In a follow-up to that last post, there’s another part worth examining. Remember the story (Mark 4:35-41). They’re heading across the Sea of Galilee and run into a big storm. Storms can kill on the Sea of Galilee to this day. The disciples, seasoned fishermen among them, are scared. And they discover Jesus—the one they often refer to as “Master”—asleep in the back of the boat. They ask the scathing question, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” I say “scathing” not just because it’s highly critical of Jesus, but because the fact that they ask it reflects horribly on themselves. Jesus awoke, rebuked the wind, and asked, “Why are you so afraid?” When the wind stopped at His command, they “became very much afraid.”
That’s the story. There’s something here I’d like to examine. It’s telling that they asked such a question. “Do you not care?” How could they ask it? But Jesus doesn’t address that. He addresses the storm. And then, He asks why they were so afraid. Is that a problem? Is fear an issue? Is it wrong to be afraid?
Some argue it isn’t wrong, but that leaves us implying Jesus was wrong to call them out for it. There are some who argue it is wrong to be afraid. But Scripture repeatedly warns of the danger of having no fear of God. The author of Hebrews says, "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). The psalmist wrote, “The fear of YHWH is the beginning of wisdom” (Psa 111:10). The ominous accusation against humans is, “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom 3:18). Fear is good and right in its proper place.
So, being afraid in a storm that could potentially kill you is not the proper place? Apparently not. Why? Jesus doesn’t leave the question unanswered. “Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Ah! There is the problem. These men were disciples of the Messiah, the Son of God. They’ve seen Him work. They’ve heard His promises. Their faith should have informed them that, despite the circumstances, there was nothing to fear.
How about you? Do you experience fear when it is necessary? Fear of God, vigilance against sin (Php 2:12), fear of judgment (Heb 4:1)—that kind of thing. But circumstances? We’re told to “count it all joy when you encounter various trials” (James 1:2). We’re promised that Jesus will never leave us (Heb 13:5). We don’t have to fear what everyone else fears.
How about you? Do your fears reflect faith or the lack of it?
I think fear is inevitable and uncontrollable. But I think our response to fear is something we can deal with. I don't think Jesus was upset with them for having fear, but for expressing that fear in a faithless way. We often see this in war stories where the young soldier asks the veteran how he charges into battle without fear. Inevitably, the veteran admits he's afraid every time he charges in, but he's not focused on the fear, but on his brothers. That is how we should handle fear when it rears it's head, didn't think you're cowardly for having fear, but pushing through the fear because we know the One who is ultimately in control and has promised that ALL things work together for the good of His people.
ReplyDeleteI understand your reaction, but I think you might be mistaken. THAT fear will occur may be inevitable, but, like every other emotion, fear is a response the mind's perceptions of an event. Two people can perceive the same circumstances as frightening or an opportunity depending on their thinking. If the fearful is handed to us without processing, it will be ... fearful. If it is handed to us with a renewed mind, it will be something we can rejoice about. It depends on how we're perceiving it ... like the disciples perceived the storm different than Jesus did.
DeleteI thought that's what I said. Fear will happen, but how we respond to fear is what is important. I don't think Jesus was upset with them for having fear, but for putting their fear over their faith. We can react with rejoicing in fearful events, not because we don't fear the event, but because we know the One in control of the event.
DeleteI always appreciate the admonitions at Winging It that lead me to hold a proper fear of the Lord and, in contrast to that, to scrutinize any dread, anxiety, or fear I might be harboring [no pun intended, see below]. While feeling some trepidation about the unknown would be a normal part of the human experience, I would hope to temper it with the special confidence that faith in a sovereign God would reasonably bring. Not to be clichéd, but I should always remember that I am traversing the sea of life in a boat, as it were, with the very Son of God aboard with me. There might be some rough waters, but I will not perish in a storm while I am with Jesus (unless that were His will, of course). I do not need to ask Jesus, “Do you not care?” Instead, in all circumstances, I can be “… casting all [my] care upon Him, for He cares for [me].” (1 Pet. 5:7) Like the disciples in the boat, I can know that I will safely reach the other shore.
ReplyDeleteI once heard of another, albeit very basic, reason that the disciples’ question to Jesus was a tad bit ludicrous. In Mark 4:35, Jesus stated His plan to cross to the other side, and they were doing so when the storm arose. Plainly stated, no storm (or anything else) would interfere with Jesus’s plans; as He determined, they would cross the sea and arrive, it can be assumed, safely to the other side. And since Christ’s ministry was just getting going and His mission yet unfulfilled, would God the Father allow that boat to capsize and for its inhabitants to perish--when His Son and Jesus’s chosen servants were aboard? Certainly not. The disciples quite literally let the storm hide the harbor. (How many times do I do this myself? Too many!)
ReplyDeleteI don't know that it's fair to reprimand the disciples for experiencing fear when we know in hindsight what they could never have known. Like Jesus, we reprimand them for their lack of faith, not their lack of knowing. Our hope should always be like that of Shadrach, Meskak, and Tobedwego, know that God can rescue us from harm, but if He does not, that is good as well. I'm sure those three were frightened, but they were more faithful than frightened. The disciples were more frightened than faithful.
DeleteYes, you are right; they didn’t know fully at that point. However, by the time of this incident (as Stan pointed out), the men in the boat had seen Jesus do many extraordinary things--e.g. casting out demons, raising the dead, healing the sick, forgiving sins, teaching with authority, drawing multitudes, etc. Surely they knew by then that this was no mere man but a special Person, with a special calling upon them as well. Jesus said they would cross the sea, and they would do so, implying that no harm would come to Him (or to them). That is part of where their faith could rest, along with trusting that Jesus did care that they might perish.
DeleteHaving said that, I agree that fear in the face of such a storm would be a normal initial human response, which should then be answered in faith (as you mentioned above). Personally, I feel that waking Jesus showed at least some faith on their part, as they clearly looked to Him for rescue, indicating that they knew He could and would do something. I suppose that rather than accusing Jesus of not caring and panicking as they did, they could have just more calmly woken Jesus and asked Him for help.
Except, at the time they didn't know He was God and had a fixed plan that could not be changed. They were experiencing the events without knowing that Jesus was in control, otherwise they never would have fled after His crucifixion. To them, Him saying they were going to cross the sea was no different than you saying you were going to cross the street. You don't know that you will make it to the other side without getting hit by a car. They knew He had power, but not how much. And, as a matter of sovereignty, they had to have that fear so that we could know what fear in the face of faith should look like by Jesus correcting them.
DeleteDavid, I understand what you are saying, but it seems to me that JESUS was complaining about their lack of faith that was demonstrated by their fear. You seem to say that it was unfair to criticize their fear from lack of faith because they didn't know, but Jesus took them to task for it. It's true that they didn't know He was God Incarnate at that point, but Jesus thought they should have had more faith in Him for some reason. (On the fact that they ran at the Crucifixion, I find an interesting parallel in the Abraham of Hebrews 11. He's listed as a man of faith whose faith didn't waver. We know he DID waver. He slept with Ishmael's mother and he lied about Sarah, his wife ... twice. But Scripture records him as unwavering because, in the end, he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, demonstrating a faith that grew from very small to very large. The fact that the disciples ran suggests a growing faith, but not a lack of faith.)
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