command from the Lord -- the Lord who can walk on the water -- well, then that is a possibility after all, that by the Lord's command Peter could even walk on the water.  And he does, until he apparently takes his eye off of Jesus, focuses on the boisterous wind, and becomes afraid.  And then, Jesus saves him again.  After all of this, and the dying down of the wind, there is nothing more to say.  All the disciples can do -- to the last man of them (those who were in the boat) -- is to bow down before him in the pose of worship.  They tell Him, "Truly You are the Son of God."  Interestingly, these words will be nearly echoed by the centurion at the Cross (Matthew 27:54), after witnessing the earthquake and other things that happened at His human death.  This isn't the first time we've observed Jesus make extraordinary effort to get to those who need Him; in this reading we read of Jesus and disciples crossing the Sea of Galilee to reach men possessed by demons, although the people of the place simply wanted Jesus to leave them.  Here, in what we might think of as the dreams and fears of a rough and stormy windy night, at 3:00 in the morning, Jesus walks as if in a dream to the disciples.  It's a memorable image one can't forget, but it should serve for us to know He will come to us in ways we can't expect.  Let us not lose sight of Him in our fears.   We, too, may find our faith in the same way, and come to know that truly He is the Son of God.

Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod

 

 Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  

 

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked Him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."

 

- Mark 8:11-26 

 

Yesterday we read that, in those days of Christ's ministry, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples to Him and said to them, "I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.  And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar."  Then His disciples answered Him, "How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?"  He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.  And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broken then and gave the to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.  They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before them.  So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments.  Now those who had eaten were about four thousand  And He sent the away, immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

 

  Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him.  But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign?  Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation."  And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side.  My study Bible explains that a sign from heaven means a spectacular display of power.  The time of the Messiah among the Jews was expected to be accompanied by signs, but these men are hypocrites, not recognizing the signs already being performed, because their hearts were hardened, and they ignored the works happening all around them,   Jesus refuses to prove Himself in a spectacular way, my study Bible says, for a sign is never given to those whose motive is to test God.  

Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat.  Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "It is because we have no bread."  But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread?  Do you not yet perceive nor understand?  Is your heart still hardened?  Having eyes, do you not see?  And having ears, do you not hear?  And do you not remember?  When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  They said to Him, "Twelve."  Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"  And they said, "Seven."  So He said to them, "How is it you do not understand?"  The leaven of the Pharisees, my study Bible explains is both their doctrine (Matthew 16:11-12), and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).   In Scripture, it says, "leaven" (a type of yeast or dough starter) is used both positively (as in Matthew 13:33) and negatively, as it is here.  In either case, leaven is a symbol of a force powerful enough -- and often subtle enough -- to permeate and affect everything around it (see 1 Corinthians 5:6-8).  

Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked Him if he saw anything.  And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking."  Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up.  And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.  Then He sent him away to his house, saying, "Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town."  My study Bible says that the people of Bethsaida were unbelieving (Matthew 11:21).  It is for this reason that Jesus leads the blind man out of the town to heal him, so that the people would not scoff at the miracle and bring upon themselves greater condemnation.  It notes that as this blind man was healed in stages, it shows that he had only a small amount of faith, for healing occurs according to one's faith (Mark 6:5-6).  But this little faith was enough, and it increased with the touch of Christ.  My study Bible adds that Christ's command not to return to the town symbolizes that we must not return to our sins once we have been forgiven.  

