When your faith is challenged

Mark 4:35-41 (NIV)

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?”  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!" 

I think of this story when I think about Jesus’ suffering and death at the hands of the Jewish leaders and the Romans.  If Jesus had control over the weather, He had control over whatever was happening to Him at the cross and could have stopped things at any time.  Yet He didn’t.  I know that every time I experience severe pain, I think of the far worse pain that Jesus suffered that He could have stopped it, yet did not.  The human mind cannot comprehend any of this.

The phrase “they took Him along, just as He was” intrigues me.  Maybe scholars know what this meant, but I have no idea.  Yet, there must be significance to this observation.  What might you think?

Have you ever been in a boat on the open sea when a storm hit?  The only time I have ever experienced this was one time on a Caribbean cruise.  Even on a huge ship, I felt uncomfortable to the point of fear.  Indeed, reading about rogue waves hitting a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea and killing some tourists is a scary thing.  To be in a small boat during a storm has to be immensely terrifying.  Any of us would have acted just like the disciples.  Yet Jesus was disappointed in their fear.  The Scripture seems to be saying that they became even more fearful because Jesus rebuked them as He rebuked the storm. 

One of the great learning points of this passage is the fact that even the strongest Christian today is like these disciples in two ways---no matter how much faith you think you have, that faith will be challenged from time to time and you will learn that it’s not as strong as you thought.  Also, sometimes, through stormy circumstances in your life, you will question who Jesus really is.  It is reassuring even to the strongest believer that these moments of doubt will occur; yet they can and will be overcome.  Indeed, perhaps the greatest learning point from this story is that if Jesus has the power to calm the wind and waves, He most definitely has the power to help you overcome any storm going on in your life.  The question is, do you have the faith to believe that He can and will?