Stilling The Storm
Preaching
Preaching The Miracles
Series II, Cycle B
1. Text
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."35 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.36 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.37 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?"38 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.39 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"40 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?"41
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
In the evening, Jesus wants to leave the crowds and cross to the other side of the lake. The disciples take Jesus in the boat. Several boats accompany them.
Second Point Of Action
A storm rises and swamps the boat. Jesus sleeps through it all until the frightened disciples wake him.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus speaks to the wind and to the sea. The storm stops. Jesus speaks to the disciples.
Fourth Point Of Action
The disciples respond with awe and wonder.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
Interviewing A Witness From Shore
Asker: What did you see from shore?
Witness: Well, you know how the wind blows at the transition from day to night? And you know how just at dusk the lake becomes choppy? How then everything -- the water, the air, the bird's song -- seems suspended? The silence, the peace? Well, that is the calm I experienced. Only it was not the usual sense of night coming on. It was the abrupt suspension, midstream, of a windstorm. The wind did not just blow itself out. It cut off, wind, waves, everything -- sudden stillness.
Interviewing A Disciple In The Boat
Asker: What about Jesus' asking you to cross the lake?
Disciple: Jesus is not a complainer. We must look out for him. Once people recognize him, those who need him often mob him. By nightfall, he is fairly well exhausted. I often wonder if his readiness to cross to the other side of the lake is the closest Jesus comes to saying he has had enough for the day. It is his way of saying, "Get me out of here, fellas."
Asker: Scripture says you took Jesus in the boat just as he was.
Disciple: You might interpret the words "just as he was" in a couple ways. One meaning is on the spur of the moment without any special gear or preparation beforehand. One might also say this is a story about God's acceptance of human weakness, God's acceptance of us just as we are.
Asker: This story reminds me of David's bravery as he went to fight Goliath. Saul told David that he would not be able to go against Goliath because he was just a boy. He trusted that the God who saved him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear would also save him from the hand of Goliath. (See this Old Testament pericope, 1 Samuel 17:32ff, for Proper 7.)
Disciple: Every one of us is vulnerable. Even so, God meets us where we are and offers strength. We disciples see Jesus as our protector. We also protect him when he tires. Sharp as he was with us, Jesus did quiet the storm.
Asker: This was not make-believe or exaggeration of reality. You were in danger on those waves. What about your waking Jesus and saying, "Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?"
Disciple: I look back now and wonder at my self-protecting words. Here we were Jesus' protectors, and we had to call on him to save us. You must remember that we were raised on the sea. We know the patterns and rhythms of the day. Waves do not easily intimidate us. Storms rise unannounced. Nevertheless, even for seasoned fishers, terror can turn everything around. Fear sometimes expresses itself with angry words.
I still cannot believe that Jesus slept through the storm. He was exhausted. I do not know how long I struggled with the boat and the waves while Jesus slept. He had to rest. I kept shouting inside myself, "Do something, Jesus! Something!" He slept on.
Jesus could not help people from dawn to dusk if he had no rest. We were all going to die by these waves. We'd never see the shore again. We needed help to get to the other side. I kept thinking the storm would subside. Finally, I just blurted out, "Don't you care?" Of course Jesus cares. He cares about us disciples. We are close.
My words sound selfish now. Had I called up the words of the Psalmist during the worst of the storm, perhaps I could have overcome my fear: "The Lord is a stronghold . . . in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." (See Proper 7, Cycle B: Psalm 9:9,10.)
Asker: Where does fear come from? I would think you disciples, of all people, would be closest to Jesus. Why did you let fear get hold of you?
Disciple: As a disciple, I am not immune to crying out in fear. I am human. Sometimes I am afraid and feel helpless. As a disciple, I have no special privileges that exempt me from getting into situations where I feel vulnerable. In your modern-day churches, do not outsiders sometimes say to members, "Your faith should protect you from trouble"? My association with Jesus is no more an insurance policy or a buffer from harm than is your church attendance. Sometimes, I even think my association with Jesus makes matters worse.
Asker: How is that?
Disciple: Because of being around Jesus, I am more aware. I see the problems around me more clearly. I see the huge gap between the reality of what is and the ideal of what should be. I see how physically exhausted Jesus himself gets from doing the work God has called him to do. You call me a disciple. Discipleship holds a variety of meanings: a believer, one who follows the teachings of a certain religion, one who spreads these beliefs. For me, more than anything else, being a disciple of Jesus has meant constantly learning. Following Jesus around all day humbles one. I sometimes want to go far out to sea to escape the responsibilities to which my commitment to him calls me.
