Mark 4:35-41
Proper 7 (12)- Year B
What does it mean to speak "Peace" when all about you are losing their heads? Is it simply that you don't have enough information (otherwise you too would be afraid)?
This is one of the spiritual disciplines that we have lost track of - calmness in the midst of storms. To practice this is easier for some, as their natural inclination is to move in that direction, and much more difficult for others. But both can benefit from the discipline to make it stronger and to take a step in that direction.
Who then are you if you daily operate more out of faith than fear? Surely you are not the youngster you used to be - you have matured in the faith. Surely you are in but not of the culture all around you. Surely you are picking up where Jesus left off.
I'm sure you will have an opportunity to practice this discipline today, evaluate how you did with your opportunity, and apply your learning a bit more tomorrow.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/june2003.html
With Jesus on board everything is supposed to be alright. Even if we are headed into unclean territory there is a certain presumption that we will be encapsulated in safety, protected.
Even this early in Mark, we are not all that surprised that the disciples are surprised when a storm shows up. It may not be a Perfect Storm with a trinity of fronts clashing together, but a storm, nonetheless.
We won't be surprised when the storm in not external, but within the nave.
Either way there is here a presumption that storms ought not happen when Jesus is around - as though crucifixion would never happen. You might be interested in a new book by Joan Chittister, Scarred by Struggle, Transformed by Hope.
Chapter 5 begins, "The first gift of struggle is the call to conversion -- the call to think differently about who God is and about who I am as an individual. It calls us to think again about what life really means and how I go about being in the world. These are deeply spiritual questions...."
Obviously the disciples did not struggle sufficiently with their storm. Jesus short-circuits their work and the miracle brings only wonder, not conversion.
Blessings upon you in your storms (yes, those all too regular storms that roll on through your life as though across the face of the planet). Where storms are minimized there is desert, not a helpful solution. Your scars are beautiful, signs of transformation.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/june2003.html
It is very easy to externalize this passage, to have Jesus address the created order to change its doing what it does, rather than to understand this as a parable. One of the dangers of pericopes is that they begin to stand separate from one another (an outgrowth of a chapter and verse numbering system that dissects a passage). This follows on the heels of hearing that Jesus only teaches in parables and elucidates them to an inner circle. This may help us see that disciples need the same parabolic teaching approach, but its surface simply goes after an external miracle.
This is a fine example of being in a learning mode and then deflecting that learning. A storm rises outside. The disciples bring that storm inside of themselves. They cry out for a resolution of the fear within. Jesus stills the outside storm and wonders about their inside storms. The disciples, instead of reflecting on his question regarding their sense of meaning, their application of faith, deflect the question to focus back on Jesus.
This is one of the dangers of a Sunday School, fill-in-the-blank, approach to life for adults. We tend to think every question is about Jesus as per this old story: A pastor was giving the children's message during church. For this part of the service, he would gather all the children around him and give a brief lesson before dismissing them for children's church.
On this particular Sunday, he was using squirrels for an object lesson on industry and preparation. He started out by saying, "I'm going to describe something, and I want you to raise your hand when you know what it is." The children nodded eagerly.
"This thing lives in trees (pause) and eats nuts (pause)..." No hands went up. "And it is gray (pause) and has a long bushy tail (pause)..." The children were looking at each other, but still no hands raised. "And it jumps from branch to branch (pause) and chatters and flips its tail when it's excited (pause)..."
Finally one little boy tentatively raised his hand. The pastor breathed a sigh of relief and called on him.
"Well," said the boy, "I know the answer must be Jesus ... but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me!"
Sometimes the questions of life are about situations around and about us. Sometimes they are about our response to situations and learning better ways of living.
What question have you been deflecting? Your congregation? Your community/nation?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2006/june2006.html
Storms come in many forms. There are physical storms with thunder and lightening. There are unseparated religion/state storms with inquisitions and lynchings.
Last night was the first showing of the new Bill Moyers series, Faith and Reason on the Public Broadcasting System. It is well worth listening to on your computer with streaming video or on the go with a podcast. Go to the Watch & Listen section.
You will see and hear about storms that lead to questions of care of community (freedom of speech) and faith/fear. Have atheists like Salmon Rushdie also heard the voice of health and wholeness (salvation) saying "Peace! Be Still!" and responded that they now have no more fear in standing up to oppression, whether by storm or fascists? Have you? If so where and when will you stand?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2006/june2006.html
Open wide your heart, let's go to the other side where we will be in the presence of mystery and openly challenge impossible situations. In so doing, praises will be sung and thanks given.
- - -
open wide your heart
let's go to the other side
in the presence of mystery
open challenge will be given
to impossible situations
in so doing
praises will be sung
thanks given.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html
Let's see, Jesus only related to folks through parable (from last week's pericope). So when Jesus says, "Let's go across to the other side," we are in Parableland. As Jesus emulators/rememberers we are to see and hear in parable. Our difficulty is in being consistent with this approach to life.
The disciples, famous for missing the boat, take Jesus aboard as he was. The presumption was that Jesus was being literal this time and so they hopped to and hopped Jesus right on in. Thinking they were on the right tack several boats leave the shore and head across the lake/sea.
Sure enough, along comes a stormy storm to nearly swamp them. Is this storm a parable of the other side? A little thought experiment would have sufficed. They were in a relatively good spot, things were going swimmingly. The other side from where they were is stormy and on the other side of the storm is Peace! Be still! We are called to head off to the next "other side".
As if this is not enough for the moment, two additional thoughts. Fear and faith are parable related. To learn to see and hear parables wherever you are lessens fear and increases faith. To not so learn is to stay stuck. We might then translate "faith" as an ability to hear and see parables wherever one is.
And, finally, what happened to those other boats?
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html
The parables are over, now it is time for disjunctures in nature - miracles, if you will. The same boat from which grand teachings came is the boat in danger on the sea. The best of teachings do not protect from a choice of responses available.
The Presence of G*D is not only like a mustard seed, but like a boat in a perfect storm.
Is Jesus sleeping a reincarnation of Buddha? Does Jesus really exorcise the wind (spirit/ breath/ruach/pneuma)? Why suggest that fear and faith are in opposition to one another and are a zero-sum game where only one will prevail?
In hearing teachings from the boat and in experiencing miracles in the boat, the question of the disciples is what we are all left with - “Huh?”, “What?”, “How?” “Who?”
Pentecost began with the roar of wind in the midst of fear. Pentecost continues with the roar of fear in the midst of wind. We are a tiny, buffeted community murmuring and muttering along our way. Blessings on our not having it all worked out and simply proceeding.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/06/mark-435-41.html