In which Jesus calms a storm.
I presume that before the storm started it was calm … But I also guess that the calm after the storm felt quite a lot different!
The Christian Gospel has sometimes been presented as ‘Come to Jesus and he will sort you out’. But the experience of the disciples here is ‘Come to Jesus and he will mess you up!’
Jesus is leading the disciples into situations that will be scary and confrontational. In the next chapter, they will encounter a demon possessed man, and on the way, their lives are threatened by a severe windstorm.
In these situations of hostility, Jesus is what we would call in mediation terms, the ‘non anxious presence’. He is the one who can take things forward. He is the one who will not be dictated to by the circumstances. He is the one who will inspire confidence in others that they too can get through the difficult situation.
And the bigger picture is here too: these encounters – with the forces of nature, and with the forces of evil – show us that Jesus is engaged in something HUGE here. As he makes visible the rule of God, there is resistance. This peace making is no easy task.
Five Short Words 