Asker: Then why do you continue to be a disciple? What are the benefits of following Jesus? Is your faith as empty as you felt it to be when terror overcame you in the boat?
Disciple: Despite the fear that occasionally overtakes me, or possibly because of the presence of fear, I am coming to know another presence. With faith, I can ride out the chaos. I can call out and know that God is here. Having faith requires an active choice to withstand fear. Being faithful to that choice is what discipleship is all about.
I do not think a disciple is ever a finished person. It is like the confirmands in your churches. When they finish confirmation and make the choice to become church members, they are not ending or completing their learning. It is easy to have faith in theory. Confirmands are just beginning to ask the important questions. It is then their faith truly begins to grow. They must not feel our dismissal now that they have come through the rite of passage. We must offer them the support and encouragement that accompany being within the fold.
Asker: Let us return to this story for one final question. What did you mean later at the end when you asked, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Disciple: Usually a boat-swamping storm has to circle a few times to blow itself out. This storm quieted as suddenly as it arose. It is one thing for Jesus to work healing miracles. You never know exactly the cause of the malady. Even I can explain away some healing miracles when I do not choose simply to have faith. I do not intend by that comment to downplay the healing miracles. Jesus' power to transform the world astounds me. It extends to the natural world, to the natural order of things, to the sea and the wind.
We fishers respect the sea and the wind. The sea and the wind hold considerably more power than a person in a boat buffeted by waves. Yet Jesus commanded the natural world to quiet down. It did.
As we have walked with Jesus and heard his words, we have also questioned his identity. Now I know that Jesus called us to be his followers. However, a disciple is also, maybe at first, more of a companion. Belief is not always immediate, especially miracles we see with our own eyes that seem to defy the laws of nature. I wonder if that storm was to remind us of the meaning of our discipleship or to hint of the future? Jesus' challenging my faith was as jolting as a smashing wave. I must tell you, when the wind and the sea became calm that night, I began to shake with both relief and belief.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: Jesus, you quieted the storm with these words, "Peace! Be still!" Might you have gone on to complete the Psalmist's words, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)?
Jesus: Yes, however, another verse comes to my mind: "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices" (Psalm 37:7). Having faith does not mean not being afraid but rather meeting that fear with faith. To reach the other side of the lake in the storms of life requires partnership with God. Partnership flows in two directions. In our noise, we forget God's presence. God is with us always, but we must quiet our chaos long enough to listen. We must become aware of God.
Asker: When people were in distress and cried out to God, the Psalmist said, "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed" (Psalm 107:29). Were you also fulfilling that scripture?
Jesus: Your word choice "fulfill," is important. Many find me only to be a revolutionary. I come to make the word real, to bring the peace of God, and to enable others to know God as present and active in their lives. I come to fulfill the words of the Psalmist and other writers.
Asker: Jesus, there was an edge to your voice, almost impatient sarcasm, when you said to the disciples, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Jesus: Sometimes the people who are closest to us, those in our families or under our employ, miss the obvious. Sometimes the people closest to us are the most cynical and unbelieving. Sometimes it is with them that we lose our patience. If we cannot listen to those closest to us, we are nothing. I imagine my impatience with the disciples that night parallels that of ministers working closely with church boards and church councils. Their focus is on the work of the church. They forget or reduce human measures, or they become impatient with the individual needs of these serving people.
Asker: Jesus, what does this miracle tell us about God?
Jesus: Some ask, "Where is God in the chaos?" God does not desert us when waves threaten to swamp the boat or when the pressure of responsibilities pitches us nearly overboard. God might not be obvious in the chaos; however, as our trust that God is with us grows, we find God present with us in the chaos.
Part of the wildness is our own rocking of the boat. God enters the turmoil as the still voice encouraging us to quiet down. God is a stable, calming force within a world filled with instability. We must approach God, that is, catch the attention of God so God knows we acknowledge that we are in trouble. When God becomes aware of our need, God sustains us. God expects us to have faith because God is in charge.
While this miracle story may not appear to fit into the pattern of the healing miracles, it is about healing. It offers healing for the soul. In your time, the spirit of your people starves. Acknowledgment of and caring for the souls of people is absent. This has resulted in drying up of the spirit. This sense of emptiness flattens the spirit of people like the centrifugal force that pushes players against the wall of a carnival ride. When we feed the souls of our people, they become buoyant with new life. They stay afloat. Waves too great for them to meet do not overcome them.
