jan 28 2006

Mk 4:35-41 On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him,“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another,“Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
The disciples were frightened even though Jesus was with them. Jesus was asleep in the portion of the boat used for direction and steering. The violent squall sent a message of danger and loss of control, a fear of possible death. The disciples finally woke Jesus up and pleaded for help. About two years ago, I did a drawing of this scene as a reflection. The disciples were in the boat in twos. Two were hiding their eyes from everything, two were looking out forward ahead at the storm together, two were clinging to each other, two were trying to steer the boat, two were looking backward at Jesus and finally trying to wake Jesus, the other pair of two were looking outwards from each side to the boat. So they were looking ahead, out, backward, to each other, refusing to look and looking to the sides outward.

The waters outside the boat had a sunken cross. The crucifixion had not of course happened yet in the timing of this story, it was a symbol sinking of lost faith and hope. Many churches have the symbol of the boat anchor as hope. The disciples had lost hope their faith had sunken when the fears of the violent storm whipped around them. They did not turn to the sleeping Jesus in prayer or supplications. With his power he could have answered them.

Being surrounded by a squall is a violent and powerful setting. I have been outdoors in more than one squall. In one squall, I was in Virginia as a child with my family in a canvas cabin tent with a large cross pole that came crashing down in the midst of the high winds at a site on the Chesepeake bay. Another time, I was helping to relash, tie down a small plane at the Martha's Vineyard Airport. The rain felt like nails and the winds were so strong that some planes and parts of houses were picked up and moved. It was an effort to stand and it took all of my strength and a great deal of persistance to pull the tie down ropes against the powerful winds. It was really loud and all you could hear was the wind and storm making it difficult to hear any conversation or directions. The wind was so strong it felt like it was pushing me over at times. After the storm, there were boats that pulled away from their moorings, damaged homes and damaged planes. Luckily the struggle to retie the plane that I went through worked and the specific direction that the plane was pointed in relation to the wind and the tighter ropes held and protected the plane.

I know it is easy to feel out of protection or control in the midst of the strongest storm. Jesus is with me always but in the strength of the storm and trials their are fears and challenges that are often overwhelming. It is not always so easy to simply trust that Jesus will be there and calm the storm, protect the believer. I know that the message is to trust in the Lord in the midst of the storm, we are never forgotten by God although in the storm it may seem like it.