By Rev. Canon David b. Tabo-oy
The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” 39Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and he said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm. 40Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”
Mark 4:38-40
Although the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA earlier tentatively declared the end of summer and the beginning of wet season, the afternoon rains for the past week officially confirmed it. And rainy season in the tropic is also typhoon season. The lack of proactive mode of most Filipinos usually accompany the typhoon season with unnecessary loss of limbs, life, and properties. It’s just the beginning of the season and yet there are already several reports of damage and casualties attributed to the stormy weather.
Yet there is another kind of storm that we must be wary of and must prepare ourselves for in order not to succumb to its dreadful effect.
The gospel lesson where the above verses were lifted tells us about two kinds of storm that we cannot avoid in this life. The first kind is seen in the experience of the disciples of Jesus in the story. There was a sudden storm on that evening while the disciples were traversing the Galilean lake towards the other side. Another version says it’s a squall- a wind storm that forms suddenly out from nowhere and blew over the lake. I read that the Lake of Galilee (some call it Sea of Galilee or Lake Tiberius or Gennesaret) has a history of terrible storms. These could be attributed to its geophysical character as an inland water way. The lake is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is approximately 53 km (33 mi) in circumference, about 21 km (13 mi) long, and 13 km (8.1 mi) wide. Its area is 166.7 km (64.4 sq mi) at its fullest, and its maximum depth is approximately 43 m (141 feet). At levels between 215 metres (705 ft) and 209 metres (686 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest freshwater lake on Earth and the second-lowest lake in the world (after the Dead Sea, a saltwater lake).
It had been a long day of itinerant preaching and healing for Jesus and his disciples. Previously in Mark’s account we read that Jesus healed many who are sick in body and mind. Notably recorded are the accounts of his power over demons by casting out evil spirits from possessed persons.
It is a frightening experience to be caught out in the middle of a storm especially in a small boat without warning. The sea suddenly changes from peaceful blue waters to angry rampaging waves. The power of a stormy sea is so overwhelming that it can become a frightening ordeal. We have all experienced fear, so we can relate to the plight of the disciples in the storm-tossed boat. In desperation they turn to Jesus who is asleep in the boat, seemingly unaware of the danger, and indifferent to their peril. In consternation and frightened voice they awaken him, ‘Master, do you not care that we are going down?’
This story can be seen in our modern human lives. We can easily make a connection between the storm at sea and the trials and misfortunes of our lives. Troubles, disappointments and misfortunes come our way unannounced and severely test our faith. It is our natural human reaction sometimes to be disappointed or disheartened although we do not readily admit it. More often than not we feel disappointed with God when set-backs bring sadness and anxiety into our homes and individual lives.
As wind and waves wildly tossed the boat about, Jesus remained asleep at the stern. They woke him up and cried, “”Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” At the depth of their despair they woke Jesus up. He stood up and awed them by calming the storm with just a sharp command. Then he turned around to chide them by asking: “Have you no faith?”
The disciples lacked faith because they forgot all the miracles that Jesus had previously performed. They lacked faith because their faith in Jesus had not yet seeped deep into their hearts and soul. There are many times that we too act just like the disciples. If we look back our past lives we will remember how God has helped us in so many times. When we had a problem and called upon His name, He rescued us. But how easily we forget! And how worried we become whenever a new problem arises!
How easy it is to claim great trust in God in times of sunshine and smooth sailing. It is only when a storm hits that we lose control of our lifeboats that we discover how feeble or robust our faith truly is. At such times it is only right to pray to God for help. What is wrong is to pray only when we are in trouble.
Another test of genuine faith is how we pray. The next time fierce winds and waves come again to rock our lifeboat, let us not tell our Lord how great the storm is. Let us keep rowing with trust as we tell the storm how far greater our God is.
Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame, also wrote a story called “Ninety-Three.” It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, part of the ship’s cargo, that had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.
That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the gravest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy.
Unfortunately storms that rage within us cannot be cured by ourselves. It takes the power of God’s love, as revealed in Jesus Christ. He is our only hope of stilling the tempest that can harm our souls and cripple our lives.
That’s what the disciples learned this day on the Sea of Galilee. They thought the danger lie outside the boat. They would soon learn the real danger lie within the boat, within their own hearts. In a word, they lacked faith. And without faith their lives were at risk to the storms which would inevitably come. And come they did and come they will. So what can we learn from this boat ride in the storm?
Let us put all our worries and anxieties in God’s hand. And let us be aware of our need not to take our faith for granted, but to continue to deepen it.
The lyrics of a hymn with the first line title, ‘My Boat of Life’ in the ECP Hymnal could easily make it our theme song as we sail this life’s unpredictable seas.
My boat of life sails on an angry sea,
The weather changes with each passing day.
Sometimes it brings such happiness and joy,
Sometimes there’s nothing but great anxiety.
There was a time when things were simply bad,
The obstacles I faced were like a storm.
The sail was ripped my rudder broke in two,
It didn’t look like I’d make it safely home.
But in the raging wind I heard a voice,
It said “Don’t be afraid your faith is strong.
I am your pilot, you won’t lose your way,
You know I’ll help you when everything goes wrong.”
So now the wind can come, the wind can go.
I am no longer frightened by the sea,
When waters roar and dark clouds fill the sky.
I say “It’s alright the Lord will be with me.”
