Sunday Reflection - When You Walk Through A Storm... - 23rd June - Trinity 3 [Proper 7 Year B]
Job 38.1-11 Psalm 107. 1-3, 23-32 2 Corinthians 6.1-14 Mark 4.26-34 "The Stilling of the Storm"
I was very struck by the story of a person training for Christian ministry who did a placement at a Hospice. The Chaplain explained his role – and said, “Normally, I have no more than ten days with each person who comes here.” The student asked him, “How does this affect you?”
The Chaplain thought for a moment, and the said: “Over the years, I realise that I know less, but that I believe more.”
That could be the cry of the disciples in the middle of the storm on Lake Galilee that seemed to come out of the blue.
That could be the motto of St Paul, as he shares his battle-scarred credentials with the Corinthians as a missionary.
That could be the verdict Job has on his own questioning when God engages with him after a period of totally undeserved suffering.
“I know less, but I believe more.”
[The story comes from Richard Littledale - BBC Radio 4 Daily Service - Thursday 16 June - Listen here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0020252]
At first, the story of Jesus calming the storm seems a comforting one. It’s been a long day. Jesus has taught the people on the Galilean lakeside from a boat – sharing the stories of the Sower and various stories about the Kingdom of God that Mark records in chapter 4. He tells his fisherman friends to take the boat to the other side. He falls asleep in the back of the boat. Storms come suddenly on Galilee. The Lake is surrounded by hills that act as wind-tunnels. And they are caught in what seems to be an unexpectedly severe storm, even though they’re experienced fishermen.
Waves crash over the boat. They’re overwhelmed. Jesus is asleep. Isn’t he bothered? They panic. He wakes. He speaks a word to the waves and the wind. Suddenly, calm falls on the Lake as suddenly as the storm that blew up.
So far, so good. But here comes the puzzling bit. The storm has gone. Jesus has told them, “Don’t be afraid.” Do you think that’s calmed their spirits? Not a bit of it. Now they’re terrified!
What’s the real purpose of this story? It’s the question that they then go on to ask: “'Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!'
What is the faith and trust that Jesus is asking them to exercise?
The early Christians often thought of their fellowship as being a bit like a ship on the sea. Within two or three generations of Christian leadership, the writer Tertullian thought of the story of Jesus stilling the storm as an encouragement to the early believers when enduring storms of sudden persecution, or other forms of trial. St Paul has no doubts that God is leading him and his team through difficult waters. And that, in the end, God is greater than the forces that would batter, imprison or persecute them. Indeed, he shows that the way they come through the trials commends themselves to the people he’s addressing.
They’ve been given this task by God’s grace. They urge their listeners not to receive God’s grace in vain.
The grace given them to exercise faith during these trials leads them to exercise “purity, understanding, patience and kindness”, speaking the truth, and with righteousness, in the Holy Spirit and with sincere love.
They may get moments of reprieve and of rest. They may have times when they can look on the sea, and a great calm descends upon it. But their faith keeps them going through the storms, without their knowing where they come from or why they’re there. They’re not given an easy ride. But they have the inner resources to keep going.
“I know less, but I believe more.”
That is how God confronts Job. Job has suffered the loss of his family, his livelihood and his possessions through no fault of his own. His friends say, “You can’t have been walking in God’s ways for these judgements to come upon you.” But Job has – and he can’t make sense of what’s happened. He wants to confront God with his questions. What was the purpose of it all if this was the outcome?
It's at this point, at the climax of the book, that God reveals himself and engages directly with Job. He lays bare the limits of Job’s capacity for knowledge. Was he there when the universe was made? Was he the one to measure it out? Here we see the reference to the sea, the storms, as the forces of chaos, which somehow exist in a creation that God has to bring to order. But that God is ultimately greater in a way that we could only fully appreciate if we were divine ourselves.
But God continues in the final chapter of the book to vindicate Job and to respect his questions. He speaks against Job’s friends, who tried to explain away Job’s suffering as evidence of disobedience to God’s will. He affirms Job’s approach – of asking God the hard questions, and persevering with them. There is suffering in this world that Is undeserved and unjust – and, while we don’t have an answer, God accepts the question why, and affirms those who identify with the ones who suffer.
This is an approach that you find through Scripture.
Facing a man born blind, the disciples ask Jesus, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
Jesus replies, ““Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” [John 9. 1, 2]. The English translation makes it sound as though God caused the blindness for this purpose. The Greek doesn’t imply that. A more accurate reading of the Greek would be: “It is not the case that this man or his parents sinned. It is the case that the glory of God might be displayed in him.”
“I know less, but I believe more.”
Back to the disciples on the Lake. What was the faith and trust they were being asked to exercise?
Should they have believed through the storm?
Should they have been confident that Jesus had the power to bring it to a halt?
The lesson that the disciples seem to have drawn from this was to be found in the unique person and power of God in Jesus Christ. Who is this? Not that the storms won’t happen. Not that the waves wouldn’t crash over the boat. But that their Teacher was worthy of their ultimate trust and allegiance, that his teaching had authority, and that they had to obey and trust him.
So for us. What overwhelms us? What are the waves that are crashing over our boat, making us fearful of drowning? Where do we feel that Jesus is asleep on the cushion, as we await a response?
Psalm 65 refers to the roar of the sea as the turmoil of the nations. Our fears about the intractable international conflicts of today could be examples of this. [Psalm 65.6]
Psalm 42 refers to the breakers of the sea as he or she thirsts for God in loneliness – maybe through the diagnosis of an illness, a change of circumstance, or a great loss. [Psalm 42.9]
The Book of Exodus tells us of the Red Sea the Israelites have to cross to escape Egypt – the army of their oppressors, from whom God is freeing them. [Exodus 14.21-22]
Turn the cry into a prayer. It may be rough, ready, inelegant. “Lord, don’t you care that we’re about to drown?”
Use Psalm 107 as a model.
In each case, the disciples on the Lake, Paul on his missionary journeys, Job face to face with the Lord, they are called into a deeper sense of dependence upon God, and God’s ultimate goodness.
They are called to try out the prayer for which Mother Julian of Norwich is famous: “The Lord said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted; but He said: Thou shalt not be overcome.”
In the words of St Paul: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 8.35-39]
Who is this, that even the wind and the waves obey him?
My school chaplain, giving our school year one Bible verse to take with us into the world 46 years ago, chose this:
Jesus said: “In the world you will have trouble, but courage. The victory is mine. I have overcome the world.” [John 16.33]
Steve