June 20 – Mark

MARK 4: 35-41

Today’s Gospel lesson is an account that is included in all four of the Gospels.  It is one that when you look at it closely has so many messages that it is hard to decide which one to think about first.  I don’t know about you, but I have always loved going to the ocean, the sound of the waves lapping the shore, and the smell of the salt water have a calming effect on me.  Yet, when I look out into the depth of the ocean, I feel a little anxiety.  The water looks deep and dark!  The waves that seem so gentle when they reach shore appear to be strong and powerful with the ability to swallow me, pulling me down into its murky depth.  Perhaps this is why I never stray further than waist deep in the ocean water, preferring to stay close to the beach.  So, I have no problem identifying with the terror of the disciples out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, in a small boat in a terrible storm.

The first lesson we can learn is that the story can be seen as a microcosm of our lives.  Life is never plain sailing even if we are Christians.  It is more like a roller coaster, up and down, terrifying and fun, and praying just to hang on.  There are days when the ocean of life is calm, and there are days when it is stormy and the waves threaten to crash over our heads.

One might wonder why the disciples, many of whom had earned their living fishing, would start out across the Sea of Galilee if a big storm was brewing.  We have to remind ourselves that there was no Channel 27 or Channel 8 weather reports, no weather reports at all. They had to base their trip on what information they had at the time, which was that the sea looked calm and the weather was clear.  They had no way to predict that a big storm would blow up, and that is how life is for all of us.  One minute we may be smoothly sailing along, and then boom, the thunder rolls and the rain pours down, and we are dealing with a crisis in our life.  The storm has many faces, such as loss of a job, loss of a loved one, an unexpected large expense, and on and on.  Like the disciples, the storms often make us anxious and afraid.  We often feel that we may not weather the storm!  We may not be able to hold on until our life becomes clear and sunny again.  Sometimes it leaves us like the time I was at the beach, sitting on my beach chair at the edge of the ocean, all was calm, and then all of a sudden a large wave came crashing in, turning me and my chair upside down on the beach.  It took several washings to get all the sand out of my hair, and I wondered if I would ever be the same again.

Let’s take a minute and step back into the story again.  One point we need to remember is that the crossing of the Sea of Galilee came right after Jesus had spent a full day teaching and preaching to the multitude in the heat and humidity of the day.  No wonder Jesus was lying down and sleeping in the boat.  He was tired, and this story again points to the fact that Jesus was both human and divine at the same time.  Yet, Jesus was there in the boat with the disciples, just as He is with us during the calm and storms of our own lives.  We can always turn to Him just as the disciples did so long ago.

So, the second message Jesus is modeling for us is the need to rest when we are tired.  In todays over busy and over committed world, we often push ourselves well beyond what is physically good for our bodies and soul.  Remember when you were a kid, and your Mom made you take an afternoon nap?  My brothers and I used to try to convince her we didn’t need one, and then beg to be left up to play, but would fall asleep fast once we laid our heads down.  Now, I wish that I had someone who would make me take a nap. Yet, we can rest without feeling guilt when we are tried, as our Lord Jesus did.

I have to say that I would have rather been in that raging storm with Jesus than in the storm without Him.  Even though the disciples had witnessed Jesus performing other miracles, they still we afraid and panicking when they woke Jesus.  We can almost hear the crash of thunder, the roaring of the wind, the pounding of the waves on the boat, feel the mist of the water on our skin, and hear the cries of the disciples.

Jesus wakes and stands up in the boat and rebukes the wind and the storm and instantly the sea becomes calm and the storm is gone.  Interestingly Mark uses the verb “rebuke” which is the same verb that is often used when Jesus casts our demons or dark forces.  The word was in keeping with what the Jews believed at that time.  They saw the water as a dark abyss where demons and other evil forces resided.

So, our third lesson this morning is the mystery and awe of our creator God dwelling in our midst.  The God that can still the waters and help keep us afloat in the storms of our human existence.  Let us leave here this morning, being filled with the awe and wonder of Christ.  Let us contemplate and answer the question for ourselves each day, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”    Amen