4. Words
Stormy Weather
The people of Palestine believed geography, climate, and society all interact; God made them all and God planned for them all. In Palestine, winter is the season of rain and stormy weather. November becomes an intense rain time. Drought is common with sometimes only half the normal average rainfall. Unlike Jerusalem in southern Judea where average annual rainfall is 26 inches, an average of 47 inches falls in upper Galilee. The rainy season alternates with bright sun rather than offering a continuous downpour. Transitional seasonal periods of spring or autumn are absent.
Meteorological terminology of the Bible defines a tempest as a gale. Rain is seasonal rain with a heavy shower. A storm contains wind and rain sometimes accompanied by thunder and hail. Storms require people to take shelter.
Descriptive terms of the destructiveness of the wind's force include scorching wind, hot dry wind, and violent wind. South wind is gentle and brings heat. North wind brings rain. A surge southward of air brings heavy rains in March.
Peace
"Peace, be still." Is peace always active? Is it ever passive, waiting, simply accepting readiness? Those who trust in God have peace. Peace means much more than the stopping or absence of hostility between groups. Peace is a full word encompassing a calling of God's blessing of wholeness, good health, prosperity, and wishing all good for another, including one's salvation. Peace, Shalom, is a greeting or farewell among Jews.
Recently, on a cross-country flight, the author sat next to a man who ordered a kosher meal. We visited a little and, as we left the plane, I said the richest Jewish words I knew, "May shalom go with you." To my surprise, the traveler said, "Good luck to you, too."
Shalom is more than a mere salutation. I was surprised at first to hear the Jewish man reduce my non-Jewish shalom to a casual good luck. He had secularized my religious offering. Then I realized it was I who belittled good luck because the Old Testament God rules over the fortunes of people. The traveler had wished me well in the idiom of my own language.
Old Testament shalom heavily influences the New Testament meaning of peace. In the New Testament, peace carries a broader meaning within the context of Christian faith. Peace includes restoration of a right relationship with God. Peace comes from God, so it is the peace of God we offer to others.
After several conversations with a weekend house guest from India, I gained a beginner's sense of the multifaceted nature of the Hindu deity. Sunday, Deepak Mehta, attending his first Christian worship, and I sat together. As is the custom in our church, we pass the peace (from John 20:19). Offering my new friend my hand, I said, "May the peace of God be with you, Deepak." After a pause, Deepak answered with earnest, "And may the whole God be with you, Dee." This time I paused, then whispered, "The peace, Deepak, p-e-a-c-e."
After the service, we laughed together at the confusion of language. We still managed to convey to each other the depth of shalom spanning our faiths.
Another dimension of shalom is evident in the New Testament. Biblically unique to New Testament context, peace also means serenity or peace of mind. Modern-day cliches have weakened the latter term. To avoid suggesting only the relaxation of a troubled or anxious mind, we might appropriately rename peace of mind as peace of the soul or peace of heart. Again, it is God whom we trust to bring this peace.
Appropriately, it was Jesus who acted as mediator to remind the disciples of God's peace. The chaos of a storm is analogous to forgetting our relationship with God. Chaos of storm reminds us to be aware of God's presence and to call out to God.
Faith
From Jewish heritage, basic belief in God is trust in God's power. In the New Testament and for Jesus, faith has to do with our relationship with God. Everything Jesus said and did presupposed this oneness with God. His union with God was automatic and complete. Is that why he could not imagine his disciples doubting during a storm?
For Jesus, the starting point is trusting God as a parent who heals and helps us when we need. Absence of faith is alienation. God is present; we are the ones who separate ourselves from God. Being apart from God is a sinful condition.
Faith is our way of saying yes to God. Faith is belief in something or trust in some person or in God. It is a kind of knowledge without proof beforehand. Those who do not put faith first sink.
Disciple Who Called Out To Jesus
Whoever the disciple was who called out to Jesus, hearers of this story easily identify with him. He could have been any among the disciples. However, Peter usually acted or spoke for the group of disciples. Peter stood out among them. Peter's name is first in the inner circle of disciples (Peter, James, and John). Peter volunteered to come to Jesus on the water in another story. Even as a fearful, imperfect person, the fisher also may have taken the lead the night of the storm.
