After four parts of
"Storytelling," it's clear Jesus had plenty of parable chats in
Capernaum. And as we'd say in Texas, the boy was tuckered. Jesus tells his
posse, "Let's go over to the other side." So they head out across the
Sea of Galilee (size -- 13 miles by 7 miles).
Having seen the location
when I toured Israel with Rabbi Brian Zimmerman in late 2004, it's surrounded
by hills. With gorges on the west side, it allows the wind to ship across the
lake. Somewhere I read the whipping wind could create waves to rise as high as
30 feet.
As they make their way
across, that's when it gets crazy -- wind whipping, waves crashing, boat
swamping, disciples hollering. All the while,… Jesus is asleep.
For real? It's like the
end of the world has commenced, and the loudest, longest alarm clock can't even
get a rise out of Jesus.
Verse 38 states it clearly
-- "The disciples woke him." The Bible's version of "The
Poseidon Adventure" or "Titanic" is happening, and before the
ship goes down, they decide to wake the captain. "Don't you care if we
drown?!?!?"
In the tumultuous storm
(or in Greek, the word is "whirlwind"), Jesus rises and rebukes the
howling wind and breaking waves. "Quiet!" "Be still!"
Did You Know…?
Jesus used similar words
(in verse 38) earlier in MARK when addressing the possessed man in Mark 1:25.
The chaos of the elements
stops at once. Nice movie moment, huh?
Make of the story what you
want from a literal sense; however, there is much to glean in the telling.
The use of raging water,
the use of horrific storms, the use of frightening waves,… it's mentioned quite
a bit in Psalms: 69:1-2
and 14-15,
89:8-9,
93:3-4,
107:23-32.
Cries are made to God to stop the madness, for calmness, for deliverance.
Who else has this type of
power? "Like God at creation, [Jesus'] word controls unbridled power. Like
God, he rescues a beleaguered people." [i]
Another important part of
the story is going to the other side. Why? Because "Jesus leaves a
predominantly Jewish section of Galilee [on the west side] for the first time
to go by sea to the eastern, predominantly Gentile coast." [ii] More to this as we
journey into MARK, Chapter 5.
So what's the point of
this story other than it's just a great imaginative moment to express power or
control -- which is emphasized in verse 41? It's verse 40. To me, this is the
most meaningful, impactful part in this section.
From the mouth of Jesus to
the terrified disciples -- "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no
faith?" After all the things that the followers (the disciples) have
witnessed which Jesus has done, which Jesus has preached and shared, "You
still have no faith?"
On the one hand, we could
shake our heads at those lowly disciples and say, "Shame on you! Really?
You didn't get it?!? You're just a bunch of cowards. You're just a bunch of
weaklings. We'd be better than you."
On the other hand, we
might identify with their weakness, their fear, their lack of faith. I do.
But boy, o' boy, it's
easier to shake one's finger at the weaklings with a good dose of shame. Let's
just skip the part of one finger pointing outward with three fingers pointing
inward.
Recently, Rev. Kathy
preached about how each of us are either dealing with a storm, have just left a
storm, or approaching a storm. All of us are affected. Being out of work,
struggling with finances, faced with a frightening medical diagnosis or
on-going health situation, caught in relationship difficulties, dealing with
abuse issues, losing loved ones,… the list grows long and even weary.
There are so many verses
in the Bible to grasp hold of during times of trouble. Two verses that I like
are Joshua
1:9 and Isaiah
12:2. And even one from the Lost Gospels -- "Faith is believing when
common sense tells you not to." That's from "Miracle on 34th
Street."
What Jesus is telling us,
just like he was telling his disciples, is to place our trust in God where
there is love, forgiveness, compassion and justice. It is here we are
ultimately sustained in the midst of any and all storms.
I'll wrap up this post
with a quote from Ben Stein that I like -- "Faith is not believing that
God can. It is knowing that God will."
NEXT…
Hello, Gentiles; Hello,
Legion; Hello, Pitchforks
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