On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And a fierce gale of wind developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion… (Mark 4:35-38 NASB)
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear… (1 John 4:18 NASB)
Assuming the best takes effort. Lots of effort!
It seems almost second nature to assume, in the absence of readily available evidence to the contrary, that the other shoe is about to drop at any moment. At least this is how it goes for me. I’m not saying I assume the worst. But I suspect mischief is always lurking about ready to pounce, cratering my happiness. Crushing my peace. Daring me to hold tightly to my intention to, as a default mindset, assume the best.
Can you relate?
The text noted above comes at the end of a long day filled with Jesus’ teaching. A large crowd has gathered to hear his words. Truths conveyed in a series of mysterious parables, the explanation of them reserved, for the time being, for his disciples.
Evening descends and Jesus dismisses his audience, saying to his disciples he wants to go over to the other side of the sea.
It is not a casual destination towards which they travel. It is the region of the Gerasenes, a place of confrontation and liberation. Legion is waiting. A man whose mind is wrapped in chains, a man tormented by demons whose home is among the dead. A man for whose freedom Jesus has come crossing the sea. A man who will soon become a powerful evangelist bringing to many the message of God’s invasion of the enemy’s territory by way of his Son.
But first, the sea must be crossed.
How earnestly do the powers of darkness array themselves in an attempt to sabotage this mission of liberation! How earnestly do they continue in such efforts today in their attempt to abort giving sight to the blind and setting captives free!
Jesus and his disciples are not alone. There are others accompanying them in other boats. A storm comes upon them. A sudden fierce flurry of wind and waves.
We must bear in mind that these are seasoned fishermen who man the boats, men not unfamiliar with the sea and its stormy tantrums. Men not easily dismayed by adverse conditions for they are capable all and know what they’re doing. Yet afraid they are with a growing fear gnawing away in their bellies, clawing at their beliefs, seeking to rip away any not securely battened down. The fierce wind and waves a wrecking ball of fear. Far from assuming the best, wrapped in terror, they fear the worst.
In the midst of this tumult Jesus lies asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat.
It is a picture almost too absurd to conjure in one’s imagination. A boat tossed about by wind and waves. Water sloshing over the side to such an extent it threatens to capsize the craft. Disciples afraid for their lives.
Jesus is about to be woken by his companions who are astounded by his lack of concern, their minds screaming the questions to which they have no answer: How can Jesus sleep through such an ordeal? Does he not care that they are about to lose their lives?
Yet asleep Jesus is, undisturbed by the stormy swirl surrounding him. How can it be?
The Son sleeps in peace because his Father’s love is sure.
Does it sound trite to your ears, this claim of internal serenity being the natural result of God’s love?
It is an ancient claim, one echoed by the prophet Isaiah:
The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.
And again by John, the disciple who so keenly reveled in the love of his Lord:
There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear…
Jesus’ trust in his Father’s love was absolute. And in the safety of that love he found the antidote to fear. He could assume the best—regardless of external circumstances and the discordant emotions they sought to generate—because he had tasted, known and abided in his Father’s utterly unfailing love throughout eternity.
Was the knowledge and experience of that love put to the test? Absolutely! Jesus’ humanity is keenly reflected in his sweating drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane as he contemplated the awful hours ahead bringing his earthly mission to a climactic close. Even so, the Lord’s conviction of the certainty of his Father’s love gave him the strength he needed to defeat fear. To obey and do what God had sent him to do.
It is the same for you and I, this power of God’s love to do the impossible, to give us the strength needed to overcome the many faces of fear. Fear of loneliness, pain, rejection, loss, deprivation…even death.
I do not say that in the overcoming we will be like our Lord, sleeping peacefully in the midst of our storm. But rising above our fears and gaining peace of heart and mind becomes possible when, like Jesus whom we follow, we place the full measure of our trust in his Father and ours.
© Michael Kimball 2021 (This writing may be freely copied in its entirety without prior permission from the author.)