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For the past few Sundays we have been reviewing the
parables of Jesus, his stories about seeds and sowers. At the end of these
teachings Jesus was tired. He had preached until his weariness demanded a
respite from the crowds. Jesus and the disciples boarded their boats and set
off.
Remember that these men were fishermen. They were familiar
with the sea and its temperaments. Unlike my daughter, Kathleen, and I who
sailed across the Irish Sea from England to Ireland. We had a choice of ferries,
the fast ferry that would cross in ninety minutes or the slow ferry that would
take three hours. Not knowing any better we took the fast ferry. As we embarked,
that captain made his usual announcements, date, time, weather. Then he said,
“The condition of the sea is… (long pause) …not good.” For the next ninety
minutes Kathleen inhabited one of the stalls in the ladies room, and she was not
alone. It was standing room only.
The disciples of Jesus were heartier souls on the sea than
we. Even a major squall here or there would scarcely upset their digestion and
certainly not send terror into their souls. Jesus directed the disciples to sail
him across to the other side of the sea. This was significant in itself, for the
ten cities, the Decapolis, were on that far shore – Gentiles. It seemed that
Jesus was momentarily fleeing the ministry that he had been called to in order
to find haven elsewhere. And then the wind rose. A storm that could fill the
disciples with terror had to have been mighty. Waves washed over and into the
boat. Jesus, asleep in the stern, had to have been soaked, yet he did not wake.
The scene is reminiscent of another biblical character who
was sailing away from his ministry. Jonah wasn’t tired, he was fearful of the
task he had been called to and rebelled. He set sail, and while he slept a
brutal storm threatened to capsize the boat. Everyone on board cried out to his
god – everyone but Jonah, who wasn’t speaking to god. He slept on. The captain
awoke Jonah and rebuked him for not calling on his god for deliverance.
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It was that same impulse that motivated the disciples to
rebuke Jesus for not calling upon God to save them. But Jesus astonished the
disciples by doing the unexpected. Jesus didn’t call on God. Instead Jesus said,
“Be still,” and the winds and sea were immediately calm. This demonstration
challenged the disciples to see Jesus as more than a human being with gifts of
preaching, healing and deliverance. He must be known as the Son of God. “Be
still!” Jesus was speaking as much to the disciples as he was to the storm, and
he rebuked them for having so little faith. The disciples were filled with awe
and amazement. Who was this who could command even the wind and the sea? You
see, they didn’t know who was in the boat with them.
Many will read this account and assume the message to be
that Jesus will save us from every storm, if we just have enough faith. That is
not the message at all. The purpose of the gospel writer is to reveal Jesus’
identity as the Son of God.
I am reminded of a scripture song that we used to sing back
in the genesis of the charismatic movement.
“This is what the Lord says…. ‘Fear not, for I have
redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through
the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will
not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the
flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God…’ ”Isaiah 43.
Those words have stuck with me. I often hear them in my
mind. Did you hear, really hear, what was said? There is no promise that you
would not go through the water or through the fire, only that God would be with
you. Whatever happens there will be no injury to your immortal soul. We are not
promised immunity from the storms of life. We are promised God’s presence, and
that is enough.
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The Old Testament reading shows us David slaying Goliath.
But back up a bit. Imagine being that shepherd boy watching the sheep, playing
the lute, maybe practicing with your sling-shot, when out of the woods a bear
appears and threatens the lives of your children, your sheep. Imagine the
terror, the perspiration and racing heartbeat, the impulse to flee if your weak
knees could manage it. David faced his fear. Trusting that God was with him, he
slew the bear. On another day a new storm arose, this time a lion. David faced
his fear again and managed to slay the lion. Had he not weathered these two
storms confident in the Presence of the Lord, he could not have faced Goliath.
The disciples were shepherds in training. Jesus rebuked
them for having so little faith. Their fear of the storm overcame them, because
they didn’t know who was with them in the boat. Whether we sail, sink or swim,
whether we live or die, God is with us and that is enough.
What storms are we facing today? There is the obvious storm
in our global Anglican community. We can be fearful, or we can weather the
storm, confident that whatever happens, Jesus is in the boat. Our eternal souls
are in his safekeeping whatever rages on around us. Sail, sink or swim, God’s
presence is our promise.
Perhaps you are leaving home for the first time and
struggle with a barrage of doubts and fears. Will you succeed? Will you fail?
The question should be, “Is God present with me?” If the answer is, “Yes,” then
move on, whatever comes. Or perhaps you are facing the loss of the home you have
worked hard for and loved; the loss of your independence as you move into an
assisted living facility; the diminishing of your abilities as aging takes its
toll. These storms are real and can be terrifying – unless you remember who is
with you in the boat. Pass with confidence through the water, the fire, the
storms of life; the comedy and tragedy, the success and failure, the pleasure
and pain, the joy and grief. God is present with us, and that is enough.
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