5. Gospel Parallels
Compared with Matthew and Luke, who used the common Q source, Mark is terse and to the point. The Gospel of Mark was written about a decade earlier than the other Synoptic Gospels. According to Pherigo (See The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary), Mark was a contemporary of Paul. Mark, who was from a background of liberal, Hellenistic Judaism rather than the Judaism of Jerusalem, was probably a key member of the gentile Christian community and wrote from that perspective. He wrote about 35 years after the events he described.
The Setting
When? The Gospel called Mark says, "On that day, when evening had come" (Mark 4:35). Luke says, "One day" (Luke 8:22). Matthew does not tell us when the event happened.
Where? Mark (4:35) and Luke (8:22) also quote Jesus, "Let us go across to the other side." Luke, speaking to an audience as a storyteller from a greater distance, adds "of the lake."
Why? Mark suggests it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to get away from the crowd, because they took Jesus in the boat "just as he was" (Mark 4:36). Matthew presents Jesus as the man of action who "gave orders" (Matthew 8:18) to go over to the other side when he saw the great crowds. In Matthew, the disciples follow Jesus rather than taking care of him (Matthew 8:23). Of the three versions, only Mark explains further that other boats were with him (Mark 4:36).
Compared to the sense of urgency or tension in Mark's version, Luke's telling is casual on the surface. Note such terms as "One day," "a boat," and "So they put out" (Luke 8:22).
The Storm And Jesus Asleep
The Gospel called Luke tells first about Jesus falling asleep; then he tells about the storm (Luke 8:23). Matthew and Mark describe the storm first. For all three writers, the storm is intense, with Matthew and Mark using the word "great" and the boat being "swamped" (Matthew 8:23 and Mark 4:37).
Luke and Matthew tell the story from a slight distance: "A windstorm swept down on the lake . . . and they were in danger" (Luke 8:23) and "a windstorm arose on the sea" (Matthew 8:24). Mark's telling is closest to the action. Mark's words are the most dramatic; for example, the waves "beat" into the boat (Mark 4:37). When Mark says a great windstorm arose, readers insert "right here."
Then Luke and Matthew add "but" Jesus was asleep, as if to say: Can you believe in the middle of all this Jesus was able to sleep? Mark says that Jesus was sleeping and details that he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion (Mark 4:38).
Response Of The Disciples
In all three narratives, "We are perishing" is the exclamation the disciples make in waking up Jesus (Matthew 8:25, Mark 4:38 and Luke 8:24). In Mark, they call him "teacher" (Mark 4:38), in Matthew the disciples call him "lord" (Matthew 8:25), and in Luke, they shout at him, "Master" (Luke 8:24).
Mark's words have a touch of irritation: "Do you not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). Matthew's words are to the point: "Save us. We are perishing" (Matthew 8:25).
After the quieting of the storm, Mark describes the disciples as filled with great awe (Mark 4:41). Luke says they are afraid and amazed (Luke 8:25). Matthew says they are amazed (Matthew 8:27).
Mark and Luke say the disciples speak to each other while Matthew uses the general, "saying" (Matthew 8:27). Both Mark and Luke say "Who then is thisÉ" (Mark 4:41 and Luke 8:25). Luke makes Jesus the actor, that is, "he commands" (Luke 8:25). All three writers emphasize the obedience of the wind and the sea (Matthew 8:27, Mark 4:41, and Luke 8:25).
Response Of Jesus
The sequence in both Mark and Luke begins with Jesus waking up, rebuking the wind, and speaking to the sea (Mark 4:39 and Luke 8:24). Then Jesus addresses the disciples (Mark 4:39, 40 and Luke 8:24, 25).
However, in Matthew, before Jesus even gets up, he first responds to the disciples. He asks them why they are afraid (Matthew 8:26). Then he rises and rebukes the winds and the sea. Only Mark gives the words that Jesus says to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" (See Mark 4:39.)
In all three narratives, Jesus admonishes the disciples about their faith. In Luke 8:25, he says to them, "Where is your faith?" For a second time in the story, Mark lets irritation show in the exchange. He has Jesus say, "Have you still no faith" (Mark 4:40), whereas in Matthew Jesus addresses the disciples as "you of little faith" (Matthew 8:26).
Response Of The Storm
Matthew (8:26) and Mark (4:39) describe the result as "a dead calm." Luke says, "There was a calm" (8:24).
