From revealing to healing

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” And leaving the crowd, they took him with them, just as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” 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. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” And they were filled with awe, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:35-41)

Humans are creatures of habit. Habits are hard to change, at least the dysfunctional and sinful ones are. After all, Jesus spent three years trying to get people to change their habitual way of thinking, and it took His death, resurrection and ascension to shift their paradigm. 

Consider how Peter behaved when Jesus slept on the boat in the wild storm. Peter knew Jesus was the Messiah although he would not yet have understood the profundity of that. Jesus’ renown in Galilee grew quickly (Luke 4:14-15). When Andrew and John, sent by John the Baptist, first encountered Jesus, they immediately knew him to be the Christ (John 1:35-42). Andrew went to Peter and told him as much, saying come and meet him. So Peter knew Jesus was the Christ they had been awaiting, and Jesus even had given Peter his new name (v. 42). Peter had witnessed Jesus’ miracles, exorcisms, and teachings, even curing his mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15). After the miraculous catch of fish and Jesus’ call to him to be a fisher of men, Peter left everything and followed Jesus (Luke 5:1-11). From then onward, Peter was in Jesus’ presence—in the presence of God—including during this storm. 

Yet he doubts Jesus’ love for them: “Teacher, do you not care…?”. 

How often do I doubt Jesus’ love for me? Why? 

As Rembrandt depicts the scene, when the storm erupted Peter went into his default mode of skipper of the boat. This was his habit, to lead and control. He didn’t surrender that leadership to Christ. In fact, in the painting Peter turns his back on Jesus as he tries to conquer the storm himself. Which then begs the question… 

Do I turn my back to Jesus and instead try to control my life world myself? Why? 

This simple, three-letter word ‘why’ is one of the most important we can ask ourselves and to ask Jesus to show us ‘why’. We uncover default ways of thinking and being that are self-protection habits. Our habits, our default reactions, become our barriers to Christ. So by allowing Him to reveal these to us, we are also opening the door to healing the underlying causes of the behavior. Reveal-to-heal is the pattern, and in this process our heart becomes filled with His love. Then we can also be a blessing to others. 

Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9) 

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam 😊

(Image by Rembrandt via Wikimedia Commons)