And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’” vs. 41
Mark 4:39-41
Mark closes his little story with a question that he knew most every devout Jew should be able to answer. Who is it that even the winds and the waves obey? It was in their psalms–they sang about it regularly. It was the Lord who wielded such control over the forces of nature–there could be no other answer. So with this question Mark makes the point of his living parable. In Jesus, the power of God had been made flesh! In him, people were encountering the Divine Presence. But the disciples still didn’t get it–they were certainly impressed, and said all the right words, but they had only begun the journey. They wouldn’t be immersed in faith until they’d walked with Jesus to the other side of the cross. We still see that response to Jesus–sometimes it happens in retreats. A mood is set, receptivity is heightened, and folks are amazed at their feelings, and sing with gusto, “Our God is an awesome God,” but they’ve only dipped their toes in the shallow end of life in Christ. Our God is more than the master of wind and waves–the God revealed in Jesus was full of love and tenderness, and hadn’t come to do magic tricks. It’s in the ordinary stuff of life, in our day to day encounters with anxiety and fear, that the God of peace brings calmness to our hearts, even on windy days!
Thought for the Day: What’s the relationship between faith and weather?
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