Jesus Calms the Storm

The Eliot Church of Newton Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Debra Pratt Peckham November 13, 2005

Texts: Judges 4:1-9, Mark 4:35-41

Evening began to settle in. Jesus had been teaching on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Exhausted, he told his disciples that it was time to cross over to the other side. Jesus and his twelve disciples settled themselves into a fishing boat and moved out into the Sea. Jesus, in the stern of the boat, fell asleep immediately.

I don’t know if you are aware of it, but The Sea of Galilee is a large body of water, not like a calm lake. It’s the deepest part of the Jordan Rift and 700 feet below sea level, surrounded by steep cliffs and mountains on all but the southern side. When cool winds rush down the slopes and hit the warm water, violent storms occur, with waves as high 3o feet! 30 foot waves can capsize an open boat quickly and even the most experienced sailors could and did lose control. Most people at that time didn’t know how to swim and that includes the fishermen.

Four of the apostles were experienced fishermen. They understood the Sea of Galilee and how to handle a boat when the sea raged. They also knew men who had drown in that sea; perhaps friends. Perhaps they themselves had come close on more than one occasion. Fishing was, after all a life threatening business, and you’d better know what you’re doing.

So, back to the boat… the disciples felt that the wind had shifted, and suddenly there was gale. The sea became turbulent and then it grew wild. Waves began to swamp the boat and the men were terrified, sure that they were going to die. Jesus was so tired and sound asleep that he didn’t hear the panic that must have been in their voices. He didn’t even feel the water that was splashing into the boat as the waves tossed the boat in the open water.

The disciples woke Jesus, saying "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

Jesus woke up and first addressed the wind and the sea, "Peace! Be Still!" The water settled and the wind completely disappeared!

And then he turned to his disciples, who must have been standing there in complete shock, and said, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?"

The men in the boat were in shock, complete amazement, and they asked the question, "Who is this that even the wind and sea obey him?"

Who is this man, Jesus?

I’ll bet they were afraid. What do you suppose they were thinking as they steered the boat toward the east bank?

I wonder if they thought that this more than they bargained for.

Who were the disciples, the companions of Jesus? How could they follow him over land and sea, witnessing miracles beyond our imagination, and watching large crowds gather just to hear Jesus speak?

There have been days when I wondered what I would have done if I had been in that boat, if I had seen waves coming at me that were sure to flip the open boat. I’d like to think that I would have trusted Jesus, I wouldn’t have been afraid, but in all honesty, who among us when faced with life threatening situations would not be afraid? I’ve been tossed by such waves from time to time.

For example, I’m a mom. I’ve been married and raised three children into adulthood. They all tried our patience from time to time. But I remember one night waiting for my seventeen year old son to come home. It was about one in the morning. It had been raining for hours and I was sitting up waiting and probably pacing. You see, at that time my son always called if he was going to be late. Don’t think the waves weren’t over my head. They were and my little boat was rocking in the waves.

A phone call jarred me from my numbness and as I leaped to answer the phone, my former husband already had the phone in his hand. His face went white and he said, "I’ll be right there". Our son had been in a car accident. My son’s friend, a young driver, had taken a curve too fast on the wet road and flipped the car. The officer said that both of them were being released from the hospital. Seat belts saved their lives.

Life is an amazing gift isn’t it? My son was spared that rainy night but it made me think about life in a different way.

Believe me; my boat has been tossed many times, just like yours. I’ve weathered the stormy teenage years, sometimes wondering how we’d survive them, and before I knew it my children, who are no longer children, were graduating from college! The waves completely swept me out of the boat when I was divorced and it took me a while to realize that the winds were beginning to settle. Just about that time, when I was back on speaking terms with God, I found I had cancer. Like the disciples, I thought I was going to perish. I wasn’t even sure I could remember how to swim. So fine is the line between life and death.

So, Jesus and I set out in that little boat, and believe me, the waves were probably 30 feet high. Three times I was operated on before cancerous tissue was finally eradicated. Three times I walked that narrow path between life and death, and believe me; I know how precious life is, and I know where to place my trust.

My boat is being tossed again. A friend and colleague of mine is dieing of cancer even as I speak. She knows Jesus is riding the waves with her; I can see it in her eyes. Though she’s six credits short of a Master’s of Divinity, and she’ll never be ordained, she will always be a minister to me.

So, in closing, I’ll say to you, thank God for every day. It’s another opportunity to be the person you are meant to be.

Don’t take it lightly, when the opportunity to make a difference comes your way. Smile. That’s a good place to start, and remember, no matter how much devastation may come, the storm will stop… the waters will settle… and Jesus will still be in your boat.