Word@Work 051- Mark 4:35-38
Published: Wed, 01/30/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
Read Mark 4:35-38 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (NIV)
After the 'classroom' teaching, here is the practical lesson for the disciples! At the end of a busy day, the crowd had been dismissed, and the disciples were ordered to set sail for the other side of the lake. They were tired and even Jesus fell asleep - no hotel room, just an open boat. Despite their skilled seamanship, and the presence of the greatest authority they had ever seen, the disciples felt all alone as the squall hit the little flotilla. As the waves repeatedly doused their boat, threatening to sink it, the disciples showed that they had learned nothing in the school of faith. They had seen that Jesus had power over nature (as well as over people and demons); but they just did not believe, that to be with Jesus was to be safe. They understood the theory well enough, but learning was only complete after they had put it into practice.
Their accusation that 'Jesus did not care'; reflected both fear and unbelief. In fact, those two internal time-bombs, fear and unbelief, always go off together. If they had believed, they would not have been afraid - so fear is a marker of unbelief. Jesus may have been asleep, but he was not ignorant of the weather forecast when he instructed them to sail away from land. He knew what would happen: yet he was personally so secure that he could sleep right through the storm and cascades of cold water. He set up the test, and then sat back and waited. Did He care? Of course He did, and part of His care was this exam to test their progress. Alas, they failed the test. But without that obvious faith-failure and stern rebuke (in tomorrow's reading) they might have been proud and arrogant that they were all right, simply because Jesus chose them.
However much we may understand of the Word, the key question is, "Can we do it"? Without a realistic estimate of our spiritual progress we will be shallow disciples, at risk of arrogance, self-deception and incompetence. None of these would be good in a lawyer, brain surgeon or pilot - so ought the church to breed them? The tests set for us by the Lord are usually more severe than we would like, at the wrong time for us and certainly not designed to boost our egos. But they are a vital part of the Christian life, if we are to be of use in the Master's service.
Prayer: Father God, thank you that you care so much about me, that you set tests to evaluate my progress in faith. Help me to trust you; and let that trust be the basis of my reactions to the distress or trials, that I would not have chosen for myself. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
After the 'classroom' teaching, here is the practical lesson for the disciples! At the end of a busy day, the crowd had been dismissed, and the disciples were ordered to set sail for the other side of the lake. They were tired and even Jesus fell asleep - no hotel room, just an open boat. Despite their skilled seamanship, and the presence of the greatest authority they had ever seen, the disciples felt all alone as the squall hit the little flotilla. As the waves repeatedly doused their boat, threatening to sink it, the disciples showed that they had learned nothing in the school of faith. They had seen that Jesus had power over nature (as well as over people and demons); but they just did not believe, that to be with Jesus was to be safe. They understood the theory well enough, but learning was only complete after they had put it into practice.
Their accusation that 'Jesus did not care'; reflected both fear and unbelief. In fact, those two internal time-bombs, fear and unbelief, always go off together. If they had believed, they would not have been afraid - so fear is a marker of unbelief. Jesus may have been asleep, but he was not ignorant of the weather forecast when he instructed them to sail away from land. He knew what would happen: yet he was personally so secure that he could sleep right through the storm and cascades of cold water. He set up the test, and then sat back and waited. Did He care? Of course He did, and part of His care was this exam to test their progress. Alas, they failed the test. But without that obvious faith-failure and stern rebuke (in tomorrow's reading) they might have been proud and arrogant that they were all right, simply because Jesus chose them.
However much we may understand of the Word, the key question is, "Can we do it"? Without a realistic estimate of our spiritual progress we will be shallow disciples, at risk of arrogance, self-deception and incompetence. None of these would be good in a lawyer, brain surgeon or pilot - so ought the church to breed them? The tests set for us by the Lord are usually more severe than we would like, at the wrong time for us and certainly not designed to boost our egos. But they are a vital part of the Christian life, if we are to be of use in the Master's service.
Prayer: Father God, thank you that you care so much about me, that you set tests to evaluate my progress in faith. Help me to trust you; and let that trust be the basis of my reactions to the distress or trials, that I would not have chosen for myself. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
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