“Yes, He Does Care”
37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:37-39 (New International Version)
I can see the clouds building in the distance as I sit down to write. It is obvious someone is experiencing the typical summertime pattern in Eastern NC. The weather app on my phone confirms my suspicion, but, fortunately, the cell is moving away from Wayne County. I learned early on in life that this time of the year is prime for pop-up thunderstorms in the afternoon and/or early evening, and this of course in addition to hurricane season which came in with the month of June.
For those experiencing life on and around the Sea of Galilee, they are accustomed to the sudden changes in weather and how peaceful conditions can quickly give way to tumultuous waters. After the winds move across the mountains to the east, they make a sudden drop upon the warmer air above the surface of the water. It is then and there that an experience like the one recorded in Mark 4 unfolds.
Jesus and the disciples left behind a crowd with whom Jesus had shared various parables concerning the Kingdom of God. Jesus, tired from a day of instruction, took his place on a cushion at the rear of the vessel as they made their way in a southeastern direction to the east central coast of the Sea. While only a distance of eight miles and something with which Peter, Andrew, James, and John would have been quite familiar, it did not take long for their environment to become unsettling. As the winds and waves beat against their twenty-seven-foot vessel, panic began to settle into the hearts and minds of the Twelve. Presuming themselves to all be dead men, they cried out to Jesus, “Don’t you care?”
I am pretty sure we have been to that point in some overwhelming situations of our own. It may not have been a storm at sea, but was a time which nevertheless created feelings of fear, anxiety, or uncertainty. Like many people, the disciples viewed their scenario as “glass half empty” assuming only the worst outcome possible. To ridicule the disciples, however, does readers of the text no favors because we are more like them than we sometimes care to admit. By the fourth chapter of Mark, the disciples had already experienced Jesus’ healing of a paralyzed man, a man with a withered hand, as well as Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. In Mark 1, the author includes a story of Jesus having cast an impure spirit out of a man by using similar language as is found upon the lips of Jesus in responding to the storm. Despite all of that (and even more), the disciples still had their reservations in the heat of the moment. Maybe it was because they were dense (a depiction which is common to Mark). Perhaps it came from a form of “spiritual amnesia” in which they forgot all they had witnessed from Jesus. It might even be that they, like us, believed in Jesus acting on behalf of others, but struggled with him doing something for their own situation.
Of course, there is a more obvious answer to the disciples’ anxiety and that was fear itself. Fear clouds our vision and hinders us from being able to see we are not alone in our storms. Jesus was in the boat with the disciples that night. He was not absentee, but in the midst of the wind and waves fear had seized the Twelve. All they could see and think about was their certain doom. A few years ago, Christian musician Zach Williams recorded a song entitled, “Fear Is a Liar.” The song personifies fear as a man who is continuously reinforcing the negative in a person’s life (beyond help, unworthy of love, not beautiful, etc.) Sometimes people will suggest doubt is the opposite of faith, but, in reality, it is fear which stands in opposition to faith. Honest doubt often leads a person to faith, but fear will keep a person paralyzed. I Peter 5:7 encourages readers to “Cast your cares upon him; for he cares for you.” Your cares can without question include the fear you may be feeling today. When you are afraid, be honest with God. Let God know when you are experiencing something that is overwhelming, impossible, or out of which there seems to be no way. When the disciples cried out to Jesus, they were honest. They wanted to know if Jesus cared and to this Jesus responded. It may not always feel like God is present or interested in your life, but know God is always there and does care for your deepest concerns. Just call out to him!
Together in Christ,
The Reverend Kelley Smart