Meditationen am Gnadenstuhl: Friday Easter III - Luke 8:22-25

Friday Easter III

Daily Lectionary Readings: Exodus 39:32-40:16; Luke 8:22-39; (Sirach 49)

Luke 8:22-25:

[22] One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they set out, [23] and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. [24] And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. [25] He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?” (ESV)

This storm arose immediately and unexpectedly, and it was enormous and life-threatening. We face many such storms throughout our lives, but they usually have nothing to do with the actual weather. These storms can appear to be enormous at times, and waves of repercussions will echo, slash, and tear at us. The storm may overwhelm us, threatening to engulf us and capsize the ship. Sometimes, this storm can be life-threatening. These are the storms that appear to be inescapable, with no way out and no possibility for deliverance. There will seem to be no way forward in the circumstances you find yourself. These are the times when we will need the shelter and protection only Christ can provide.

Because these are the situations when we make a terrifying discovery: we cannot handle the situation independently. Here we see seasoned and self-confident mariners who know how to handle themselves in nearly any situation or storm. But not this one. And they are afraid. This is an apt picture of us as well. We are all seasoned by our life experiences and think we can handle anything thrown at us. But the reality is that we are simply comfortable most of the time. When the storm threatens our comfort, we suddenly feel we are in imminent danger of drowning.

Out of options, the disciples make a desperate appeal to Jesus. “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Why do the disciples now seek the help of Christ? Why did they wait? Well, why do we always seem to hesitate, for that matter? Imminent danger can (and should!) drive us to Christ. But we can wait too long. Once we are dead, it is too late. Is that not the fear we have for those we love but do not yet believe, or more frightening still, those we suspect are believers but show us no evidence of it? It is a fear of someone wasting the potential of a lifetime of really living selflessly in service to their neighbor and having the comfort and assurance of the rewards of the life to come. We try to fathom why they may not listen to us or comprehend our sense of urgency, but the answer is quite simple. It is the same reason the disciples waited and the reason for our own hesitation. Too much faith and trust in ourselves and a lack of confidence and trust in God.

Jesus replies to His disciples and to us with a challenging question: “Where is your faith?” Well, how do we answer that? It is no excuse, but we tend to answer Jesus' question with a question: "Where were you, Jesus? Why were you asleep? Didn't you know or care that we are perishing?" To the disciples in the storm, it seemed as though Jesus had forgotten all about them as He slept. It also happens today that it appears as if the Lord has forgotten about us. To all appearances, Jesus is letting the wind and waves overwhelm the disciples' boat. In our lives, God allows the devil and the world to rage against us believers so that it seems as though we, too, will inevitably sink and drown. But in His own manner and time, the Lord awakes and shows His power and rebukes the tininess of our faith just as He rebukes the fear of His disciples and the stormy sea itself. They are all the same to Him. He listens to our pitiful cries and stills the noise of the people like He stills the gale-force winds. Why were we afraid again?

The disciples were experiencing two very human conditions. One they were aware of: fear. The second remained hidden from them, but this hidden condition was actually the root cause of the first: lack of faith. They were not sure Jesus was aware of their fear or its cause. But, of course, Jesus was well aware of it, as well as fully aware of their unbelief. Storms and trials can lead to terrible discouragement and fear. Some of us fear that we have gone too far for any sort of recovery or redemption. Others fear no one cares. But the Bible has a few things to tell us about Jesus, our great deliverer from fear and hopelessness. Psalm 27:1 says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Jesus was not disturbed by their calling out to Him and waking Him from sleep. He was disturbed only by their fear and lack of trust. God is never bothered by our crying out to Him. What the disciples did wrong was neglecting Christ – they (and we) should call upon Him at the first stirrings of trouble – not out of fear, but out of complete trust. Christ rebukes fear and unbelief like He rebukes the storm. How foolish and in need of repentance we are! Christ died on the cross and rose again to remove our sin and cure our fear and unbelief, but this has not yet been made perfect.

All the problems of the world are known by God. All the solutions, too, for that matter. Problems are not a danger or threat to Jesus; therefore, they are not a threat or danger to a child of God. This does not mean we will never suffer or experience death, nor that we will not potentially undergo terrible trials. We experience storms of life to learn more and more, lean on Christ, and trust Him. We know more and more what it means to trust Him and His Word and what it means to call upon Him not out of desperation when it seems we have no other solution but to call upon Him from the outset, with total faith and trust.