Reflection - Truth

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/012922.cfm
2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17
Mark 4:35-41

It started off as a pleasant night for a boat ride, or so it seemed. However, geography and the atmosphere combined for what would make the ride memorable, just not pleasant.

The eastern edge of the Sea of Galilee is bordered by the southern edge of a plateau known as the Golan Heights. Close to the water’s edge the land rise quickly to about 1500 feet above sea level. If circumstances are right, the winds dropping off that eastern interface can awaken sudden and violent storms on the waters below. Such was the case as that evening turned to night.

Jesus was asleep after a long day. The Apostles were transporting their group to whatever neighboring city Jesus had designated. Simon, Andrew, James and John, the fishermen in the group, were probably in charge of directing this nighttime passage. They were well into the voyage when the storm broke; and the landlubbers among them were certainly terrified. 

The text is not clear as to who woke Jesus, though we can guess that it was not one of the former fishermen. The panic in their cries probably made their fright evident. What was not evident was what they expected Jesus to do about it. Their reaction to what he did do reveals a lot. “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

In my youth I was of the firm belief that I would have recognized Jesus for who he was. I would have quickly understood his teachings. I would have stood by him through thick and thin. I would never have thought him to be out of his mind. Such notions are the fantasies of youth. The awareness of reality that comes with a few more years belie such thoughts.

These men, who found themselves in stormy waters, were all experienced young men, well rooted in the beliefs and traditions of their people. The image of a ‘Messiah’ was well established in the culture, though the manner in which this Messiah would come to pass was still a matter for discussion. But these men thought they had found him. They had yet to discover what they should expect from him.

By this time in his journeys, they had no doubt that he was a teacher. Along the way they had witnessed more than a few healings from illness, infirmities and demons, so they also knew him as a healer. His confrontations with the Pharisees was sufficient for them to recognize him as a man of God. During the next few months they would see more of the same — more controversial teaching and more signs of his holiness. But tonight, waking him in the midst of the storm, their question had more to do with his assistance in handling this boat than with any perceived power he might have over the phenomena of nature. No wonder they stood in dumbfounded amazement, asking: “Who then is this?”

They never did figure it out. According to John, as late as the Last Supper, their confession is limited to acknowledging him as a holy man. “We believe that you came from God." (John 16:30) After the crucifixion, after the resurrection, on the very day of his Ascension, they are still anchored to the mistaken beliefs of their culture: "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6) Nevertheless, it would be an Injustice to insult these men by scoffing at their lack of understanding.

There are many today who would readily acknowledge Jesus as a great teacher, philosopher, holy man, or even healer. The notion of his divinity is, for them, dubious, even absurd. It may well have been dubious or absurd for the apostles even in the days after the resurrection. That is, until the Spirit came to them at Pentecost. Only then were their eyes open to the unimaginable truth of the incarnation of God as man. Since then there has been no change. 

No human thought can even now comprehend what God has done. Only the gift of the Spirit can teach us what is beyond human understanding: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

The importance of the Spirit should not be minimized or disregarded. Like the Apostles, we too are dependent on the Spirit to recognize the truth of Jesus Christ as well as the true condition of the world we live in.