Scripture for the Week:
That day when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 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?”
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
- Mark 4:35-40
Reflection –
After a full day of Jesus teaching parables to the multitudes, it was time to rest. Evening was approaching and he decided to be alone with his disciples instructing them to cross over to the other shore. The disciples surrounded him in the boat and there they sailed.
Undoubtedly, Jesus was silent and eventually went to sleep. Perhaps his lesson being taught that night was not a parable but a lesson of commanding words in total faith.
After the violent churning of waves and turbulent winds began, the disciples panicked, forgetting the lessons of the parables learned that day. They awoke Jesus stricken with terror and claimed, “He didn’t care about them!” After all, how could he be asleep when so many of their lives were in peril?
Now, I suspect Jesus knew what he was teaching them that night, perhaps in a different way than parables. Jesus woke from his slumber and stood up commanding nature with full power of the spoken word, “Be Still.” Then the winds ceased, the waters calmed and truly the disciples were amazed. That day they saw Faith and Power work in unison. The result of faith and the spoken word transformed nature, ;Gods powerful alchemy was at work. That day, the lesson might have been that or simply, “Only he who obeys, can command.”
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