Mark 4:35-41
Jesus’ calming of the storm on the sea reveals his power
over evil, since the sea represents evil and chaos. The boat on the sea is a
symbol of the church and invites us to trust God amid life’s turbulence.
35When evening had
come, [Jesus said to the disciples,] “Let us go across to the other side.” 36And
leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was.
Other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm arose, and the waves
beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But
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?” 39He woke up
and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind
ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you
afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41And they were filled with great
awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea
obey him?”
We all have things we fear, and there
are surveys and studies that identify some of the greatest fears humans hold
and what they mean. So, let me ask you: Of what are you most afraid?
While
most of the time, our fears don’t have an impact on our daily lives, phobias
are something else: in fact, in psychological terms, a phobia is defined as an extreme
or irrational fear of or aversion to something. The top ten phobias include
things like:
·
Ophidiophobia: The fear of snakes.
·
Acrophobia: The fear of heights.
·
Agoraphobia: The fear of situations in which escape
is difficult. This may include crowded areas, open spaces, or situations that
are likely to trigger a panic attack. People will begin avoiding these trigger
events, sometimes to the point that they cease leaving their home.
·
Cynophobia: The fear of dogs. This phobia is often
associated with specific personal experiences, such as being bitten by a dog
during childhood.
·
Astraphobia: The fear of thunder and lightning.
·
Trypanophobia: The fear of injections.
·
Social
Phobias: The fear
of social situations. In many cases, these phobias can become so severe that
people avoid events, places, and people that are likely to trigger an anxiety
attack.
·
Pteromerhanophobia: The fear of flying.
·
Mysophobia: The fear of germs or dirt.
Most of us dislike the various things in this list, but our
“fear” doesn’t rise to the level of being an actual phobia.
But,
of the second and less-paralyzing categories of fears, many of us would add these,
which may or may not have much impact on our decision-making or activity on any
given day:
· Change.
· Loneliness
· Failure
· Rejection
· Uncertainty
· Something Bad Happening
· Getting Hurt
· Being Judged
· Inadequacy
· Loss of Freedom
Additionally,
many people self-report that
·
public
speaking,
·
ghosts,
·
darkness,
and, especially in recent years,
·
zombies,
·
and
clowns,
-
round out these lists.
Many
times, our fear comes from things that we have experienced before, whether they
have actually hurt us or not. When we look at why we fear something, can
we articulate what that fear means to us? Oftentimes, we cannot.
Whether
our fear rises to the level of phobia (paralyzing us, fundamentally changing
how we function) or not, we recognize that fear does have a way of altering our
view of the world or of certain experiences in life, and oftentimes, they
control us, rather than the other way around.
The
past year and a half we have seen fear driving the polarization of humankind,
driving our action and inaction, driving our view of “the other” in exaggerated
and devastating ways, and controlling many of our choices, for good or ill.
As
is unfortunately too often the case, we have also seen bad actors manipulating
us by using our fear to control large segments of the population, or to create
chaos and uncertainty, often through devious and exploitative means, like
spreading misinformation and outright lies connected to areas in which our
fears reside.
In
our text, Jesus says, “Peace! Be still!”
We
can certainly understand the fear of the disciples. But Jesus invites them –
and us – to trust in his power to overcome the storm.
The
disciples are out in the middle of the Sea of Galilee when a huge and
unexpected storm descends upon them. That would be scary for any of them.
The
former fishermen among them have run into their share of disastrous and deadly
storms before and have likely known people who have lost their lives in such
storms.
Even
those who had formerly lived and worked in non-nautical areas of life have
probably heard about those lost at sea, and as I indicated before, darkness and
storm make the lists of both phobias and peoples’ most common non-crippling
fears.
As
we read this story, it may be confusing to us that Jesus was so stern with
these disciples over their fear of the storm around them. He even questioned why
they were afraid! Really, Jesus?
But
then, Jesus simply scans the chaotic winds and waters around him, rebukes them,
“Peace! Be still!” And they quiet.
But
here is the thing: it is after Jesus stills the storm that the
text tells us the disciples were filled with great fear. (The word used in the
Greek is usually translated as “fear,” and not “awe.”
The
quieting of the storm reveals the power of God; it is a power that is greater
than any storm. Throughout the Scriptures, storms and sea both represent chaos
in the world and the very nature of evil – both powerful, each uncontrollable;
they are chaotic and disruptive of the natural order of things.
By
his stilling of the storm, Jesus exhibits the fact that his power is greater
than any evil and more powerful than any storm or chaotic element in the
universe.
This
Jesus, whom the disciples call “teacher,” whom they have seen heal an
assortment of diseases and maladies and who has driven out evil spirits from
possessed individuals in their presence, rebukes the storm and stills the
chaos. He controls the elements – they obey his word.
While
the storm had unsettled them and had sent them to their knees and to the
sleeping cushion of Jesus, it is this action – this stilling - that
actually produces the greater fear; after Jesus’ stilled the storm, the Greek
says literally, that they “feared a great fear,” causing them to question, “Who
is this?” “Who has such power that even the wind and the sea obey him?” It is
witnessing Jesus’ power over the chaos and storm that undoes them.
These
poor disciples were as slow as we ourselves can be.
Despite
the teachings they have received from Jesus, which have revealed great
knowledge, wisdom and insight, and the miracles they have witnessed, they are
still shocked and amazed at the level of power he possesses – it is absolute.
What
is God doing here? What is God revealing to the disciples? And why should they
feel such great fear at the revelation of Jesus and his power?
Let’s
fast-forward and say it’s 2021 – or something like that.
We
live in an era more than 2000 years after the death of Jesus. We are
Christians, which means we believe in Jesus. He is the Son of God, the Messiah.
We believe in his power. We trust in him with our whole hearts and minds—don’t
we?
Jesus
says to the storm and the sea, “Peace! Be still!” and they obey. Yet there are
times when we question or doubt, and there are certainly times when we are
lured into trusting earthly powers or our own strongly, only to find that they
are not enough. How can we not believe in the power of his name?
As
Christians, we believe that the trinitarian God has come into the world to save
the world not only in a single snapshot of time, but remains in the world to
strengthen, sanctify, and restore God’s good creation.
Yet,
we draw lines, we struggle to understand or believe, and as the disciples did,
we ask too often of God, “don’t you care?” And we allow our fear to change us,
to change our view of God and our commitment to follow Jesus. Our fear keeps us
from living, from loving, and from fully believing.
Yet
still, God comes to us again and again to still the storms and redirect our
trust and faith in him. And God calls on us to share the truth of his power and
the revelation of Jesus’ divinity with the world.
The
disciples were traumatized by this frightful storm, and they forgot – or never
understood – the eternal and divine power of the person they called Jesus.
When we are buffeted in cosmic storms as they were, storms that scare us, that eclipse our faith, and send us doubting and wondering if indeed, let us be reminded of Jesus’ rebuke to the stormy and angry seas, “Peace! Be still!”
I
am reminded of Psalm 46:10, one of my favorite bible verses which reads, “Be
still and know that I am God.” God is active and working in our world, holding
back the chaos, healing the broken-hearted, calling us to trust him and to
reveal our faith and trust with others.
God
is the great keeper of the cosmos, healer of the broken-hearted,
broken-spirited, and broken-bodied. God’s power is made perfect in weakness and
made most evident in the calming of the storms, the chaos, and the pain of the
world. Contemplating his great power, let us not be fearful, but joyful. Embracing
his mercy and peace, let us, like the winds and sea, be calm. Let us, as the
psalmist writes and Jesus quotes, “Be still and know that I am God.” Amen.
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