Once again we note the central importance of faith in Christ's ministry; that is, our own active and living faith with which we meet life, and through which we view our lives and our experience of the world.  This does not mean we are naive or unaware of the reality of the world; on the contrary, Jesus is never afraid to point out what is wrong or mistaken, or to teach us to stay away from what is not good for us, what will harm our faith.  Awareness and mindfulness are important components of our faith.  He teaches the disciples, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." As we can see, at this point the disciples fail to grasp His meaning, teaching us all about the journey of faith.  Even these hand-picked chosen disciples of Christ are failing to understand what He's teaching, and unaware of what it means when He refers to the "leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod."  Both the Pharisees and Herod demand signs and proofs, and this has nothing to do with faith, but is rather a product of denial.  It's important that we take a close look at Jesus' actions, and especially the detail that He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town before He could heal him.  This once again reinforces the idea that Jesus teaches us to protect our faith and nurture it to grow, no matter what we need to do.  If we need to separate ourselves from "the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod" then we should do so.  If we need to put distance between ourselves and certain scoffers then it's a good idea to do so.  Faith is the very center of His ministry, and faith is all about trust.  In whom do we trust?  In what do we put our trust?  And ultimately that means it's about relationship on a deep personal level, as deep and deeper than the heart, a mysterious thing that sometimes happens in spite of ourselves.  It is something akin to a marriage:  love needs protection and nurturing and support, and we do what we need to do to protect something precious that we love.  This is the way it is with Jesus.  Only there is yet another component here to watch, and that is hypocrisy.  We might think that demanding proofs is a way of verifying truth, but here it is rather the opposite.  It is a hypocritical line in the sand drawn only to take away from the true perception of the holiness and divinity in Christ and in His mission, and this is something we still need to beware of.  Jesus has said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).  It is important for us as Christians to understand how important the whole notion of truth is to our faith, and how lies constitute forms of evil (see Revelation 22:15).   Our ascetic efforts for humility, to be among the "poor in spirit," and assorted other historic disciplines of the faith all hinge on the importance of truth -- especially with ourselves and especially in the place of the heart where we stand before God.  If we read the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), we will see this as Christ's foundation for our relationship with God.  It explains why hypocrisy -- part of that leaven of the Pharisees and Herod -- is so destructive to real faith, and to our growth in faith.  Christ asks us to be alert to the pitfalls of self-delusion, of hypocrisy, and the lies and half-truths that constitute misleading and false roads for us.  Let us take it with the seriousness He asks of us.  In this context we note the growth of the faith and discernment of the disciples which would come gradually, as in the example of the blind man whose sight returns gradually.  We are all on a road, a journey of faith -- but we must all take care Whose road ("way") we're on, and the rigorous discipline we sometimes need to see clearly.

 

 

Let us cross over to the other side of the lake

 

© Author's collection

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

 

- Luke 8:16–25 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus' encounter with the woman who anointed Him with a fragrant oil in the home of the Pharisee, He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.  And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.   Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." 

 "No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.  Therefore take heed how you hear.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him."   Again, emphasizes the importance of how we hear.  This is a responsibility of the listener.  We cannot encounter the wisdom of Christ on one day, but then cover this brilliant illumination with a vessel or put it under a bed.   Our response -- how we hear -- is important.  Are we going to cultivate the life it offers, or put it aside?  

Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.  And it was told Him by some, who said, "Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You."  But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it."  My study bible comments that it was not Christ's will to deny His mother and brothers.  Instead, what Jesus is doing is correcting both them and His hearers.  According to St John Chrysostom, He is leading them "to the right idea concerning Himself."  The family of His Kingdom, writes St. Chrysostom, "is not by nature but by virtue."  See also Luke 11:27-28.

Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples.  And He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the lake."  And they launched out.  But as they sailed He fell asleep.  And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy.  And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water.  And they ceased, and there was a calm.  But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be?  For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"  My study bible tells us that Christ deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He is sleeping, so that the disciples' faith might be perfected, and their weaknesses rebuked, so they would eventually be unshaken by the temptations of life.  (See the parable of the Sower, above, and the commentary of Christ on the meaning of the "thorns" in the parable.)  Here their faith is still mixed with unbelief.  They showed faith when they came to Him, but unbelief when they said, "We are perishing."