On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side."35 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.36 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.37 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?"38 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.39 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"40 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?"41
2. What's Happening?
First Point Of Action
In the evening, Jesus wants to leave the crowds and cross to the other side of the lake. The disciples take Jesus in the boat. Several boats accompany them.
Second Point Of Action
A storm rises and swamps the boat. Jesus sleeps through it all until the frightened disciples wake him.
Third Point Of Action
Jesus speaks to the wind and to the sea. The storm stops. Jesus speaks to the disciples.
Fourth Point Of Action
The disciples respond with awe and wonder.
3. Connecting Points -- Conversations
Interviewing A Witness From Shore
Asker: What did you see from shore?
Witness: Well, you know how the wind blows at the transition from day to night? And you know how just at dusk the lake becomes choppy? How then everything -- the water, the air, the bird's song -- seems suspended? The silence, the peace? Well, that is the calm I experienced. Only it was not the usual sense of night coming on. It was the abrupt suspension, midstream, of a windstorm. The wind did not just blow itself out. It cut off, wind, waves, everything -- sudden stillness.
Interviewing A Disciple In The Boat
Asker: What about Jesus' asking you to cross the lake?
Disciple: Jesus is not a complainer. We must look out for him. Once people recognize him, those who need him often mob him. By nightfall, he is fairly well exhausted. I often wonder if his readiness to cross to the other side of the lake is the closest Jesus comes to saying he has had enough for the day. It is his way of saying, "Get me out of here, fellas."
Asker: Scripture says you took Jesus in the boat just as he was.
Disciple: You might interpret the words "just as he was" in a couple ways. One meaning is on the spur of the moment without any special gear or preparation beforehand. One might also say this is a story about God's acceptance of human weakness, God's acceptance of us just as we are.
Asker: This story reminds me of David's bravery as he went to fight Goliath. Saul told David that he would not be able to go against Goliath because he was just a boy. He trusted that the God who saved him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear would also save him from the hand of Goliath. (See this Old Testament pericope, 1 Samuel 17:32ff, for Proper 7.)
Disciple: Every one of us is vulnerable. Even so, God meets us where we are and offers strength. We disciples see Jesus as our protector. We also protect him when he tires. Sharp as he was with us, Jesus did quiet the storm.
Asker: This was not make-believe or exaggeration of reality. You were in danger on those waves. What about your waking Jesus and saying, "Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?"
Disciple: I look back now and wonder at my self-protecting words. Here we were Jesus' protectors, and we had to call on him to save us. You must remember that we were raised on the sea. We know the patterns and rhythms of the day. Waves do not easily intimidate us. Storms rise unannounced. Nevertheless, even for seasoned fishers, terror can turn everything around. Fear sometimes expresses itself with angry words.
I still cannot believe that Jesus slept through the storm. He was exhausted. I do not know how long I struggled with the boat and the waves while Jesus slept. He had to rest. I kept shouting inside myself, "Do something, Jesus! Something!" He slept on.
Jesus could not help people from dawn to dusk if he had no rest. We were all going to die by these waves. We'd never see the shore again. We needed help to get to the other side. I kept thinking the storm would subside. Finally, I just blurted out, "Don't you care?" Of course Jesus cares. He cares about us disciples. We are close.
My words sound selfish now. Had I called up the words of the Psalmist during the worst of the storm, perhaps I could have overcome my fear: "The Lord is a stronghold . . . in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you." (See Proper 7, Cycle B: Psalm 9:9,10.)
Asker: Where does fear come from? I would think you disciples, of all people, would be closest to Jesus. Why did you let fear get hold of you?
Disciple: As a disciple, I am not immune to crying out in fear. I am human. Sometimes I am afraid and feel helpless. As a disciple, I have no special privileges that exempt me from getting into situations where I feel vulnerable. In your modern-day churches, do not outsiders sometimes say to members, "Your faith should protect you from trouble"? My association with Jesus is no more an insurance policy or a buffer from harm than is your church attendance. Sometimes, I even think my association with Jesus makes matters worse.
Asker: How is that?
Disciple: Because of being around Jesus, I am more aware. I see the problems around me more clearly. I see the huge gap between the reality of what is and the ideal of what should be. I see how physically exhausted Jesus himself gets from doing the work God has called him to do. You call me a disciple. Discipleship holds a variety of meanings: a believer, one who follows the teachings of a certain religion, one who spreads these beliefs. For me, more than anything else, being a disciple of Jesus has meant constantly learning. Following Jesus around all day humbles one. I sometimes want to go far out to sea to escape the responsibilities to which my commitment to him calls me.
