Mark 4: 34-41
Early in Jesus’s adult life, those who knew him, or at least many of those who knew him, especially the twelve disciples, began to see Jesus was more than the son of Mary, more than the son of Joseph, and more than a just carpenter.
His character, his words, his works, what he did, what he said, the way he behaved, made people believe that when they were in his presence they were in the presence of God.
We all can image Jesus. We may picture him staying up all night in prayer. We may picture him in Gethsemane praying until the early hours on the morning he was arrested.
Look at Jesus in today’s passage, it is hard for us to image Jesus asleep. It does not seem right that the leader should be sleep when the disciples were fighting the storm and it looks like they were sinking.
I do not know what the disciples expected, but Jesus got up and rebuked the storm. “Hush, Peace be still.” Then, the sea became glass, the winds stopped, and then he rebuked the disciples, in verse 40, saying, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” What’s the matter with you fellows, have you no trust?
Did Jesus really want the disciple to rebuke the wind and say to the sea, like he did?
I believe that Jesus’s saying, Peace Be still, it was not only for the wind and the sea, but also for the disciples, “Hey! Peace, Be still… which is a little thing, a bitty thing, but the most difficult thing.” Be still.
Imagine traveling on a cruise as our journey in 2020 and 2021.
In 2020, our crise ship might be tossed a little bit by strong wind and a storm. So, we may have been experiencing the ups and downs and twists and turns.
What I would like to focus on today’s passage is that we, as passengers on a cruise ship, do not have many things to do when the storm comes. Perhaps, just a word of prayer by holding hands with each other may be the best thing we can do.
I know that the storm and wind is the matter for the cruise. However, what really matters is a passenger who distrusts a captain, who keeps spreading fear, and who is more restless.
We are reminded that what really matters for our cruise is that God is with us, Emmanuel.
Peace, be still, and let’s keep doing a little thing and a bitty thing.
Emmanuel, God is with us in 2020 and in 2021. Amen.