 

 If we look at Jesus and the disciples' crossing of the Sea of Galilee as if it were simply a routine trip across this extremely large lake, we might be a bit confused by Jesus' rebuke of the disciples for their fear.  After all, the text tells us that their boat was filling with water, and they were in jeopardy.  But this isn't an ordinary boat trip.  This is one that Jesus has guided them to take ("Let us cross over to the other side of the lake").   So from the start of its telling, this is a different kind of a story.  It is a story set in the pursuit of faith and discipleship.  In that sense, it is all about life lived as those who seek to "hear the word of God and do it," and the courage that this journey will take.  We do not set out on such a journey with a worldly perspective -- that we are simply out for a nice time, or working for particular goals like catching fish so we can make a living selling them.  This is a "crossing over" that becomes a way to deepen faith, to develop courage in living out that faith, and to become stronger in the face of temptations.   At times in our faith lives, we find that we are setting sail into deeper waters, so to speak.  In this case, the disciples are told by Christ to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  Let us not forget that at least some of these men are seasoned fishermen on this particular sea, but it's likely that even they haven't crossed over into strange Gentile territory.   In the following reading, Jesus and the disciples will have a strange encounter indeed after they cross over the Sea of Galilee.  But this is the way we should understand our faith works.  We don't stand still, we are called to move forward, to "cross over" into new and unfamiliar places that ask us to deepen our faith, and to go through challenges to that faith.  Our prayer lives aren't necessarily meant to lead us to "smooth sailing," great prosperity, and an easy life.  Christ and His illumination call us to deeper places within ourselves, to meet new struggles, and to become those who more brightly shine this light that we are given.  We know there are challenges in the world, and that our faith does not give us magic and false comfort, but rather a rock upon which we build our spiritual homes and face the difficulties of life.  So Jesus commands the disciples to cross over, and in so doing, they meet their fears, their sense of mortality, and especially the levels of confidence they may place in Him.  There is a deeper lesson to understand here, and that is that there are times when we can't see our way out of a bad situation or circumstance.  It is then that our faith really comes into play, as prayer becomes the one thing we can turn to.  That is, we turn to Him, just as the disciples did.  In such circumstances, I have found, there are "outside the box" realities that come into play. Either there is a solution that our own conventional expectations and understanding could not consider, or strange circumstances beyond our experience conspire to open a particular door with which we're not familiar or possibly are uncomfortable.  In any one of these circumstances, it is prayer that helps to open our eyes to things we don't see, paths we've never before followed, or a new chapter in life which stretches before us.  And in any of these cases prayer becomes a key to the imagination, to opening up our minds to new paths and possibilities.  God is leading us forward and expanding us in our faith, and the application and expression of that faith.  So let us learn from the apostles as they are guided by Christ across what was for them uncharted waters.  For so we will be led, too.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.

- Matthew 8:28-34

Yesterday we read that 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?"

When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.  My study bible comments on the demons in today's reading.  It says that they recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although the malice of the demons is evident, they still can do nothing against the will of God, and therefore can only enter the swine at the command of Christ.  The immediate destruction of the herd of swine, my study bible says, shows that the men had been protected by God's care.  Otherwise, they would have perished under this clearly destructive demonic influence.  Moreover, it's a reinforcement of the unlawful practice of swineherding for the Jews, and it also shows the incomparable value of human beings, for whom salvation is worth every sacrifice. 