Asker: Then why do you continue to be a disciple? What are the benefits of following Jesus? Is your faith as empty as you felt it to be when terror overcame you in the boat?
Disciple: Despite the fear that occasionally overtakes me, or possibly because of the presence of fear, I am coming to know another presence. With faith, I can ride out the chaos. I can call out and know that God is here. Having faith requires an active choice to withstand fear. Being faithful to that choice is what discipleship is all about.
I do not think a disciple is ever a finished person. It is like the confirmands in your churches. When they finish confirmation and make the choice to become church members, they are not ending or completing their learning. It is easy to have faith in theory. Confirmands are just beginning to ask the important questions. It is then their faith truly begins to grow. They must not feel our dismissal now that they have come through the rite of passage. We must offer them the support and encouragement that accompany being within the fold.
Asker: Let us return to this story for one final question. What did you mean later at the end when you asked, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
Disciple: Usually a boat-swamping storm has to circle a few times to blow itself out. This storm quieted as suddenly as it arose. It is one thing for Jesus to work healing miracles. You never know exactly the cause of the malady. Even I can explain away some healing miracles when I do not choose simply to have faith. I do not intend by that comment to downplay the healing miracles. Jesus' power to transform the world astounds me. It extends to the natural world, to the natural order of things, to the sea and the wind.
We fishers respect the sea and the wind. The sea and the wind hold considerably more power than a person in a boat buffeted by waves. Yet Jesus commanded the natural world to quiet down. It did.
As we have walked with Jesus and heard his words, we have also questioned his identity. Now I know that Jesus called us to be his followers. However, a disciple is also, maybe at first, more of a companion. Belief is not always immediate, especially miracles we see with our own eyes that seem to defy the laws of nature. I wonder if that storm was to remind us of the meaning of our discipleship or to hint of the future? Jesus' challenging my faith was as jolting as a smashing wave. I must tell you, when the wind and the sea became calm that night, I began to shake with both relief and belief.
Interviewing Jesus
Asker: Jesus, you quieted the storm with these words, "Peace! Be still!" Might you have gone on to complete the Psalmist's words, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)?
Jesus: Yes, however, another verse comes to my mind: "Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices" (Psalm 37:7). Having faith does not mean not being afraid but rather meeting that fear with faith. To reach the other side of the lake in the storms of life requires partnership with God. Partnership flows in two directions. In our noise, we forget God's presence. God is with us always, but we must quiet our chaos long enough to listen. We must become aware of God.
Asker: When people were in distress and cried out to God, the Psalmist said, "He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed" (Psalm 107:29). Were you also fulfilling that scripture?
Jesus: Your word choice "fulfill," is important. Many find me only to be a revolutionary. I come to make the word real, to bring the peace of God, and to enable others to know God as present and active in their lives. I come to fulfill the words of the Psalmist and other writers.
Asker: Jesus, there was an edge to your voice, almost impatient sarcasm, when you said to the disciples, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"
Jesus: Sometimes the people who are closest to us, those in our families or under our employ, miss the obvious. Sometimes the people closest to us are the most cynical and unbelieving. Sometimes it is with them that we lose our patience. If we cannot listen to those closest to us, we are nothing. I imagine my impatience with the disciples that night parallels that of ministers working closely with church boards and church councils. Their focus is on the work of the church. They forget or reduce human measures, or they become impatient with the individual needs of these serving people.
Asker: Jesus, what does this miracle tell us about God?
Jesus: Some ask, "Where is God in the chaos?" God does not desert us when waves threaten to swamp the boat or when the pressure of responsibilities pitches us nearly overboard. God might not be obvious in the chaos; however, as our trust that God is with us grows, we find God present with us in the chaos.
Part of the wildness is our own rocking of the boat. God enters the turmoil as the still voice encouraging us to quiet down. God is a stable, calming force within a world filled with instability. We must approach God, that is, catch the attention of God so God knows we acknowledge that we are in trouble. When God becomes aware of our need, God sustains us. God expects us to have faith because God is in charge.
While this miracle story may not appear to fit into the pattern of the healing miracles, it is about healing. It offers healing for the soul. In your time, the spirit of your people starves. Acknowledgment of and caring for the souls of people is absent. This has resulted in drying up of the spirit. This sense of emptiness flattens the spirit of people like the centrifugal force that pushes players against the wall of a carnival ride. When we feed the souls of our people, they become buoyant with new life. They stay afloat. Waves too great for them to meet do not overcome them.
