Fear! We all have a story about an unpleasant feeling of apprehension or distress caused by the presence or anticipation of danger.
I remember when Denise and I got married. We went to a beautiful place in Brazil called Porto Seguro. One of the many things to do in Porto Seguro is to take a boat called “Escuna” to a island called Trancoso. So, Denise and I took the escuna to have lunch in Trancoso. On our way to Trancoso, everything was beautiful and nice. The water was really calm and nice. It was awesome! When we arrived in Trancoso, it was paradise. They prepared a special lunch on the beach that included fish, tropical fruits, etc. Everything was awesome until the time for us to go back to Porto Seguro. It was almost evening, the same nice waters became huge waves that looked like a Tsunami ready to swallows us all. The “escuna” once nicely cruising in the morning, now, was going all the way up and all the way down. Denise who already had some fear of boats became a mess. She threw up all the way from Trancoso to Porto Seguro. Her fear of boats and water that was bad now got worse. She became terrified and still is even to this day. Me? Well, I usually don’t have a lot of problems with boats and water but that day, my friends,…Well, that day fear took me over and I screamed like a little girl…
Fear! Fear is a feeling that takes over our body, mind, and soul. Fear causes us to get stuck, be paralyzed, and to be anxious. Fear causes us to panic and be terrified…
The story from Mark 4: 35 – 41 is another aspect in life that perhaps prevents us from experiencing this unexplainable and, if I may say so, irrational phenomenon called miracle. Actually, Mark 4: 35 – 41 brings to our attention some interesting aspects of both fear and miracles.
The story in Mark 4: 35 – 41 starts with Jesus inviting the disciples saying, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake” (v. 35). Actually, if you read the verses prior to verse 35, you will notice that Jesus had just finished teaching the people and his disciples through parables (mustard seed). Perhaps, it was one of those long days in ministry in which he spent time healing and teaching people. Evening came and Jesus with no apparent good reason invited his disciples to a quite risky adventure. Perhaps, Jesus was tired after that long day and he really wanted to get to the other side of the lake as soon as possible.
Some historians say that the Lake of Galilee was subject to storms caused by sudden inrushes of wind which began and abruptly ended. That was true especially at that time of the evening. Still, the idea of crossing the lake in the middle of the night sounded like a stupid idea…
When it comes to God revealing Himself in a way that blows our mind away, sometimes it is risky. More importantly, as mind blowing as the miracle (extraordinary) was going to be, if they knew the storm they had to go through, they would probably have said, “Thanks, but no thanks.” I think the same thing happens to us. Sometimes God is about to completely blow our minds away. But he also knows that the storm ahead of us is severe. So, he invites us to come with Him without necessarily giving us the full picture. Otherwise, we would say, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Fear! Sure enough, the disciples’ worst fears came true. The storm came, the waves started breaking over, and the boat quickly filled with water…
It is one thing for us to maintain our cool when the storm is raging but our boat is not being filled with water. It is one thing when the storm is raging but we somehow feel protected in the midst of the storm. It is a completely different scenario (response) when our boat begins to sink. No matter how knowledgeable and brave we think we are, when our boat begins to sink, we fear (freak out).
The disciples wanted Jesus to fear (freak out) with them when they asked, “…don’t you care that we are sinking?” (v.38).
Specialists say that fear quite often becomes anxiety. When someone is anxious, he/she creates a wave of anxiety expecting that others will continue to transfer that wave of anxiety to someone else. Perhaps, that was the case of the disciples in relation to Jesus. The fact that Jesus was asleep when the storm was happening was almost insulting to them. It was almost insulting to them that Jesus seemed to be in control while the storm was happening.
Sometimes I feel that we act the same way in relation to God. I mean, when the storms in our life break and our boat seems to quickly be filled with water, we fear and become anxious. It is almost insulting to us that God seems to be so much in control of the situation while the storm is happening. Truly, sometimes I feel that we want God to freak out like we do.
There disciples were stuck. They couldn’t get out of their panic mode. Have you been in a panic mode? When we live in a panic mode, we live under oppression. It feels like the waves of the storm are ready to swallow us. When we find ourselves in a panic mode, it feels as if there is no way out. So much so that not even God can change that situation.
Jesus’ response to the disciples fear (oppressive situation) is He rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be Still!” (v. 39). Furthermore, the story says that as Jesus rebuked, the wind dropped, and there was great calm, the disciples were terrified asking each other, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him” (v. 41).
The disciples were walking and spending time with Jesus. They had seen what Jesus (God Emmanuel) had done. Yet, when the storm broke and their boat quickly filled with water, they gave in to fear. Fear took control of their lives. Worst of all, fear prevented them from seeing that God was in their boat.
When God is in the boat, the storm may come, the waves may break over, and we might even feel that we are sinking. Yet, it is also true when God is in the boat we should expect the extraordinary to break through the ordinary because He is in charge of the boat, wind, storm, and waves of our lives.
Perhaps fear has taken over and we might feel that our boat is sinking. Perhaps fear has taken over and we can’t see anything but the storm. We might be in panic mode and feel oppressed by the storm. I must say that the same Jesus who calmed the storm in Mark 4 is the same God with us today. He continues to be charge and in control. He is the God who transcends time and history. He is the God who spoke then and speaks now to the seemingly oppressive waves of life saying, “Silence! Be Still!”