It's interesting to think of the protection of these men, although they were demon-possessed.  Clearly the demons are destructive, and they lead the swine to mass suicide.  So what of these men?  Why does God allow evil in the world, and yet the men were protected?  I don't pretend to have the answers to all of the questions raised by such a scenario, for many theologians and philosophers -- geniuses all -- have provided us with various answers.  I can't even pretend to know or understand them all.  But we have been taught to stick with what we know or have experienced, and so I may say that it is my belief that very deeply within us there are choices that are made.  Sometimes, perhaps even often, those choices are made without our conscious knowledge.  We might wonder how we can claim a freedom to choose when we aren't even conscious of rational reasoning about those choices.  Nevertheless, I think it's true that we make choices from such deep places within ourselves that we're not entirely aware of them, and those choices do tell us something about ourselves.  Our deepest impulses of the heart are, importantly, clearly known to God.  This is why it is so significant that Christ is known as the "heart-knower" (see Acts 1:24).  There are things deep within ourselves of which we are not aware, but Christ is aware.  These demonic forces have chosen for destruction of human beings.  Why?  That is another question I could not venture to answer.  I simply know that it is so.  But one thing is clear from the Bible and the Gospels in particular:  that our world is not "fixed" simply because Christ has come into it.  Oh perhaps in an absolute sense this is true, that salvation is already full in a place we cannot access.  But the time when that occurs is "the time" of Judgment, Christ's return, to which the demons allude when they ask if He has "come here to torment us before the time."  Where we are now in time, we human beings live with both evil and good, and we are in the midst of time making choices.  Jesus teaches us, in the Sermon on the Mount:  "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:43-45).  To my mind it is a clear acknowledgement of the evil and the good existing at once together in this world.  That would include even the demonic influences we see at work in today's reading.  So given this state of the world, one might conclude that it's simple to think why that might be.  We are called to choose the good.  But choosing the good is not so simple.  Christ Himself makes that clear in the teaching just cited from the Sermon on the Mount.  We're not called upon to respond to evil with evil; that does not build up Christ's Kingdom in the world.  We are called instead to "withdraw" into Christ's love and protection, and to follow Him.  This is the way that we build the Kingdom in the world.  It is the way that we live a prayerful life with each decision and step.  It is the sense in which we may start to understand the mysteries He opens to us, that He came into the world to reveal and to draw us into.  And that protective power of God, even to cast off demons, is with Him and in Him and in the life into which He invites us to participate.  It doesn't come with conventional understanding nor conventional weapons.  It comes through the saints, through the Church as a whole, and by doing our best to keep His word, to love God as God loves us.  Let us start there and find our places, even as Jesus calls these demon-possessed men to wholeness as well.  Let us note in the text that those raising swine are most likely meant to be apostate Jews who do not follow the Mosaic Law.  They reject Jesus through fear, and do not embrace what He offers with love.  In that is also a story of how we choose and reveal what is most important to us - and that we cannot embrace both God and mammon, and what Jesus calls the deceitfulness of riches.

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. 

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.  Once again, we're given the continuation of a day in Christ's ministry.  By day He has preached to great crowds on the seashore, giving parables for His teaching (see the readings of yesterday and the day before).  Now, as evening had come, Jesus taught the disciples they must cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.   They set out from home territory and are venturing out into places which are strange to them. 

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?"  My study bible notes that Jesus was asleep, revealing the fullness of His humanity and His human need.  It says that He deliberately permits the windstorm to arise while He slept in order to perfect the faith of the disciples and to rebuke their weaknesses, preparing them for the time they will need to be unshaken by the temptations they will encounter as apostles.  Their faith here is evidently mixed with unbelief:  they showed faith when they awoke Him, and unbelief when they declared that they 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 notes that Christ's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine.  It says that commands to the sea and waves can only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalms 66:5-6, 107:29).  The image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is a traditional one used to illustrate the Church.  My study bible comments that God both permits storms and delivers us through them, so that we can see His protection more clearly.  It adds that His rebuke of the storm also illustrates His calming the tempests in our human soul.