4. Words
Stormy Weather
The people of Palestine believed geography, climate, and society all interact; God made them all and God planned for them all. In Palestine, winter is the season of rain and stormy weather. November becomes an intense rain time. Drought is common with sometimes only half the normal average rainfall. Unlike Jerusalem in southern Judea where average annual rainfall is 26 inches, an average of 47 inches falls in upper Galilee. The rainy season alternates with bright sun rather than offering a continuous downpour. Transitional seasonal periods of spring or autumn are absent.
Meteorological terminology of the Bible defines a tempest as a gale. Rain is seasonal rain with a heavy shower. A storm contains wind and rain sometimes accompanied by thunder and hail. Storms require people to take shelter.
Descriptive terms of the destructiveness of the wind's force include scorching wind, hot dry wind, and violent wind. South wind is gentle and brings heat. North wind brings rain. A surge southward of air brings heavy rains in March.
Peace
"Peace, be still." Is peace always active? Is it ever passive, waiting, simply accepting readiness? Those who trust in God have peace. Peace means much more than the stopping or absence of hostility between groups. Peace is a full word encompassing a calling of God's blessing of wholeness, good health, prosperity, and wishing all good for another, including one's salvation. Peace, Shalom, is a greeting or farewell among Jews.
Recently, on a cross-country flight, the author sat next to a man who ordered a kosher meal. We visited a little and, as we left the plane, I said the richest Jewish words I knew, "May shalom go with you." To my surprise, the traveler said, "Good luck to you, too."
Shalom is more than a mere salutation. I was surprised at first to hear the Jewish man reduce my non-Jewish shalom to a casual good luck. He had secularized my religious offering. Then I realized it was I who belittled good luck because the Old Testament God rules over the fortunes of people. The traveler had wished me well in the idiom of my own language.
Old Testament shalom heavily influences the New Testament meaning of peace. In the New Testament, peace carries a broader meaning within the context of Christian faith. Peace includes restoration of a right relationship with God. Peace comes from God, so it is the peace of God we offer to others.
After several conversations with a weekend house guest from India, I gained a beginner's sense of the multifaceted nature of the Hindu deity. Sunday, Deepak Mehta, attending his first Christian worship, and I sat together. As is the custom in our church, we pass the peace (from John 20:19). Offering my new friend my hand, I said, "May the peace of God be with you, Deepak." After a pause, Deepak answered with earnest, "And may the whole God be with you, Dee." This time I paused, then whispered, "The peace, Deepak, p-e-a-c-e."
After the service, we laughed together at the confusion of language. We still managed to convey to each other the depth of shalom spanning our faiths.
Another dimension of shalom is evident in the New Testament. Biblically unique to New Testament context, peace also means serenity or peace of mind. Modern-day cliches have weakened the latter term. To avoid suggesting only the relaxation of a troubled or anxious mind, we might appropriately rename peace of mind as peace of the soul or peace of heart. Again, it is God whom we trust to bring this peace.
Appropriately, it was Jesus who acted as mediator to remind the disciples of God's peace. The chaos of a storm is analogous to forgetting our relationship with God. Chaos of storm reminds us to be aware of God's presence and to call out to God.
Faith
From Jewish heritage, basic belief in God is trust in God's power. In the New Testament and for Jesus, faith has to do with our relationship with God. Everything Jesus said and did presupposed this oneness with God. His union with God was automatic and complete. Is that why he could not imagine his disciples doubting during a storm?
For Jesus, the starting point is trusting God as a parent who heals and helps us when we need. Absence of faith is alienation. God is present; we are the ones who separate ourselves from God. Being apart from God is a sinful condition.
Faith is our way of saying yes to God. Faith is belief in something or trust in some person or in God. It is a kind of knowledge without proof beforehand. Those who do not put faith first sink.
Disciple Who Called Out To Jesus
Whoever the disciple was who called out to Jesus, hearers of this story easily identify with him. He could have been any among the disciples. However, Peter usually acted or spoke for the group of disciples. Peter stood out among them. Peter's name is first in the inner circle of disciples (Peter, James, and John). Peter volunteered to come to Jesus on the water in another story. Even as a fearful, imperfect person, the fisher also may have taken the lead the night of the storm.
