Grow in faith by getting to know Jesus
Jesus treats the wind and sea personally, as he would treat demons
June 25, 2006 -- 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By Fr. Michael Stubbs
It's not what you know, it's who you know. This saying places the emphasis upon office politics, upon the help of friends and relatives, in pursuing a job promotion. It tells us that the acquisition of skills and the possession of native talent do not matter as much.
At the same time, as the economy grows larger and more impersonal, this saying holds less true than it did formerly. It is difficult to discount the value of a high school diploma, not to say a college degree, in finding a job. Who we are does not matter as much as what we can do.
In that respect, our culture differs greatly from that of New Testament times. The people of the ancient Near East lived in a world much more animated than our own. Natural forces which we now view in a largely mechanistic, impersonal fashion were invested with personality.
That helps to explain the approach that Sunday's gospel story takes towards Jesus' miracle. Jesus is crossing the lake in a boat with his disciples. While he is fast asleep, a storm blows up. Afraid of drowning, the disciples appeal to Jesus to save them. "He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, 'Quiet, Be still.' The wind ceased and there was great calm."
Jesus treats the unruly storm in the same way as he treats demons who are possessing human beings. He rebukes the wind, as though it were a person. That is because the culture of the times did not view the wind as an impersonal force of nature, but viewed it as an animate being. Similarly, Jesus speaks to the sea to be quiet. He imposes the same silence upon it as he does upon the demons. "He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him." (Mark 1:34)
The amazed reaction of the disciples fits in with this emphasis upon person hood. "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" If we were to witness such a miracle, we would more likely ask, "How did he do that?" We would not look upon the event as the result of an interpersonal relationship, where the forces of nature obey Jesus because of who he is.
The disciples' question hangs in mid air, without receiving an answer.
Their lack of faith prevents them from understanding Jesus' divine nature, which even the demons are able to recognize. At the same time, Jesus has hidden his identity as the Messiah, because he fears that the disciples will not understand the need of his death on the cross. He is afraid that the disciples will look upon him as an earthly king, as a Messiah who wields political power. He is afraid that they will not understand that this Messiah must first die on the cross, and only then rise from the dead.
We can only hope that as the disciples grow in their faith, they will be able to clear up these misunderstandings. As they spend time with Jesus, they can know him better. After all, it is not what you know, but who you know.
(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)
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