Mark: Who has Faith?
[Index] [Introduction]
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
1. Additional Scriptural readings suggested: Psalm 8
2. A short reading:
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"Genuine prayer is never 'good works.' An exercise or a
pious attitude; but it is always the prayer of a child to a
Father." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 181)
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3. Text for meditation (in Italics):
4:36 And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. 40 He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
4. Reflections: Now it is the Lord's turn to do some rebuking. Jesus looked at His men, standing there on the drenched deck of the boat, and asked, "Why are you so timid (or cowardly)? Is it possible that you still have no faith?" The men were stunned. Mark says they "feared a great fear." They had been afraid of dying, now they were afraid of their deliverer. This isn't the only time we will see that people fear Jesus. The devils fear Him, as we have seen. The crowd in our next story will fear Him and will want Him to leave their territory. The religious leaders will come to fear Jesus because they think He will bring the wrath of the crowds down on their heads. Here the disciples fear Him because they cannot account for the power He has. Taking in what they have just seen they ask among themselves, "Who is this man?" That is still a good question.
In one of his sermons, St. Augustine, Bishop (pastor) of Hippo, 5th century AD, said, "When you have to listen to abuse, that means you are being buffeted by the wind. When your anger is roused, you are being tossed by the waves. So when the winds blow and the waves mount high, the boat is in danger, your heart is imperiled, your heart is taking a battering. On hearing yourself insulted, you long to retaliate; but the joy of revenge brings with it another kind of misfortune--shipwreck. Why is this? Because Christ is asleep in you. What do I mean? I mean you have forgotten his presence. Rouse him, then; remember him, let him keep watch within you, pay heed to him ... .A temptation arises; it is the wind. It disturbs you; it is the surging of the sea. This is the moment to awaken Christ and let him remind you of those words: "Who can this be? Even the winds and the sea obey him?" (ACC: Mark, 6:5)
Did you notice that Jesus did not pray for the storm to abate? He pronounced it so--and it was. This is the same man who will later submit to crucifixion. He will allow Himself to be treated cruelly and put to death in a terrible way, yet He has authority to call down the mountains on His accusers and tormentors. The way of Jesus is a manifestation of power for the benefit of others. Jesus knows when to stand up and when to submit, and both are done in the full power of love. Mark wants us to know that this Jesus is a divine man. He looks like us, yet He speaks as God. He speaks to our needs. Sometimes He is compassionate; sometimes He is sharp and to the point. He is always looking out for our best interests, even when we do not know what they are.
5. Questions raised today for personal reflection:
Who has faith? We should not be surprised that the disciples were startled at Jesus' display of power. They were fledglings, so to speak, and it would be after Pentecost before they would grasp the full reality of Jesus. Did these men "trust" in Jesus? In a sense, yes, but it was an early faith, a timid faith. There will be many times when they will show signs of growth, and then failure. Our lives sometimes show ups and downs, faith and unbelief. We want to be faithful all the time, and that is what we pray for.
What is the value of a miracle? In the second volume of his systematic theology (The Word of Life, 299), Thomas C. Oden observes that Jesus' miracles "were regarded as seals of the prophetic office." What does that mean? It means that the miracles were God's stamp of approval on Jesus' teachings, that is, that we should repent and believe the good news because the kingdom of God is near. As I said above, miracles are not ends in themselves; they point to a deeper truth: that Jesus Christ speaks the words of God. The happiness we feel on seeing a miracle is but the tip of the iceberg. The real glory is in the man God approves: Jesus of Nazareth.
6. Suggestions for prayer: Let us dare to pray for maturity, that we will become mature Christians. While it is certainly true that we will be always growing, until we enter the kingdom, we should be growing toward spiritual adulthood. Let us pray that we--and others--will pass any test that comes our way, that is, with God's help. Always, with God's help. Let us pray for faith beyond the need for miracles.
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