Proper 13 :: Job 38: 1–11 / Psalm 107: 1–3, 23–32 / II Corinthians 6: 1–13 / Mark 4: 35–41
This is a homily given at St. James Lutheran Church (ELCA), York, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 23, 2024
“GROWTH AND CHANGE”
(Homily text: Mark 4: 35 – 41)
During my years in seminary, we had a
wonderful theology professor who would begin every class session with this
statement: “Class, it’s a pleasure to do theology”.
In response, some in the class would
quietly utter a groan.
In spite of the reaction of some of my
classmates, it truly is a pleasure to do theology. Doing theology allows us to
reflect on God’s nature and attributes, and on the ways in which God has acted
in times past (offering us a clue as to how He might act in our own time, or in
times to come).
With this thought in mind, let’s do some theological reflection on the familiar account of Jesus’ stilling the waters of the Sea of Galilee as He and His disciples made their way by night through a storm.[1]
The setting for this event is the beautiful lake, called Gennesaret on some places, and the Sea of Galilee in other places. This beautiful body of water is a spectacular fresh water lake, surrounded by hills and mountains. Looking at it, one might think that it was located in some mountainous region. In truth, it lies about 700 feet below sea level. The lake is fed by the Jordan River, coming into it from the north. The Jordan also flows out of the lake on the south side, heading toward the Dead Sea, which lies about 1,200 feet below sea level.[2]
Due to its setting and the presence of
the surrounding hills and mountains, the Sea of Galilee is prone to sudden
storms and high winds. The waves on the water can be quite high. Imagine then,
being in a relatively small boat[3] (perhaps about twenty-seven feet in length) at night as this storm arose.
“Teacher, do you not care that we are
perishing?” the disciples ask the Lord, who is asleep on a cushion at the back
of the boat. Mark relates to us that the waves were beginning to wash over the
sides, threatening to swamp the vessel.
“Peace! Be still!” the Lord says. Mark
then tells us that there was calm. The wind ceased and the waves stopped.
The disciples ask, “Who then is this,
that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
Who, indeed?
To make sense of what’s happening in
this event, we would do well to reflect on the forces at work and the person
who exerts control over them.
The forces are those of nature, which –
at this particular moment – are out-of-control. Chaos reigns, and it threatens
the wellbeing of those in the boat.
If we access our memory of accounts in
Holy Scripture, we remember that, at the beginning of creation, it is God who
creates all things, and in the process of doing so, creates order out of chaos.
He separates the waters from the dry land, for example. In providing dry land,
God makes possible the animal and human life that requires some solid
foundation in order to live and to thrive.
As an aside, recall the many instances
in the Psalms where we read something like “You, God, have lifted me up and
have placed me on a rock that is higher than I”. (I am paraphrasing.) All
throughout the Old Testament, we see evidence of an attitude of thankfulness
for God’s saving acts, particularly in providing a safe place in the midst of
chaos. (A good example is the parting of the Red Sea, allowing God’s people to
pass through the waters on dry land.)
So, then, the disciples are asking the
right question: “Who then, is this, that even the sea and the winds obey him?”
At the heart of this event lies God’s
power to control chaos, and – if we may step a bit onward – to create and to
recreate. In this incident, Jesus creates calm out of the storm.
It would be easy to think that the
disciples figured out who Jesus is in a logical, step-by-step process. As we
read the pages of Holy Scripture, it’d be easy to think that all the events
recorded in the Gospels simply unfolded easily and in sequence.
But the blunt truth is that the
disciples’ walk with the Lord wasn’t an easy one. For example, consider Peter,
who became (after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost) the leader of the
early Church and its most powerful spokesman. Prior to the Lord’s resurrection
and the coming of the Spirit, Peter was a bumbler, one who was capable of
saying really unbelievable things. An example will suffice: On the mountain
when Jesus was transfigured, it is Peter who says, “Lord, it is good for us to
be here. Let us make three booths, one for you, one for Moses, and one for
Elijah”. Recall that it is Peter who denied the Lord three times.
Some of the other disciples were
capable of the same sorts of things.
Their walk with the Lord was often one
of taking one step forward, and then two steps backward.
We shouldn’t be too hard on that
original band of the Lord’s followers. After all, God was doing something
wonderful and different in sending His Son into the world, to take on our
humanity to the full.
So Jesus calms the storm and quietens
the wind and the waves. He demonstrates God’s power over the created order, and
over the powers of chaos and disorder.
God’s power, at work in Jesus, reveals
to those disciples that God is present in the person and the work of Jesus.
In time, the Church would come to
understand that Jesus, the Christ, is One who is fully human, and yet, is fully
divine. Two natures, human and divine, in one Lord Jesus Christ. These two
natures, human and divine, do not diminish the other, they are not confused
with the other. (Ultimately, Jesus’
nature is a mystery. We can understand that nature to some extent, but we won’t
understand it fully until we are in God’s presence in eternity.)
In today’s incident, God chose to
reveal something about Jesus to His original band of followers. In time, they
would come to see just what was happening, and by what power Jesus stilled the
winds and the waves.
We love and adore and worship a Lord
Jesus Christ who reveals Himself to us in the things He is able to do by God’s
power. Perhaps our Gospel text for today might encourage us to reflect on our
own walk with God, and to remember those times and those circumstances when the
Lord brought us through stormy times into a place of calm.
Thanks be to God, for His Son who
comforts us in all trials and troubles.
AMEN.
[1] Matthew and Luke also recount this incident.
See Matthew 8: 18, 23 – 27 and Luke 8: 22 – 25.
[2] The Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth.
[3] A first-century fishing boat was discovered
near the shoreline of Galilee some years ago. It was carefully preserved, and
is now in a museum. It is about twenty-seven feet in length. Its hull contains
about a dozen different types of wood.
