Skip to main content

Jesus' Boat Ride from Hades

A great windstorm arose,
and the waves beat into the boat,
so that the boat was already being swamped.

I clearly remember the time I was in a canoe with a Scout on Chesuncook Lake in the Maine wilderness. It’s about 22 mi. long, 5 mi. wide and 150 ft. deep

The lake was relatively calm when the wind seriously picked up, blowing the canoe sideways, sending water into the canoe.

Fear of being swamped is an understatement the Scout and I felt 

The Sea of Galilee, much smaller, narrower, and shallower, has a geographic location causing storms developing quickly, without warning, immediately threatening small boats.

The disciples, the Scout and I experienced the panic of drowning.

Jesus continued preaching the impending Kingdom of God and the necessary repentance and acceptance of the good news.

This is not just a boat ride to the other side, but an apocalyptic boat ride from hades in which we learn Jesus’ identity.

The storm has come up, Jesus confronts the storm by rebuking it, saying to the sea, “Peace! Be still!

The wind ceases and the sea becomes a dead calm.

“Rebuke” and “silence” are exorcism words Jesus said earlier in Mark.

There are storms and then there are storms.

I’m currently reading The Demon of Unrest describing the cultural storm of issues surrounding slavery leading to the Civil War.

My niece is in the middle of a personal traumatic storm as she cares for my sister with Alzheimer’s illness.

Both of these storms have their own chaotic, wacky world.

Jesus, the Son of God, who exorcises the sea, brings calm in traumatic storms.

Jesus calls us to turn from our fears and trust confidently, in the good news that Jesus is in the boat capable of bringing calm to traumatic time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Ruler of All Earthly Kings

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. (from Rev. 1:4-8 ) About 17 years ago I wrote a letter to the people in the United Church of Underhill. The purpose of the letter was to explain I was retiring at the end of the Conference Year. I felt the time had come for me personally to move on and for the church to grow with a new pastor. I secured a moving company while the church formed a search committee as we both prepared for the inevitable. This is the nature of the book of Revelation, as recorded in 1:4: “John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia.” This is Revelation’s context: it was written for the benefit of particular people at a particular time for their particular situation. John’s letter narrates a drama about God’s imminent invasion of the “kingdom of this world” ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grantchester's Warning

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, the owner would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (from Luke 12:32-40 ) I regularly watch Grantchester; a murder mystery set in 1950s England. The main characters are a local detective and an Anglican priest who, as a team, solve mysteries set in the town. Two aspects of Grantchester impress me. First, the simplicity of the 1950’s police communications done by a landline phone and not cell phone. Second, the simplicity of daily life with little television and fewer possessions allowing the characters to focus on their vocation of detective and priest. This simplicity is more than a nostalgic return to the “good old days”. Instead, it’s a Shaker type of simplicity where austerity allows freedom from distractions to focus on worship and community. Today’s distraction-filled world has seemingly countless activ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jesus, Deliverance, and Demons

"Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind." (from Luke 8:26-39 ) Astrid is a streaming program I often watch. The plot is a basic cops and robbers action until the criminal is caught. The uniqueness of the program is Astrid, who is on the Autism spectrum, is brilliant at solving puzzles including connecting clues to solve the crime. Watching this program has given me a more profound insight to people living with this condition and their acceptance in society. My first-hand experience with children on the Spectrum was driving a Special Needs school bus for 6 years. With this experience, I can imagine the life the possessed man was experiencing, especially living among the tombs, bound with chains and shackles, having to live in the wilds. It was no wonder he cried for mercy. Jesus, with his power and mercy, cast the demons out and even...
Post a Comment
Read more