5. Gospel Parallels
Compared with Matthew and Luke, who used the common Q source, Mark is terse and to the point. The Gospel of Mark was written about a decade earlier than the other Synoptic Gospels. According to Pherigo (See The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary), Mark was a contemporary of Paul. Mark, who was from a background of liberal, Hellenistic Judaism rather than the Judaism of Jerusalem, was probably a key member of the gentile Christian community and wrote from that perspective. He wrote about 35 years after the events he described.
The Setting
When? The Gospel called Mark says, "On that day, when evening had come" (Mark 4:35). Luke says, "One day" (Luke 8:22). Matthew does not tell us when the event happened.
Where? Mark (4:35) and Luke (8:22) also quote Jesus, "Let us go across to the other side." Luke, speaking to an audience as a storyteller from a greater distance, adds "of the lake."
Why? Mark suggests it was a spur-of-the-moment decision to get away from the crowd, because they took Jesus in the boat "just as he was" (Mark 4:36). Matthew presents Jesus as the man of action who "gave orders" (Matthew 8:18) to go over to the other side when he saw the great crowds. In Matthew, the disciples follow Jesus rather than taking care of him (Matthew 8:23). Of the three versions, only Mark explains further that other boats were with him (Mark 4:36).
Compared to the sense of urgency or tension in Mark's version, Luke's telling is casual on the surface. Note such terms as "One day," "a boat," and "So they put out" (Luke 8:22).
The Storm And Jesus Asleep
The Gospel called Luke tells first about Jesus falling asleep; then he tells about the storm (Luke 8:23). Matthew and Mark describe the storm first. For all three writers, the storm is intense, with Matthew and Mark using the word "great" and the boat being "swamped" (Matthew 8:23 and Mark 4:37).
Luke and Matthew tell the story from a slight distance: "A windstorm swept down on the lake . . . and they were in danger" (Luke 8:23) and "a windstorm arose on the sea" (Matthew 8:24). Mark's telling is closest to the action. Mark's words are the most dramatic; for example, the waves "beat" into the boat (Mark 4:37). When Mark says a great windstorm arose, readers insert "right here."
Then Luke and Matthew add "but" Jesus was asleep, as if to say: Can you believe in the middle of all this Jesus was able to sleep? Mark says that Jesus was sleeping and details that he was in the stern, asleep on a cushion (Mark 4:38).
Response Of The Disciples
In all three narratives, "We are perishing" is the exclamation the disciples make in waking up Jesus (Matthew 8:25, Mark 4:38 and Luke 8:24). In Mark, they call him "teacher" (Mark 4:38), in Matthew the disciples call him "lord" (Matthew 8:25), and in Luke, they shout at him, "Master" (Luke 8:24).
Mark's words have a touch of irritation: "Do you not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38). Matthew's words are to the point: "Save us. We are perishing" (Matthew 8:25).
After the quieting of the storm, Mark describes the disciples as filled with great awe (Mark 4:41). Luke says they are afraid and amazed (Luke 8:25). Matthew says they are amazed (Matthew 8:27).
Mark and Luke say the disciples speak to each other while Matthew uses the general, "saying" (Matthew 8:27). Both Mark and Luke say "Who then is thisÉ" (Mark 4:41 and Luke 8:25). Luke makes Jesus the actor, that is, "he commands" (Luke 8:25). All three writers emphasize the obedience of the wind and the sea (Matthew 8:27, Mark 4:41, and Luke 8:25).
Response Of Jesus
The sequence in both Mark and Luke begins with Jesus waking up, rebuking the wind, and speaking to the sea (Mark 4:39 and Luke 8:24). Then Jesus addresses the disciples (Mark 4:39, 40 and Luke 8:24, 25).
However, in Matthew, before Jesus even gets up, he first responds to the disciples. He asks them why they are afraid (Matthew 8:26). Then he rises and rebukes the winds and the sea. Only Mark gives the words that Jesus says to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" (See Mark 4:39.)
In all three narratives, Jesus admonishes the disciples about their faith. In Luke 8:25, he says to them, "Where is your faith?" For a second time in the story, Mark lets irritation show in the exchange. He has Jesus say, "Have you still no faith" (Mark 4:40), whereas in Matthew Jesus addresses the disciples as "you of little faith" (Matthew 8:26).
Response Of The Storm
Matthew (8:26) and Mark (4:39) describe the result as "a dead calm." Luke says, "There was a calm" (8:24).
