Jesus and his disciples are crossing to the other side of the Sea of Galilee in the evening. Jesus was tired from the day’s labor and was sleeping in the boat. The Sea of Galilee is twenty-one kilometers long and thirteen kilometers wide, and is the lowest freshwater lake on earth. The main source of its water is the river Jordan, which flows from Mount Hermon. The small hills surrounding the lake inflate the beauty of the location. At the same time, the winds coming from the hills create occasional storms in the lake.
Many of Jesus’ disciples are fishermen from this area. Some days the sea was exceptionally calm and other days there were big waves. It is not the first time they have ventured into the troubled waters of the sea. They are familiar with the change of weather in the lake. But this storm, wind, and Jesus sleeping at that time are meant to teach the disciples some important lessons of life.
Jesus calming the Sea is a clear sign of Christ’s power over the negative elements in the world. It reveals his divinity, and the disciples ask: “Who then is this…that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mk 4: 41). Even after seeing the many miracles of Jesus, the disciples are not strong in their faith. But Jesus has complete trust in the providence of God and can sleep peacefully in the middle of a heavy storm.
The faith life of a Christian is beautifully described in this incident. The sea with the storm is an image of the troubles we face daily. The boat is our journey of life, and many others are traveling along with us. We face many challenges, and sometimes solving them is beyond our control. The ‘sleeping Jesus’ is also a reminder of the constant presence of God with us. Most of the time we complain that God is oblivious to our struggles. But he might be standing next to us and may interfere when it is most needed. Believers are like the disciples that even after experiencing many miracles we forget that Jesus can protect us. In the stormy waters of the sea of our lives, we become desperate because of the struggles and challenges. We realize that we are powerless to handle the situation.
Some of us face similar storms in our lives when we feel the lack of God’s presence. But after everything calms down, we realize that it was not Jesus who was absent from our lives. We were the ones who either did not realize his presence or failed to act according to his dictates. Jesus may not always perform a miracle to save us, but help us to become stronger in our faith. He continues to help us in realizing our strengths and limitations daily. The storms of life will always be there and at the same time, the presence of Jesus is stronger than before.
This Gospel passage is inviting us to reflect on how we handle the hardships and problems in our lives. If Jesus is with us, we can face them with confidence. Today, we may have to ask Jesus to take control of our boat. Prayer is our means to make present God in our lives. Nothing can destroy us if Jesus is with us. Jesus can calm down the storm with a single word if needed. There will always be wind and storm in our journeys, but at the same time, we never forget to ask Jesus for help.
Rev. Dr. Mathew Charthakuzhiyil