I find this vivid illustration of adventure in today's reading quite interesting.  It's particularly noteworthy that at least four of the disciples with Christ -- which includes those who are closest to Him and form His inner circle of Peter and James and John Zebedee -- are seasoned fishermen whose home territory is the Sea of Galilee.  But they set off presumably from Capernaum, home territory, the place where we know Peter and Andrew's family home is located.  Now that the crowds have expanded who listen to Christ, to include Jews from everywhere around Israel and even from Gentile territories, and Jesus has begun to preach in parables in order to weed out those who really want His word from the merely curious, Jesus gives them a new command.  At the end of the day, when it is already evening, He tells them to set off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  This is strange territory for the disciples, and what they will find when they arrive across the sea will be strange indeed.  The Sea of Galilee is really a very large lake, about twelve miles long and eight miles wide.  So not only are the disciples and Christ (plus the little boats that follow) rowing across this sea at night, but a furious windstorm arises that sets them alight with fear that they are perishing.  All of this drama happens while Jesus is asleep.  And isn't that a perfect illustration of what can happen so often in our own lives?  Even when we feel secure at times in our faith, all of a sudden we might find ourselves in the midst of a storm of one sort or another in our lives, and Christ -- or our faith -- seems to be "stowed away" somewhere else, hidden and asleep.  We might ask ourselves the same question that Jesus asks the disciples, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   It can seem so often that every new challenge, every new step into uncharted territory (no doubt watched over by Christ and the angels who accompany us through life), is "greeted" with this distinctly human fear of the unknown, of the worst things that may happen to us because we are outside of what is familiar to us.  But we really should take confidence in Christ, particularly if we ourselves are seeking to live a prayerful life, seeking the guidance of our Lord for our choices.  Through the fear, and despite its presence, we can take confidence that there will be a way for us that is proper to us.   There will be a way that faith provides to move forward into whatever direction Christ leads.  The image of Christ and the disciples in the boat, as my study bible points out, is an image of the Church.  He leads, and the Church goes with Him through uncharted waters.  We should keep in mind my stud bible's comment that the image of Christ commanding the storm also applies to our own interior state.  Challenges come at every level in life -- and one thing seems clear from the Gospels, that we are meant for newer and bigger and deeper challenges.  When we think we have it all together, Christ will give us a new step forward, something new to face and to deal with, another challenge to meet.  This reveals the confidence that God places in us, that we are not made for sitting around and doing nothing, nor resting on past achievements.  We are meant for growth, and the life of constant repentance that Christ preaches is not simply about repentance of past wrongs or sins.  It is meant also as a challenge for us to come to terms with growth, to face new tests and temptations, to uncover yet more about ourselves that can be transformed and changed so that we grow in the light and faith of Christ.  All of this is teaching us that we are always meant for greater things.  It really doesn't matter where we start; as human beings we are meant to expand beyond what we think is just good enough.  We are capable of courage we don't know, of overcoming our own limitations, of growing in the faith God asks of us -- but in His Way, not our own limited idea of what some sort of "superpower" or achievement will look like.   Moreover, we should also consider that we don't necessarily need to go hunt for new challenges or adventures, that Christ will come to us to draw us further into the possibilities He has in mind for us.  Sometimes just sitting still with what we have, and learning patience and endurance, is our greatest challenge.  Our great achievement may be unknown to anyone but ourselves and God, and unrecognized by even those closest to us.  Even so, it will be the challenge that is necessary and possibly the most difficult.  Let us consider that we are always made for more.   Our idea of having it altogether may be the furthest thing from the place our Lord will take us, to give us something more and better than we can conceive.  We are all in that boat, with Him, and let us be grateful that it might be so.

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?

 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 entered Capernaum (after healing a leper), 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 said, "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 out 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."   The Son of Man is a term found in the book of Daniel (Daniel 7:13); it is used to refer to the Messiah.  It expresses both Jesus' humanity and His divinity.  Here He refers to His human condition.   Elsewhere it describes His divine authority (25:31-33). 

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 says here that Jesus is not negating the command to honor parents, but is rather teaching us to put the things of the Kingdom as the highest priority.  Those who ignore this priority are spiritually dead.  In both examples of the scribe, above, and this disciple, it is the things of the Kingdom which come first; even as Incarnate Son, Jesus finds Himself as One without a place to lay His head.

 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?"  Here Christ's mastery over creation is another sign that He is the Messiah and is divine, my study bible tells us.  A command to the sea and waves could only be issued by God (Job 38:8-11; Psalm 65:5-6, 106:9).   We also see Jesus' full humanity expressed here.  He was asleep because, as human being, He needed rest.  In His Incarnation, Jesus assumed all the natural actions of the flesh, which of course includes sleep.  This image of Christ and His disciples in a boat is one traditionally used 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."  His rebuke of the storm is also a spiritual illustration of calming the storms in the human soul.

