Mark 4: 35-41
One of my favourite memories of the Holy Land when I visited it a few years ago, remains the sea of Galilee. We went out on a small boat, across the lake where we paused for a while to pray and take the scene in. It was so beautiful and peaceful; so much of what we read in the gospels happened here. It was probably quite peaceful when Jesus asked the disciples to put out to the other side. But it wasn’t to remain so, for long.
This sea of Galilee is actually a large lake, about thirteen miles long and eight miles wide. It is also known as the lake of Gennesaret and the sea of Tiberias. It is situated 700 feet below sea level and bounded by mountains which create a kind of funnel structure around it. When the winds blow in from the mountains, being cold, they would drop quite quickly because of the difference in temperature with the warm air over the lake. Their speed and difference in pressure creates a huge vacuum causing large waves to rise very quickly. When they came crashing down on any mid-sized boat, what was a tranquil state of affairs a minute ago, could become a sudden nightmare. This, seems to have been one such storm. With all their sailing experience, the disciples were completely helpless.
Let us review what has happened so far, for a moment. All day long, Jesus has been ministering to the crowds non-stop, teaching, healing, performing miracles. The disciples are impressed. They know now that they made the right choice when they followed Jesus. When Jesus asks them to put the boat out, it is hardly something to think about. The sea seemed peaceful; it should be a simple trip across the lake – yet, suddenly a storm arises – so fierce that they are in terror of losing their lives. And to top it off, their new hero, their Master is fast asleep through the storm. How is it that Jesus can even sleep through a storm of this magnitude? I’m sure we all know certain people who cannot be woken up by anything; there are also a whole class of small people, usually around fourteen or fifteen years of age who can sleep through any storm. Jesus’ sleep was neither because he was fifteen or simply from exhaustion – everything in Scripture has a deeper meaning. To sleep well and peacefully is a gift of God. It means your life is not troubled by all kinds of unnecessary anxieties. It is why the Psalmist says
It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved while they sleep Ps 127:2
Some translations have it simply as for he gives to his beloved sleep (ESV). Jesus could sleep because he was safe in the love and care of his Father. His Father commanded the wind and the waves; he lived on earth as he lived in the bosom of the Father. In contrast to the disciples, he felt no fear, there was no anxiety in him. He would get to where he was going; it was not time for him to die; he was not going to lose sleep over a minor inconvenience such as a storm. The disciples on the other hand are caught completely off guard. They panic and are out of control. They are angry with Jesus – their question is an accusation – don’t you care? – an accusation which comes out of a sense of abandonment. Jesus was supposed to take care of them, and he was sleeping. This kind of thing shouldn’t happen to them. Jesus, who is not woken by the storm, wakes up at the slightest sound of the disciples. Some mothers can sleep out of exhaustion and be dead to the world, but wake up to the smallest cry of their child in another room. The moment they call, Jesus hears. He doesn’t have to scream and shout – the chaos quietens to a whisper, the storm melts away. That is power. And the disciples are now more afraid of him than the storm.
What does this mean for us today? This boat is our life. We place our trust in all kinds of things. Maybe we have a great boat; we are healthy, we are successful, maybe we think as long as we have a good career or get married or anything else as the case maybe we will be fine. As far as we can see, the lake of our future is peaceful; we should have a fairly easy ride. And God is on our side, so he should protect us. But faith is no guarantee that we will not suffer in life. In fact, Jesus promised just the opposite. Christians do not live in accident-free zones, as my parish priest used to say. And like the lake of Galilee, the storm can come very quickly, when we least expect it. One moment, our life is peaceful and the next, everything starts coming undone. Everything we relied on becomes useless. Our faith can be severely tested in the storm. It seems like God is asleep; we are flailing and crying out. There seems to be no answer. But it is also a time when can find that God is actually very close to us. Jesus never closes his eyes or ears to his disciples. In fact, he is the only one not touched, who remains undisturbed when everything in our boat is breaking up. He is the still center in the storm. If we know him in a personal way, we too can sleep peacefully, held in his arms. We might suffer, but we will still have peace. We won’t be thrown about like the panicked disciples. And we can be sure we will reach the shore because God is in control.
We are still in the month of June, which is the month of the Sacred Heart. In the heart of Jesus, every storm is stilled. When you are afraid, when you don’t know where to turn, look at the Sacred Heart. Place all your worries in his heart and say, ‘Heart of Jesus, I trust in you’. Make that your constant prayer. And you will find that he was never far from you.
Casting Fire 