The Rev. Paul J Cain
Mark 6:45-56
Fear, Faith
Proper 12B, 29 July 2012
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Sheridan, WY
In the Name of Jesus. Amen.
In times of pain, frustration, or tragedy, one question
echoes through our hearts and minds: Why? And we wonder to ourselves (or even
aloud) why the Lord allows certain things to happen in our lives. “Why?” is a
powerful question. Sometimes, we don’t get the answers we seek because we begin
with the wrong question or the wrong assumptions. Often, we don’t have all of
the information we need in order to understand, or even begin to process what
has happened.
Consider today’s Gospel reading from the end of Mark chapter
6. After a time alone on the mountain to pra,y Jesus walks on water. No, He
wasn’t ice fishing. We know this because the disciples were out in a boat on
the sea. The little details of Mark’s account (and some missing information)
will help us as we wrestle with the “whys” of our lives.
45 Immediately
he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to
Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 And
after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray. 47 And when evening
came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they
were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the
fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass
by them, 49 but when
they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, 50 for they all saw him
and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it
is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 And
he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly
astounded, 52 for
they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.
They did not understand about the loaves in last week’s text.
Jesus’ direction to the disciples to “give them”—the 5000 plus—“something to
eat,” meaning “tell them about Me” went un-understood because their hearts were
hardened. In other words, they lacked a strong faith in Christ. You can hear
their terror in the first paragraph of the text.
Jesus comes to them very late: 3-6 in the morning. Or is
that very early? The wind was against them, Mark informs us. And then they
think they see a “phantasm,” and they think it is coming to get them. How wrong
they were! Our question, “Why?” so often assumes that God is wrong. Isn’t that
what we feel in our hearts? An accusation against God? How quickly we forget
that the Lord creates in us new hearts, gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit
and the gift of faith, and that our God is the one who declares, “Do not be
afraid.” How many times has He said it Himself or through His messengers? “Stop
being afraid” may be a better translation.
They were utterly astounded. And even more disappointing is
the fact that this wasn’t the first time the Lord had calmed a storm. Today’s
Gospel reading is from Mark 6. Let’s rewind to Mark 4:
35 On that
day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other
side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the
boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a
great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the
boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on
the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that
we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and
said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great
calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you
still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and
said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey
him?” [1]
Back on the very day Jesus had taught them with all those
parables, they get into the boat to cross to get to the other side. Jesus is
asleep on a cushion in the stern while the disciples accuse Jesus of not caring
about them. He says, “Peace, be still!” And all was calm. Except the disciples.
They were filled with fear instead of faith.
TLSB on 4:35–41 When Jesus rebukes the wind and waves, the
lifeless storm shows a greater recognition of His divine power than the
disciples. Similar examples still abound, as the brute forces of nature
invariably obey the Lord’s commands better than people, including God’s own
children, obey them. But the Lord nonetheless continues to love and care for
us, despite our dullness and doubts. He not only calms all of the storms in our
lives but actually does so in ways that mature our faith and lead us to trust Him
more deeply.[2]
Can you imagine being in the boat with the disciples the
second time? Couldn’t you imagine them complaining about the wind and the waves
and this unearthly supernatural spirit coming after them? Wouldn’t it be
plausible for them to cry out in the same way they had before? “Teacher, do you
not care that we are perishing?” If God is good, and you know He is, you
realize that this is a question formed by fear, not a question formed by faith.
In times of pain, frustration, or tragedy, “Why?” echoes
through our hearts and minds: We wonder why the Lord allows certain things to
happen. Too often, “Why?” is a question formed by fear, not a question formed
by faith.
Ultimately, most “why” questions are unanswerable this side
of heaven. Usually, the reason behind a tragedy belongs to the hidden knowledge
of God, information God has chosen not to reveal in His Word. Why He allowed
something to happen may be part of a greater good, a message we are unlikely to
accept when our pain is fresh. Jesus calmed the storm when He was in the boat
with the disciples back in Mark 4. In the Mark 6 text, Jesus allows the wind
and waves to rage until He gets into the boat with them. They were
utterly astounded, Mark tells us, but they do not yet believe.
Remember why Jesus does miracles. They always go
hand-in-hand with faith. Jesus’ miracles are paired with His teaching and His
very presence to create, nurture, strengthen, or renew faith in Him. When Jesus
was at Nazareth, He didn’t do many miracles because the people didn’t believe
what He said. If they didn’t believe what He said, why would they believe it
just because He did something miraculous? The feeding of the 5000 plus could be
misunderstood as “dinner and a show.” We dare not substitute doubt or fear for
faith.
We now come back to the disciples. Jesus has now twice
calmed the sea, but their fears remain.
Excerpt from TLSB on 6:45–52 Too often, our eyes
are also blind and our hearts are just as hard. It is a good thing, therefore,
that He who walked on the water that night also died in Calvary’s darkness to
save us from our hard-heartedness.
Compare the unfaith of the disciples at this time with the
faith of the crowds.
53 When
they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.
54 And when they got
out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him 55 and ran about the whole region and began to
bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he
came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the
marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his
garment. And as many as touched it were made well. [3]
Compare the faith of the crowds with the unfaith of the
disciples at this time. They have been following Him as their Teacher, but have
missed His lessons. Their hearts were hardened in misunderstanding about the
feeding of the 5000 plus. Even a repeat of that, a feeding of 4000 plus, leaves
them with unfaith so that Jesus has to ask, “Do you not yet understand?” They
won’t confess Him as Messiah and Christ until Mark 8:29.
TLSB on 6:53–56 Not long after Jesus’ disciples failed to
recognize an unmistakable display of His divinity, the people of Gennesaret
show great faith by receiving Jesus and clamoring for His healing power. Even
today, those new to the faith often exhibit more conviction than those who have
known Jesus for a long time. It is good news, then, that Jesus remains devoted
to us even when our commitment wavers or fails. His resolve to suffer and die
for all is ample proof of that.[4]
Our Lord is patient with us. That is but another way He
manifests his mercy and grace to us in Word and Sacrament. Amen.
In the Name of Jesus . Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001 (Mk 4:35–41). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[2]
Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran
Study Bible (1664). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
2001 (Mk 6:45–56). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[4]
Engelbrecht, E. A. (2009). The Lutheran
Study Bible (1669). St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House.