Each of the stories contained in today's reading give us illustrations of the fearlessness asked of us that is a quality of discipleship.  That is, the natural human fears and worries that accompany the journey of discipleship, of faith, are those things we must acknowledge but not allow to hinder or stop the journey.  There is a quality of fearlessness that is also asked of us, regardless of whatever else is going on.  In putting the things of the Kingdom as first priority, there may be all kinds of ways in which we are asked to break through, override, or transcend our personal fears and concerns.  We're asked for courage in faith. Jesus first challenges the scribe to an understanding that even He has no place to lay His head, preparing him for discipleship and the sacrifices that may be asked by following Him.  He then tells a disciple that the concerns of home and family life left behind may be things of the past not required by the present path of discipleship, and left to those who still live that life.  We may not all have such stark levels of challenge to deal with, but we will all face challenges of life in learning a deeper faith.  This can apply to any number of things that we leave behind in our own faith journey, ways of life and even social concerns or former duties which are no longer top priority.  We note the vivid detail of the journey across the sea.  Jesus has commanded the disciples to go forward, even across this sea which is home to the several fishermen among the disciples.  But for them it is still strange territory; they are going to the other side, and are no longer in home waters.  The boat was covered with the waves.  Sometimes it seems that waves are all that we can see!  Our following of Christ may lead to great waves in our own lives, where all we seem to do is to make waves, to be in unfamiliar and uncharted territory, with even hostility around us.  This is a far cry from the idea that by following Christ we lead charmed or magical lives in which all goes the way we assume it "should."  Faith leads us to new places, instead.  It takes us where we likely would not have gone before.  But faith -- not our own good intentions or resolutions -- has a way of rendering us secure.  A life of prayer is that which roots us to this ship, even when we feel that Christ is asleep or not responding to us.  We anchor ourselves to this place with Him and renew our faith even when everything around us looks like it's against us.  It's a teaching that the one thing that is firm and upon which we hold as a foundation is Him.  He teaches us that it is faith, His love for us and our trust in Him, that roots us to what is truly secure -- even in a world that offers little real security in fact.   He has nowhere to lay His head; even those who are dear to us may pass and the things we thought important may take second place.  All kinds of things will arise to seemingly oppose our faith, but there is one place, one relationship in which we may take hold and place our faith and trust.  The journey will teach us greater faith, but to get there we need to face and go through our fears.   The only way to do this is through His guidance and safety, allowing His word and commands to lead the way.

What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. 

- Matthew 8:28-34

On Saturday we read that 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 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?"

 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.  And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have You come here to torment us before the time?"  Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.  So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine."  And He said to them, "Go."  So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine.  And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.  Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men.  And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus.  And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.   My study bible says that the demons, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, are surprised that their power is being terminated before the time of the last judgment.  Although the malice of the demons is great, they can do nothing against the will of God, and thus can only enter the swine at Christ's command.   The immediate destruction of the herd shows the men were protected by God's care -- otherwise they would have been destroyed by the demonic influence.   This story reinforces that swineherding wasn't lawful for the Jews, and shows the incomparable value of human beings, whose salvation, my study bible tells us, is worth every sacrifice.  This story appears also in Luke and in Mark, but in Matthew's version there are two possessed men.

