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The event of the calming of the storm has to be of the most well known accounts in the gospels.Jesus asks His disciples to take Him to the otherside of the lake. While on the way Jesus falls asleep and a great storm comes up. The consequence of the storm is that their boat takes in a lot of water and is in danger of sinking, resulting in them drowning. It is amazing to read that Jesus is still sleeping in the midst of this great turmoil. There is the clear contrast of men in fear and turmoil and one who is completely at peace. They go and wake Jesus up, and cry to Jesus that they are perishing. Marks gospel adds them saying don't you care!!! This is clearly not just alerting Jesus to the terrible danger they are facing. It is a cry for help, to save their lives!!!! Jesus arises and rebukes the wind and the raging waves and they ceased. It is interesting to see the word used is "rebuked" and it came under Jesus authority, just as when the powers of evil were rebuked and had to submit to Jesus authority.Quite clearly we are witnessing the God of all creation in action, in the person of Jesus Christ. God in Genesis spoke the word and the world and all that was in it was made over six days.
What happens next is that Jesus asks them "Where is your faith?" It is a clear challenge for them to put their trust in Him and be saved. The response of faith is always what the Lord asks for from us who claim Him as our Lord and King. The theme of where does your confidence lie and on whom do you rely is of the greatest themes in all the bible. God is always challenging people to put their trust in Him and be saved. It becomes clear that the whole episode was orchestrated by the Lord to reveal to them who He is. That The Lord who controls the weather and sends rain and witholds it, is in the boat with them. So when they say who is this that he commands wind and water and they obey him? The question is self explanatory and the answer is quite obvious as they do indeed know the answer to it. This Jesus is the God of their fathers who parted the seas for them to escape Egypt and then closed the seas to destroy their enemies!!. So what they were to understand was that God was in Jesus in their midst to save them. In later times in the early church the church was depicted with Jesus in the boat. This was to encourage them in their persecution. But more than anything it is to be understood that the God who saved them out of Egypt had now appeared in Israel in the flesh and was about to bring in His kingdom.We must not lose sight of the eschatalogical context of the gospels. God had sent Israel His Christ to save them from their enemies!!It was in Jesus who they needed to trust to save them, and in Jesus all nations would put their trust!! |
