Mark 4:35-41
35 On that day, when evening had come,
he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." 36 And leaving
the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other
boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the
boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 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?" 39 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. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you
still no faith?" 41 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?"
…they were filled
with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the
wind and the sea obey him?"
·
The crossing of the lake was rougher
than expected and the disciples on the boat were quite scared. Any of us might
be, especially with the boat in danger of being swamped. Remember that a number
of the men involved in this were fishermen and because of that, experienced
boat handlers. They would know that this body of water had a reputation of
sudden storms. They would be careful.
·
Here we see that they are almost in a
state of panic, calling on Jesus to do something to keep them from sinking and
drowning. In their panic, they seem to question Jesus’ concern for them: "Teacher, do you not care that we
are perishing?"
·
When all
this starts, Jesus is asleep on the cushion. A word of explanation is important
here. Jesus is not asleep on a fluffy pillow someone brought on board for him.
He is sleeping against the part of the boat there the person doing the steering
sits. It’s a hard leather or wood seat or resting place by the tiller. However,
Jesus really is asleep and has to be woken up by the panicky disciples.
·
Once the
waters are calmed, Jesus seems to berate the disciple for a perceived lack of
faith. He asks why they were afraid and then asks them where their faith was.
·
To our
ears, this may sound harsh, especially considering that the situation was
becoming critical with the boat well on its way to sinking. Do we wonder by
Jesus seems unwilling give his disciples a break?
·
Of course,
there is more to it than just this. The final statement by the disciples is
quite telling, especially regarding what is known of the Gospel of Mark: "Who then is this, that even the
wind and the sea obey him?" All through the Gospel, the
disciples are unable to say who Jesus is. Even when he reveals thing about
himself, he tells his disciples not to tell anyone about what he said or did.
This is referred to by scholars as “the Messianic Secret.” Jesus keeps the
revelation of his mission and his full self under wraps as it were, until the
crucifixion.
·
What we
have here is only part of the story of Jesus. The question asked by the
disciple as to who Jesus is remains unanswered here. The answer comes much
later. Just so we’re clear, this is the question that each of us have to
answer: “Who then is this…?”
Our answer will be the make-or-break question of our lives: Who is Jesus to us?
The answer for our question of who Jesus is can only be answered as time goes
on. It is very possible that our answer might change over time as well. We all
grow in faith and the faith we had as children may not fit our adult lives even
though we may long for the innocence and purity of a child-like faith.
·
In this
passage, we see Jesus as he is – both human and divine. He is exhausted from
all that he had been doing, teaching and working with the crowds of people who
came to hear him and his message. He takes time to sleep and sleeps so deep
that even the breaking storm does not wake him.
·
Still, when
he is awakened, he calms that storm with a few words. He addresses the sea as a
person and calls it to peace and stillness. Only the one who created all that
exists knows creation so well. Then he turns and makes a remark about the storm
within the hearts of the disciples:
He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
The storm of the heart and spirit might be tougher to weather than the storms
of the sea and sky and Jesus is concerned about this as well.
·
This Gospel
passage shows Jesus as both human and divine and that is how we are to take
him. It is hard for our minds and hearts to reconcile these two states that we
perceive as opposites. That may well be why the disciples are without
understanding at this point in the Gospel of Mark.
·
We may be
without full understanding as well. We have the advantage of being able to read
the Gospels as they were written through the faith of the evangelists and their
communities. We read them through the lens of our own faith as well. The
disciples’ question always remains before us, not to trouble or test us, but
perhaps to keep us honest… and filled with awe.
·
Who is this
who works so hard that he falls asleep in the middle of a troubled situation? Who
is this who calms the seas with a word? Who is this who is concerned about the
state of our souls and the quality of our faith?
·
These
linked questions can only be answered over time. As we grow in faith and in
God’s grace, we will have our answer. Were we to stay as close to God and the
revelation of the Gospel as we did with a child’s faith, we’d discover that a
child-like faith is the right thing for adults.
…they were filled
with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the
wind and the sea obey him?"
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