LEAven Blog

My last blog entry was a “part 1” of a multi-part series.  In that entry, I approached the subject by writing about an unexpected time when a student had my back, and did so in a rather unusual way.  In this “part 2” on the theme of “Teachable moments; who has our back?” we consider a moment where Jesus is teaching His disciples in an unusual yet effective way.  Of course, there is application for us!

In the sixth chapter of his Gospel, St. Mark says, “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.” Throughout the Gospels, Jesus gives directives to His disciples.  Yet, none may have been as forcefully given as this one.  “Immediately….made them….” Jesus has something in mind, and it requires their immediate attention. 

Part of Jesus’ sense of urgency is fueled by the culture of the immediate moment.  People had gotten wind of Jesus, what He did, how He taught.  Some were surely beginning to want to make Him king by force after He had fed over 5000 people, healed the sick, and taught with authority.  Yet, they had the wrong idea of who and what the Messiah was supposed to be.  It’s certainly not impossible that even Jesus’ own disciples needed to be reminded of Jesus’ true work and purpose. Mark writes later in the same chapter, “They (the disciples) were completely amazed for they had not understood about the loaves…”  They were just like the crowds! So, Jesus puts them in a boat and sends them in the direction of a storm! The result will help begin their improved understanding of who Jesus is and what He is all about.

We look at this account, and it makes us uncomfortable.  Jesus is hurrying His disciples into a challenging position! They will feel the storm rise. They will fight against its fury with little success. They will see Jesus walk on the water, not realizing it’s Jesus they see. His voice and presence will change everything.  They will hear Him command the storm.  They will go through great difficulty but come out the other side safe and wiser because of the actions of Jesus.  They will also know He will be with them through all of life’s storms – Jesus will always have their back! Even with this outcome, there is great difficulty in this story. However, ultimately, if this is true in the lives of His disciples who walked with Him on this Earth, it is also true of us, His disciples of today!

So, when Jesus compels us to get in the boat, and we begin to see the clouds form on the horizon, we respond in faith.  We know that whatever is falling into place ahead of us will not overtake us and defeat us.  We know that the victory is already won in Jesus’ death and resurrection.  We know that somehow, Jesus is about to further equip us to be His disciples, to do His work, and to further His kingdom.  The boat ride may get bumpy; but, Jesus, who is always in our midst, doesn’t just bring the calm, He IS the calm, and will never abandon or forsake us.  He always has our back!