One way we could read the stories of these demon-possessed men is to say that they are among Gentiles raising swine, but indications are (as in this story in other Gospels) that the swineherders are apostate Jews -- those raising swine are influenced by Gentiles and doing so for profit, and against Jewish law.  We can see the preferences of the people in their fear of Jesus.  Regardless of the miraculous healing of these men and the exorcism of the demons, they care more about the lost swine and beg Jesus to leave their region.  Jesus has told His disciples to set sail from the "home country" they've so far been in through Jesus' ministry, to this faraway place on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  They pass through a storm that frightens even the seasoned fishermen aboard, and land in this strange place where the demon-possessed men live in the tombs and among the swine.  Why has Jesus come here, away from the multitudes who seek Him in Capernaum?  One might say that He has deliberately sought out these afflicted men.  It gives us a sense of His parable of the shepherd, who would leave 99 sheep in order to seek out the one who is lost (Matthew 18:12-14).  While this isn't necessarily what a real shepherd of Palestine would do (leaving the flock alone), it's repeatedly shone in Christ's behavior.  He will go the ends of the world for His sheep; in the other versions of this story, the healed man becomes a kind of early witness for Christ in the Decapolis (this region of mixed Gentiles and Jews).  The story is also a portrayal of Christ as fulfillment of the Law, as the healing He does creates a separation among these people:  they must choose between the righteousness of Christ (and the healing of human beings) and the money they lose when the swine are killed.  As the people from the city choose the latter and beg Christ to leave, it tells us even about the place of believers in isolation:  Christ is still there for them, regardless of the surroundings or afflictions that plague them.  This is His level of compassion, His love, His reaching for those who need and want Him, who recognize that love and deeply desire it.   One facet of meaning from today's passage is the character of Christ who has condescended to become one of us in order to heal us, and out of love for us.  Like the shepherd who leaves the 99 sheep, He comes to us no matter what the obstacles, no matter how obscure, unimportant, or "out of the way" we might be.  How do we reconcile that love with our standards of what love is and can do?  He teaches His followers to go and do likewise, as all the disciples have been brought with Him to this strange and far-away place.  Seemingly "God-forsaken," Jesus proves that no place and no one in the world is truly so.  He creates "life in the tombs" in another parallel to what we know of His life and resurrecting power.  Let us note the personal nature of the stories of the Gospels; somehow Christ has come to this place and particularly to these men.   His is not an impersonal faceless charity.  Our own lives may provide us with opportunities to practice love as we encounter others in the most personal sense.    But we need to cultivate the heart and discernment of Christ, perhaps, to truly see them and practice what His life teaches.

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

 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!"  Power over the elements is another sign of divinity at work, that Christ is divine.  At the same time, the fact that Christ needs sleep is a sign of His full humanity.  My study bible says that, as in this case with the disciples, God often permits difficulties into our lives in order to perfect and strengthen our faith.  The image of Christ and the disciples in the boat is a traditional illustration of the Church itself.  My study bible says that 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.

I'm always struck by the quality of this passage (and the one that will follow), how in some sense it is like the "adventures" in the Greek myths, such as that of Odysseus or Jason.  The disciples set off, following Christ's commands, across the sea.  This is the Sea of Galilee, which several of His disciples know very well as they are fishermen whose home is Capernaum in Galilee.  But this journey is different; here they are asked to cross the sea into strange territory, unfamiliar to them.  This, I find, is a kind of perfect parallel to the spiritual life, where God will lead us to growth of both our faith and thereby enhanced capacities for virtue, such as strength or courage.  It's an odd, sort of paradoxical reality, but the more we depend on God, the greater our capacity for manifesting the strengths that come with faith.  All tests and difficulties seem somehow "designed" so that such an outcome of greater faith and enhanced virtue -- particular that of courage or strength -- is possible.  Just like the apostles in today's reading, we may struggle through terrifying challenges, that ramp up our emotions and bring out even our deepest, most frightening fears and needs we think we have.  But through the work of God, we somehow come out the other side, with something more to us, a greater independence of "the world" and what we thought we needed, and a greater dependence upon God, upon Christ.  The world of psychology reveals that we may have deep-seated fears within us; today's reading teaches us that these are only human, part of the experience of human beings in the world.  But there is more, there is a faith that connects us with something deeper, bigger, transcendent -- and which runs through all things.  There is a thread which we need to follow, and Christ's words we need to reflect upon, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"   We mustn't forget that these disciples are on the journey of a lifetime.  Once they become His disciples, each new challenge will be a challenge to their faith.  One of them will succumb to his own disastrous impulses and betray Christ.  But the "adventure" that starts here is one that goes through their lifetimes.  Their struggles will become greater, and the rewards and outcomes also greater -- bigger than the lives of a handful of men from Galilee, including a few fishermen, could have conceivably become by worldly standards.  Yet, here it is, here is their fear, and Christ with them.  Let us remember this picture when we feel terrified if we are confronted with our deepest fears, and know that Christ is with us, and will see us to a different destiny than one we could imagine for ourselves, even through the challenges, even when everything else seems to let us down or abandon us.