Gospel: Jesus Calms the Storm

Today marks the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Gospel narrative will be lifted from St Mark's (4:35-41).

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: "Let us cross to the other side." Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them, in the boat just as he was.

And  other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. 

They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up, rebuke the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be Still!" The wind ceased and thete was great calm.

Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not have faith?" They were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"

As we continue in Ordinary Time, our reading today is taken from the Gospel of St Mark, the primary Gospel reading in Lectionary Cycle B. St Mark's Gospel presents a vivid portrait of Jesus, whose words and deeds show that he is the Son of God. Today's Gospel describes the end of a day of teaching in Jesus' ministry. Jesus taught the crowd in parables and then offered explanations of these parables to his disciples. Jesus then led his disciples away from the crowds and into the boats that they will use to cross the Sea of Galilee. The sea and its surrounding area are the settings for Jesus' teachings and miracles in this part of St Mark's Gospel. Today's reading describes how Jesus calmed a storm at sea. It is the first of four miracles that are presented in sequence at this point in St Mark's Gospel.

As in typical in St Mark's Gospel, Jesus' disciples are frightened by the sudden storm; they do little to inspire confidence in the reader. St Mark notes the contrast between the disciples' terror and Jesus' peace. Jesus is sleeping, untroubled by what is going on around him.

The disciples' words to Jesus are telling. They are familiar enough with Jesus to dare to wake him. Their words to him are words of reproach, questioning his care for them. A careful reader might wonder what the disciples expected Jesus to do. Are they more troubled by the storm or by Jesus' inattentiveness for their needs? How many of us have chided a family member or friend for not agreeing with our assessment of the severity of the situation?

Today's Gospel offers evidence of Jesus' power and authority as he calms the storm. In his day, power over nature was believed to be a sign of divinity--only God calms storms. Jesus rebuke of the storm also echoes the rebuke he uses when he talks to and expels demons. In each situation, Jesus power and authority is a sign of his divinity. Indeed, the disciples are left wondering about Jesus' identity at the conclusion of today's Gospel. They see before them a human being who acts with the authority and power of God. The disciples' uncertainty about Jesus' identity is a recurring theme in St Mark's Gospel.

This Gospel is a metaphor of our lives. We are in the boat, the storms of life are raging around us, and like the disciples, we may believe that Jesus is unconcerned or "sleeping." We hope that we will be as familiar with Jesus as his disciples. If we feel that Jesus is sleeping, are we comfortable enough to wake Jesus and present him with our needs? Jesus does not chide his disciples for waking him. Instead, he chides them for lack of faith, for their lack of perspective. When we bring our worries to God in prayer, we might just begin to learn to see things from God's perspective.

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