Today's Gospel reading is from Mark's Gospel (Mark 4.35-41). I see this Gospel pericope as a metaphor for the latent power of Christ in us, that we often do not tap. Christ is with us in all our trials, and I will trust in Him, whether I experience deliverance or not. But I seek to exercise faith in Him for my deliverance. - Lance
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| Jesus Calms the Storm, by Laura James, 1995 |
On that day, when evening had come, hesaid to them, "Let us go across to the other side." Andleaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, justas he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, andthe waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already beingswamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and theywoke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that weare perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said tothe sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and therewas a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have youstill no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and saidto one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and thesea obey him?"
- Mark 4.35-41, NRSV
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M. Scott Peck opens his book The RoadLess Traveled with the line, Life is Difficult. He wasparaphrasing the Buddha, Life is Suffering. Life is hard.Jesus tells us that “In the world you have distress. But beencouraged! I have conquered the world (John 16.33 CEB).”
We don't know why we suffer sometimes;we don't know why things don't go our way sometimes. Usually thosewho try to tell us why are as useless with their counsel as Job'sfriends.
What we do know is that God is with us.God is with us in our suffering. This seems to be a common theme insacred scripture:
Then the Lord said, "I haveobserved the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I haveheard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I knowtheir sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them fromthe Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good andbroad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of theCanaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites,and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; Ihave also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. - Exodus 3.7-9 NRSV
Yahweh identifies with the suffering ofthe Israelites in the Book of Exodus.
We also see God walking with God's people in their trials in the Book of Daniel:
When the three young man are throwninto the fiery furnace in the Book of Daniel, they survive, and walkthrough the flames unharmed. The Babylonians who observe them see afourth Person, one “like the Son of God (Daniel 3.25, KJV).”
In today's Gospel, the disciples arecaught in a storm on the lake. They are fearful of their boatcapsizing and of drowning. Jesus is asleep in the boat, seemingly unaware of the circumstances. But like the “Son of God” in thefiery furnace, Jesus, the Son of God, is with them in their peril.Jesus “woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,'Peace! Be still!' Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm(verse 39).”
Jesusis always with us, and he tells us in the storms of life, "Bestill, and know that I am God!” - Psalm 46.10, NRSV.
I know this cansound like a platitude. But if we are going to suffer, why not sufferand have God with us, rather than suffer alone?
Once a few yearsago, a young man shared with me his problems. I won't go into detail,but he had many problems involving overwhelming financial problems,losing his home, and his shaky marriage. He was consideringrededicating his life to Christ. He was a Christian, but felt that hehad not been living a Christian life. He wondered if God woulddeliver him from all his problems if he surrendered to Christ. I toldhim, “I don't know, maybe God will deliver you. But even if you arenot spared some of these hardships, wouldn't it be better to gothrough them with God?” He nodded, and said, “Yes, it would bebetter to have God in my life, even if things don't work out.”
In the book ofDaniel, when the three young men are threatened with being throwninto the fiery furnace, they tell the Babylonian King: “our Godwhom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace,and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be itknown unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worshipthe golden image which thou hast set up (Daniel3.17-18, KJV).”
This is how I feelI need to approach life. I want God in my life even if things don'twork out. I have challenges and stressors that seem to have noimmediate solution, but I believe Christ is with me. If there is to be no relief, I would still rather have God in my life during my hardships.
Although I realizeI may not be able to escape some suffering and hardship in life, Iwant emphasize that God does indeed have the power to deliver us fromour afflictions. The Bible says, “Many are the afflictions ofthe righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all (Psalm34.19, KJV). The text does not deny that we are afflicted, but itholds out hope there is a deliverance.
I like that in thecontemporary rendering of the Lord's Prayer in the Episcopal Book ofCommon Prayer, we pray Save us from the time of trial, ratherthan lead us not into temptation. Again, we may indeed sufferand have trials, it is part of life; but there is nothing wrong withpraying to be saved from the time of trial.
When I think ofJesus sleeping in the boat during the storm, I think of it as ametaphor for God's latent power within us. We DO have the power inChrist.
A few times, Ihave posted one of my favorite verses in the Bible as my Facebookstatus:
“Therefore Isay unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe thatye receive them, and ye shall have them.” - Mark 11.34, RV.
Almost immediatelysomeone, another Christian, will post a comment qualifying Jesusclear words here. I suppose people are concerned that I am buyinginto the “prosperity gospel,” “name & claim it,” or theysimply recognize that we don't always receive miracles or apparentanswers to prayers.
The problem I have with theirmitigation of course, is that Jesus DOES say this- he says elsewhere "Truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustardseed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' andit will move; and nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew17.20 NRSV)."
I will not lose faith if my prayersaren't answered the way I want, but I am not thereby going to refrainfor asking for my needs from our Lord. He counsels us to do so. Heenjoins us to pray in faith, believing that we will receive what isasked.
Years ago, I went to a charismaticChurch, in which the Pastor had warned about the prosperity gospel.Yet, he balanced that warning by telling his congregation, “Istill live my daily life according to faith principles.” He didnot elaborate, but for me today, faith principles involve meditation, dailyprayer, daily reading of the Bible (I use the Office Readingsassigned in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer- which I recommendfor any Christian), and also the use of affirmations.
When I think of Jesus asleep in thatboat, I think of that latent power of Christ within us, that weprobably never tap. Another favorite verse in the New Testament thatalludes to this, which is also used as a Benediction for Morning andEvening Prayers in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, is from St.Paul's letter to the Ephesians:
“Now unto him that is able to doexceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to thepower that worketh in us, unto him [be] the glory in the church andin Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen(Ephesians 3.20,21, RV).”
We need to release that latentChrist-Power with in us; we need to ask Jesus to baptize us with hisHoly Spirit, or to pray for a release of the Spirit. We received theHoly Spirit when we believed or were baptized; but that power islatent power within us is not always manifest, because we do not exercise faith. The Gospel todayis a challenge for us to have faith in Christ, who will help usweather all the storms of life, even when things look hopeless. AsChrist was with the disciples, sleeping in their boat, may “Christdwell in [our] hearts through faith (Ephesians 3.17).”
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