Sunday, June 23, 2024
This is from Mark 4:35-41:
When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
I do love this story! Jesus has just been teaching a huge crowd on the shore of the Sea of Galilee-- a lesson that contained the parable of the sower and the parable of the mustard seed, perfect for an agricultural society. As I mentioned last week, one genius part of Jesus's teaching is that he always started where his audience was, rooting his stories in experiences they could relate to. We so often fail to do that (at least I do) as we try to impress people with what we know as soon as possible.
From this point in Mark 4 through the end of Mark 5, the story pivots from teaching to miracles (though there is still some teaching thrown in). Here we see the first of the miracles in that streak-- that Jesus is able to calm the stormy sea. It's simple, isn't it? Here we learn the extent of Jesus authority-- that it extends at least to the ability to control nature and weather, an awesome power in a society much more vulnerable to weather than we are.
But there is a metaphorical level, too. The idea and teachings of Jesus do serve to settle us when things are rough. In a specific way, too-- because Jesus's teachings so often go to a single value, humility, we are guided to context and patience and love, exactly the things we need in those difficult moments.
That perfectly still sea must have been an awesome thing.
